By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
An ordinance appropriating some $2.1 million for several projects in Forrest City was amended Tuesday after its third reading. The ordinance was then tabled and will be read three times again.
The action was taken during the regular city council meeting.
In its original form, Section 2 of the ordinance reads that the mayor or authorized representative is authorized "to advertise for professional services, building contracts, land purchase, and enter into contracts as necessary to accomplish" the projects. The amendment removes the words "and enter into contracts."
The vote on the amendment was unanimous.
The ordinance, if passed as it stands, will appropriate $1.8 million for a multi-purpose center. It will also appropriate $100,000 for drainage projects, $25,000 toward a fire substation, $30,000 to the Forrest City Area Chamber of Commerce, $25,000 for business development, $25,000 for housing development, $40,000 toward an animal shelter and $75,000 for miscellaneous projects.
During the discussion of the ordinance, Alderman Cecil Twillie said the only problem he had was that "we have so many different entities in this one ordinance."
Twillie said he had received some calls about the housing part of the ordinance. He recognized Robert Barlow, president of Exchange Mortgage and Funding of Memphis. Barlow proposed a program by which the city would help pay down payments for first-time home buyers. He said the down payment assistance would not be a gift but a low-interest loan, which would be paid back.
Barlow said a person paying $400 in rent could also make a mortgage payment, but the problem for many people is getting the down payment.
"If you have a demand, the builder will come here and build," said Barlow.
Mayor Larry Bryant also said he had a letter from the ACE Housing Committee, in which the housing portion of the appropriations ordinance was supported.
Bryant said the ordinance is nothing more than a starting point.
"The figures in there are a start-up figure," he said, and added that the money figure on housing could be changed after the ordinance is passed.
"I know and you know, every time we tear a house down we lose some tax base," said Bryant. Earlier in the meeting bids were opened on the demolition of about 30 condemned structures.
Bryant said the city would be helped by more housing, but added that the school district would be helped even more, which he said would eventually help the entire community.
"This is basically a shell ordinance," he said. "No money can be spent. Nothing can be done. It has something for everyone, things that we need. All I ask is for the council to pass a shell ordinance that can be amended if there is something you feel isn't getting enough money or something you feel gets too much money, or something you want to take out at a later date. This is just to get the ball moving. It says nothing about spending any money."
Alderman Roger Breeding said he would like to see every item in the ordinance considered separately, on its own merits.
Breeding said he has been approached about the possibility of the city purchasing the present Union Planters Bank Building if a new bank building is constructed, and said that is something the council might consider.
He also said one of his constituents (Pat Flanagin) had written a letter to the newspaper, asking that the issue of a multi-purpose center be referred to the people in a vote. He said he agreed that it should be put up for a vote, and said he felt he didn't have enough information to make an intelligent decision on the ordinance.
Twillie asked if the ordinance would simply be a "green light."
"It's a green light, as you put it," said City Attorney Alan Cline. However, he said there would still be "steps and processes along the way...It's a green light to go ahead, but it's not that this ordinance, by itself, is going to build a multi-purpose center. There are other steps along the way."
Bryant said he had also heard about he Union Planters building, but had been told it wasn't ready to be made public yet.
He also had words for the letter writer.
"My comments to the individual who wrote the editorial (letter) is he's a sore loser that lost when I ran against him some years ago," said Bryant. "Wasn't for anything then, wasn't for progress then, seems as though he's not for progress now.
"The bottom line is, I'll ask you all to vote for this. You vote it up, you vote it down, you table it. Let everything fall where it may, and I'll leave here the way I came in here."
He repeated that the ordinance was a shell. "It is something to get us off the square peg and move us forward down the road...If every time we get ready to do something we've got to go out and do a poll of the people -- the people weren't up here saying you need to do x, y, z to make sure you keep your expenditures to a level. The people weren't here when I got here and we cut out those $20 calendars over at the police station. The people weren't here when we started making people do their jobs, and saved money by virtue of the way they changed. When we buy a fire truck do we ask the people?...This is for the people...But if we have people who love to write editorials (letters), sour grapes here and there, we need to be positive."
After some more discussion, the ordinance was amended, and will be up for first reading at the next meeting.
By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
On a 5-3 vote, the Forrest City City Council on Tuesday granted the mayor the power to make purchases of up to $10,000 without going through the bidding process.
Under state law, $10,000 is the maximum amount a mayor can spend in that manner, but city councils may set the amount at anything up to $10,000.
Before the vote, Alderman Roger Breeding said he had called around various cities to see what limits those mayors have. He said West Memphis has a $5,000 limit, West Helena has a $10,000 limit, Wynne has a $2,000 limit, Marianna has a $5,000 limit, and Brinkley has a $10,000 limit.
Aldermen asked how often the power to make those purchases might be used. Mayor Larry Bryant said there was a city lawnmower, a boiler for the Civic Center, and beacon repairs for the airport (the beacon has not been purchased yet. The city and airport commission are looking into other possible financing).
On the vote, Aldermen Louise Fields, Cecil Twillie, Roy Hancock, Brent Ponder and Mary Jeffers voted yes. Aldermen Breeding, Holloway and John Gadberry voted no. An emergency clause was also passed, making the law effective immediately. The vote was the same as for the ordinance.
First reading was also held on an ordinance keeping 18-wheelers from being parked or maintained in certain parts of town.
The ordinance would prevent the big rigs from being parked in areas zoned R-1, R-2, R-3 or R-4, or within an area designated as a fire zone. Violation of the ordinance would result in a fine of $25 per day, plus court costs.
