By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
Members of the St. Francis County Quorum Court voted 7-to-4 Tuesday to draw up an ordinance that will allow the county to proceed with replacing the roofs at the courthouse and county jail.
After much discussion, justices reached the decision with justices O.J. Gandy, Regan Hill, B. McCollum and Donald Cagle voting against the measure. Hill questioned whether the decision could be delayed until Cagle, who is a retired roofing contractor and was the contractor who put the current roof on the courthouse, could have an opportunity to inspect the current roof.
"I feel that we, as the quorum court, have a responsibility to make sure that we're spending the taxpayers' money in the best possible way, and if we have someone on this court that made his entire living in this line of work, then we have a responsibility to allow him to take a look at the building and give us his opinion on what might need to be done," Hill said. "I've spoken with Mr. Cagle, and he feels that there may be some options that could possibly save us between $70,000 and $100,000 in comparison to the bid that we have from Jonesboro Roofing."
Cagle said that his feeling on the roof is that the bid is too high. "My main concern is what can be done to fix this problem, and I honestly think with the courthouse bid, that it's too high. They're charging right at $1,000 per square to do the work, and that seems to be outrageous. We looked at the roof, and I think that it could be repaired and save the county some money."
The stances of Hill and Cagle drew opposition from justices Sam Armstrong, chairman of the courthouse building and improvement committee, which endorsed bids from Jonesboro Roofing Co., last week, and Evan Seawood. The justices questioned Hill on a recent change of heart on the necessity for replacing the roof.
"We're playing games again, and we're playing games with our courthouse and jail. Mr. Hill is the one who brought this stuff up originally, and now that things ain't quite going the way he wanted them to, he's getting all wishy-washy. Winter is coming, and we need to do something. We have established committees for these matters, and if we're not going to do what those committees say to do, then I'm going to do what I'm required to do by law and come up here on the third Tuesday of the month and that's it," Seawood said. "If we're not going to follow the recommendations from the committees, then why do we need them. I'm really ashamed to be a member of this court tonight, and you can put that in the newspaper."
Armstrong also mentioned Hill's stance on the roof issue, citing a pair of August articles from the Times-Herald.
"We've (the building and improvement committee) been working on this thing since August, and now we're wanting to put things off again. The committee voted last week to do this, and the budget committee also voted to seek funding for the repairs. Now, we're wanting to delay it again. I agree with Mr. Seawood, something needs to be done now. Winter is coming, and we've got buckets on the roof and plastic covering up equipment. We don't need to delay this anymore," said Armstrong.
Following the meeting, Hill said that a desire to seek more information on getting the roof repaired, along with wanting to get the advice of Cagle, inspired his change of thought. The bid from Jonesboro Roofing would place the cost of replacing the two roofs at over $239,000.
According to budget committee chairman Henry Wilkinson, the funding for the project might come from the county's savings of over $500,000 located in the county trust account and county CD. According to a report from Treasurer Ann Harbin, as of yesterday, the trust account had a $439,689.84 balance, and the CD stood at $100,000.
In other business, justices agreed to a recommendation from the budget committee to restructure the Sheriff's Department Radio Fund. Justices moved the funding during budget problems in 2001.
Justices also agreed to three ordinances appropriating funding to a number of accounts. The court approved spending $4,000 to hire an additional employee for the county jail; appropriated $5,000 to the collector's office budget for printing of the delinquent tax list and agreed to pay a total of $14,400 to the St. Francis County Administration of Justice Budget for upkeep in the law library.
Sheriff Dave Parkman also updated justices on the recent tax
collections. According to Parkman, $6,138,204.13 has been collected
compared to $5,956,441.74 collected last year.
By TAMARA JOHNSON
Managing Editor
Construction is expected to begin in January on a new manufacturing plant to be located near Wynne.
Japan-based Sakae Riken Kogyo Co., Ltd., announced Tuesday afternoon during a press conference in the Wynne High School auditorium that it would build its second North American plant on a 40-acre site on Highway 1 south of Wynne.
The factory will produce decorative, functional, interior and exterior trim and other complex modular assemblies for the automotive industry. Construction of the 91,000-square-foot facility will begin in January 2004.
The Wynne facility, called Eakas Arkansas, has a sister facility in Peru, Ill. The plant, with an initial investment of $15 million, will begin production with an estimated 75 employees, turning out its first production by March 2005. At full operating capacity, the plant is expected to employ 250 people.