On another matter, second reading on an ordinance was heard to close an alley behind 510 E. Cross Street. Alderman Roger Breeding said there might be a need to close the entire length of that alley, but was told it would take separate action.
In other action, Bryant said he would like to look into the
possibility of using a different chemical for mosquito spraying.
The city has been using Scourge, and Bryant said it doesn't seem
to be working as well as it might. Breeding also suggested that
the city spray more often.
By ALAN SMITH
T-H Staff Writer
Updates on equipment and a new well were presented at a brief meeting of the Forrest City Water Commission Tuesday afternoon.
Forrest City Water Utility Manager Jim Beazley told commissioners that the bids to purchase new equipment for the water department should be ready by the August meeting. "Bids should be here next month on a small backhoe. Maybe we will also get some bids on some new crew cab pick-up trucks. We have had the current trucks since 1993, and they are starting to get really weak."
Beazley also told the commission of a replacement well being built just south of Sanyo Manufacturing. "The well driver moved in today," stated Beazley.
The test on the new well showed it will pump 600 gallons of water per minute." According to Beazley, the underground portion of the well should be completed in a few days, and the entire project should be done in about eight weeks.
By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
Members of the St. Francis County Quorum Court approved a pair of resolutions, Tuesday night, which support the efforts of two area school districts as they try to meet Amendment 74 requirements.
By a 9-to-1 vote, with Justice Evan Seawood voting against the measure, justices agreed to the resolutions supporting the Forrest City School District and the Hughes School District as those entities attempt to restructure their debt service and request voters approve millage changes. The FCSD is seeking a 1.5 mill increase, and a .73 mill increase is being sought by the HSD.
Seawood objected to the matter, saying that the resolutions would be a political endorsement to the people. "I think we should let the people make their own decision on this. I don't think that the quorum court has any business passing resolutions that tell the voters how they should vote," Seawood said.
In other business, justices agreed to appropriate over $8,800 in grant funds to the Office of Emergency Services budget. According to St. Francis County Judge Carl Cisco, the OES office recently received the grant which will help fund a project currently underway to update the county's emergency response plan. Justices also gave approval to Cisco to donate $8,000 from the county's indigent care fund to the Crowley's Ridge Development Council's Meals on Wheels Program and $200 to the CRDC's back to school program.
"We had a request from the CRDC to help with these programs, and since we're getting the hospital funds now, we can take the money from the indigent fund to help with these programs," Cisco said.
Justices also gave approval to change the format as to how other county charities receive funding. Last year, both the CARE Center and the Food Pantry received $9,000 in funding each, which was paid at a rate of $750 per month from July through December, with a lump sum payment of $4,500 at the end of the year. Justices changed that format last night, in an effort to assist both the charities and the county. Now, those payments will be made at $1,500 monthly, from July through December.
Questions arose again Tuesday over past garbage contractor B&B Disposal. According to Justice Regan Hill, questions over the number of carts the former contractor was charging the county for began months ago when problems with B&B first began.
Hill told justices that according to B&B invoices, over the three-year period of time the company serviced St. Francis County, the number of carts paid for ranged from 4,192 when B&B's contract started to 4,356 when the contract ended, with the number of carts in the county declining in only one month.
"At no time over their three years with the county did the number of carts we were invoiced for drop, with the exception of a month where they dropped 20 carts but subsequently increased by 50 carts for the following month. Our current company, even with all of the problems that they've encountered with distributing and collecting carts, have only put out 4,120 carts. That's a big difference. From the figures I've put together, the county is looking at about $75,000 in money that was overspent and is owed to the county. I think we, as a court, should do everything possible to get the money we're owed on the carts," Hill said.
St. Francis County Attorney Fletcher Long told justices that an effort would be made to contact B&B regarding the issues.
By ALAN SMITH
T-H Staff Writer
Sewage problems and how to correct them were addressed by the Hughes City Council Monday night.
Mayor Donnie Mooney updated councilmen on the problems one area of the city is having with the current system.
"The sewer extensions on Maryel and Maywood streets are having problems," said Mooney. "The extensions that they have to make to connect to the city sewer is 75 feet in some cases. That is just too far for the waste to travel. It has been bubbling up in some yards and becoming a real problem.
"I had a construction crew look at the problem, and their suggestion was to place two additional manholes with four service taps on Maywood Street. That way, the connections to the nearby houses wouldn't have to travel so far. They estimated that the cost would be $6,000 for the work," Mooney said.
The mayor also stated that the city will dig up the street to find out if city workers can repair the situation. The council agreed to wait for the results of the city's findings before paying for the work.
Mooney then offered several updates to the council, first on the repairs to city buildings damaged by the storms that hit the area in May.
"We are getting the roof on the wellhouse put on now," said Mooney. "The other building (the old firestation) has the roof covered, but not permanently. We are still waiting for the insurance check to come in. After it does, we can determine what we want to do with the building. We can at least cover the roof. FEMA (the Federal Emergency Management Agency) is sending out a check, but I don't know how much it is for. They said we should receive it in the next 45 days."
In other business, Mooney stated that the one-ton truck for the sanitation department had been purchased. He also said that a flat bed would be placed on the truck, and that a dump truck could be purchased at a later date if needed.
The C.A.R.E. Center will close for client assistance from July 21 through Aug. 3. The Thrift Store will be open July 17 and Aug. 2.
"We are giving our dedicated volunteers some well-earned time off, and ask that no donations of clothing or other articles be left during that time period," a press release stated. "We are very grateful to the members of our community that give so freely, and thank them for respecting our request while we are closed."