"The good news just keeps coming for the Arkansas Delta. We're delighted Sakae Riken Kogyo has selected Wynne as the site of its second U.S. manufacturing facility. The word is getting out about what a profitable place Arkansas is for business. We're proving how responsive and hospitable Arkansas cities are. We look forward to a long, mutually beneficial partnership with Sakae Riken Kogyo," said Gov. Mike Huckabee.
The Wynne plant will be Sakae Riken Kogyo's eighth plant, including the one in Illinois. There are also five plants in Japan and one in China.
Yoshihisa Okano, president of SRK, said, "The automotive industry and auto parts industry are in the midst of a globalizing process, and presently American automotive builders are expanding towards the Mid-South. We are determined as an automotive industry member to become a company to be respected by the citizens of Wynne and to share in a prosperous future with the State of Arkansas."
SRK began searching for a new site in July last year, and during the process, contacted 12 states, visited more than 15 communities and more than 25 potential sites, according to Okano. "During this study, we were most impressed with the warm welcome and invitation of the people of Wynne and Cross County and the State of Arkansas," Okano said.
The plant will be capable of producing 320,000 door handles a month and 60,000 mirrors, plus other interior and exterior parts, according to a press release.
"The citizens of Cross County are extremely pleased that Sakae Riken Kogyo has chosen them to be a part of this new venture," said Bill Thomas, executive director of the Cross County Economic Development Corporation. "We feel this is a good match for the company and for Wynne."
Jim Pickens, director of the Arkansas Department of Economic Development, said, "Sakae Riken Kogyo is a very welcome addition to our growing list of automotive suppliers in Arkansas. We understand they made their selection because Wynne met their geographical and potential workforce requirements."
By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
The Forrest City City Council on Tuesday adopted a resolution supporting the Arkansas Municipal League's call for a so-called "Twenty-First Century Tax Base."
Put in simplest terms, that means removing the sales tax exemption from some items before increasing the tax on other purchases.
Alderman Cecil Twillie said he had recently attended a Municipal League meeting, during which the subject was discussed.
"This is one of the things they would like for city councils and mayors to push," said Twillie. "What the thought process is, is instead of adding on to tax, let's broaden our base and tax things that we haven't been taxing in the past. There's a slew of things that aren't being taxed. I think it's a good idea...I think it's a better way to go than what we have, it includes more people."
Mayor Larry Bryant said the sales tax burden is already heavy on those who are being taxed, and it would create hardships to simply raise the taxes on the same people again.
"If (the state raises) enough sales tax, it will hamper cities from being able to raise their own sales taxes when they might need it, based on the fact that the economy has gone south to a large degree. The cities' only source of revenue for the large part is sales tax. So rather than just raise taxes, which is truly regressive, let's just raise it across the board and have more people involved in raising taxes."
The resolution states that the economy is becoming more service-based, and also states in part, "Whereas, our tax system would be more progressive if its base was broadened to encompass many of the areas that have been excluded or exempted; and Whereas, to simply raise the rate of the state sales tax would cause our state to compare unfavorably with competing states as well as jeopardizing local services."
There was no dissension among council members.
In other action, the council received packets from five architectural firms. The city had previously requested "RFQ's" or Request For Qualifications, from firms interested in working on the new muliti-purpose building to be located at the sports complex.
The five firms responding included: Fowler/Garey Architects of West Memphis; Laura Reddon of Little Rock; Taggart Architects of North Little Rock; Bob Beavers of Forrest City and Woods-Caradine Architects of Little Rock.
In other business, the council passed a resolution accepting a $31,775 loan from the Arkansas Soil and Water Conservation Commission for sewer work.
Bryant also reminded the council members of the ribbon cutting
ceremony for the new Senior Citizens Center, to be held beginning
at 11 a.m. Thursday.
By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
Members of the St. Francis County Transportation Committee, as well as delegates from several political offices, were on hand Monday for the presentation of the committee's $100,000 grant from the Delta Regional Authority.
Representatives of the DRA presented the grant to Transportation Committee members during a ceremony held at the St. Francis County Courthouse. The $100,000 grant is a portion of $974,342 in grants issued as part of the 2003 federal grant program. The funding will partially fund the third phase in the development of the St. Francis County Transportation Mall.
"The 2003 Delta Regional Authority federal grants are a perfect example of state, local and federal governments successfully working hand-in-hand to meet the needs of small towns throughout Arkansas," said DRA federal co-chairman Pete Johnson in a prepared statement.
"These grants would not have been made possible had it not been for the leadership of the Arkansas Congressional delegation. Governor Huckabee is to be commended for identifying very worthy projects that will help to stimulate economic activity throughout the Arkansas Delta. I am grateful for his leadership as state co-chairman of DRA in these formative years," the statement added.
Representatives from Sen. Blance Lincoln's office, Congressman Marion Berry's office and Sen. Mark Pryor's office all made appearances at the presentation.
The commission is currently developing a 200-acre site with hopes of establishing the trucking industry in the region and eventually becoming the largest truck stop/transportation mall in the U.S.
At a Tuesday meeting of the transportation committee, board members were updated on another grant the commission will be receiving. According to Frederick Freeman, coordinator on the project, through work with the Rural Community Development Institute and the East Arkansas Enterprise Community, the commission is receiving a $15,000 matching grant for technical support. Freeman also updated the commission on other grant opportunities being sought at this time.
In other business, committee members agreed to accept bylaws
for the commission and elected Jack Crumbly as committee secretary.
They also accepted contracts from Sauls Consulting, Bobby May,
Frederick Freeman and Ebony Mills.
By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
Efforts will continue in an attempt to settle a dispute between Sanyo Manufacturing and the company contracted with the City of Forrest City to collect solid waste, although one member of a committee appointed to study the conflict said there may be nothing anyone can do.
Roger Breeding, one of four city council members appointed to the committee, said Tuesday night that it appears King Disposal is acting legally within its contract.
The other committee appointees are council members Mary Jeffers, Louise Fields and Brent Ponder.
The contract, which still has about four years to go, locks in King Disposal as the exclusive waste carrier for the city, including industries. Sanyo officials are upset because the previous contract allowed industries to do their own negotiating with whomever they wished.
There is also the matter of the Consumer Price Index. The current contract simply says that King Disposal can use the CPI in figuring rate increases. It does not specify which version of the CPI to use.
During a meeting, held before the regular city council meeting Tuesday night, Breeding said the committee still had not received all the information it had requested. However, he also said there may not be anything the city can do.
"The contract language simply states than any increases in the rates by the contractor will be related to CPI," said Breeding. "It does not say CPI-U, it does not say CPI-W, it does not say the average thereof, it does not say any particular part."
Breeding said he has asked several attorneys, and he said the unofficial opinions he had gotten were that the contract had been legally signed.
"Legally, contractually, there is nothing we can do about it," said Breeding. "We could go to court with them, to try to change the contract that they (King Disposal) didn't want to change voluntarily -- and I can't imagine why they'd want to change it voluntarily. But according to the legal advice that I have checked with, we wouldn't win. We signed it. And they signed it."
He said he understood Sanyo's position, because there may be a rate increase soon based upon the CPI.
"What I'm saying is, we are not the right medium for this to be decided," he said. "All I can see that we can do as a city is to ask King to change some of the language in the contract voluntarily, amend the contract, to get less gray areas...There were just some areas of the contract that were left unexplained to the degree they needed to be."
Breeding said he was not in on the drawing of the current contract, because he was not on the council at that time.
Fields asked, "What will it take to solve this problem?"
Breeding answered, "Four years and a new contract."
During the council meeting, the committee requested complete
copies of the current contract and the previous contract, along
with the bid specifications used for bidding out the current contract.
By ALAN SMITH
T-H Staff Writer
Forrest City Water Commissioners were updated Tuesday afternoon on year-to-date water sales which show a steady trend.
"Sales are about the same as last year," said Jim Beazley, FCWU manager. "They are actually a little less (than last year), but by a very small percentage. Our sales, if you look at them on a chart, look like a straight line for about the last 15 to 20 years. We have a slight dip and a slight rise here and there, but it is pretty consistently at about the same usage level."
In other business, commission chairman Jimmy King asked Beazley about new crew trucks that have been discussed in previous meetings.
"Have we checked on the new trucks yet? If we want the state to pay for them, then next month we need to have things ready (to present to them)."
Beazley said the utility will work to provide the necessary information to commissioners at the November meeting.