By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
Increased materials spending and a lack of revenue at the beginning of the year have the St. Francis County Road Department running in the red after the first four months.
St. Francis County Judge Carl Cisco approached the Quorum Court's budget committee Thursday with answers to their questions, as well as a solution which could keep the department in line with the budget by the end of the year.
According to Cisco, purchases for materials, along with paving projects which had to be carried over from last year, contributed to the department having a deficit of over $400,000 right now.
"We knew at the beginning of the year that we were going to have some projects that would cause us to spend more at the start of the year than we normally would have. We had three roads that were being paved at the end of last year that were completed this year, and those costs contributed some to the high spending," Cisco said.
"We also knew that the price of materials, such as pipe and bridge timber, would be increasing before the end of the year so we went ahead and bought enough materials to get us through the end of the year. Those costs we incurred at the beginning of the year we now shouldn't have for the rest of the year," he said.
According to the plan presented to the committee Thursday, projected Road Department expenditures through May 31, should come to close to $970,000. The total budget appropriated for the department for 2004 is $1,227,976.77. With an additional $250,000 appropriation requested for later this year, the balance in spending for the year would be $508,136. The projected budget presented at yesterday's meeting would call for the department to spend close to $73,000 per month for the remainder of the year. After paying the normal monthly expenditures, the department will have a total of $148,753 for spending for the remainder of the year. While the budget is tight, Cisco and quorum court Justice Regan Hill said that it should be workable.
"I'm not going to say that this is going to be easy to do," said Hill. "But it's something that has to be done, and we're going to have to make it work. This committee will have to check our balances after the month of July and keep our eyes on this every month. The problem right now is that we have been spending, but the revenue hasn't come in. Later in the year, the revenue will begin to flow in and the balance will look better, but we still have to be in strict control of our spending," Hill added.
"We're going to be cutting back on a lot of our services for the remainder of the year," Cisco said. "We'll still run the graders but other than that, most services will see a cutback. We do have a couple of paving projects through state aid that have to be let later this summer, but our portion will only be about 10 percent. This plan is very doable," Cisco said.
Justices O.J. Gandy and Evans Seawood both voiced concerns over the spending.
"I just don't understand why this account is so far in the negative. Who is in control of the spending and who let it get this far?" Gandy questioned.
While Cisco agreed that the spending for the beginning of the year was high, he also reiterated that funding for the department had been low at the start of the year and revenue is expected to increase in July. Cisco also reminded justices that the Road Department had seen a budget reduction of close to $600,000 from the final budget from last year.
By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
Members of the St. Francis County Election Commission unanimously agreed to certify Tuesday's Primary Election during a meeting Thursday at the St. Francis County Courthouse.
Commissioners agreed to certify the ballots after first hearing a complaint from Irene Combs of Hughes over problems encountered in Tuesday's voting. According to Combs, who was a candidate for a position on the Democratic Central Committee, she, along with several of her neighbors, were given incorrect ballots when they went to the polls.
"When I went to vote Tuesday, I was handed a ballot that didn't even have my name on it. I told the people at the poll that something was wrong and they gave me a ballot that had my name on it. My mother early voted and the ballot she had didn't have me on it and I had a neighbor tell me that they couldn't vote for me because I wasn't on the ballot. My thing is, how many people did not get the right ballots and how many people didn't get to vote for me that might have?" Combs said.
According to Election Commission Chairman Joe Young, the confusion was due to the districting in the area in which Combs lives. Young told commissioners that poll workers may have given the incorrect ballots to Combs and her neighbors thinking they were supposed to be voting in the Hughes City box when they were actually to vote in the Hughes Country box.
"We had two boxes in Hughes City, and the other box was in Rawlison for that area. What probably happened is, the poll workers thought they knew which ballots were supposed to be given to those folks thinking they were in the Hughes City box when the lines put them in the Hughes Country box. I'm sorry that it happened, but I don't know if anything can be done about it now. According to the law, you're supposed to file a complaint at the time you're given the incorrect ballot and no one did that," Young said.
Young instructed Combs to write a letter to the commission with her complaint which will then be forwarded to the State Election Commission in Little Rock.
After voting to certify the election, commission member Bettye Proctor answered questions from fellow commissioner Florence Brown regarding the Republican ballots. Brown asked why ballots for the Republican party were printed differently than those for the Democratic Primary and non-partisan voters.
"We did that because it would have cost the county a considerable amount of money to have the ballots drawn up and printed due to the number of Republicans in the county," Proctor said.
"Two years ago we had nine Republicans vote, and the law says that you have to print ballots for 60 percent that voted in the last election. We had one ballot drawn up and made several copies that we distributed to the polling locations. We did miss the Colt box, but I took those out there myself so that man would get to vote," Proctor said.
According to Young, he spoke with one Republican who was upset because he did not get to vote in county elections which were listed on the Democratic ballot.
Fifteen Republican ballots were cast in Tuesday's election.
By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
People interested in being part of a new leadership program through the Communities of Opportunity program are invited to a special orientation session Thursday, May 27, at the Forrest City Civic Center.
Those attending the session, which will begin at 6:30 p.m., will be introduced to the LeadershipPlenty® training model.
Nine people from St. Francis County have already received training, and will pass on their knowledge. Jan Hankins was one.
According to Hankins, the nine St. Francis Countians went through an intensive four-day training regimen in Olive Branch, Miss.
At the end of the May 27 orientation session, interested participants will be given the opportunity to sing up for one of three concurrent training courses that will be conducted in three easily accessible sections of the county.
"Hughes, Madison and Widener is one area," said Hankins. "Colt, Caldwell and Forrest City are another, and then Palestine, Goodwin and Wheatley."
The training will begin in June and end in August.
"The bottom line is to touch St. Francis County -- the whole county," said Hankins. "We're looking at grant money from the Walton Foundation, to encompass the whole county."
Money to do what? "To do what the citizens of St. Francis County agree on," said Hankins. "There will be a number of proposals. One specific area will be education, and there will be others.
"Right now, what we want to do is get the word out on the meeting," she continued. "We want concerned citizens. We want St. Francis County residents there."
For more information, contact one of the following: Toni Brittnum, (870) 630-9131; Joann Mitchell, (870) 261-1755; Elaine Bryant, (870) 457-3961; Edward Watt, (870) 339-3070.
A special emphasis on prostate cancer by health care providers, along with the mayors of St. Francis County, will kick off on Tuesday, May 25, at the Forrest City Civic Center.
The Mayors' Prostate Cancer Campaign Kickoff will begin at 6 p.m.
The campaign is being held because St. Francis County has one of the highest prostate cancer death rates in Arkansas. The campaign is a two and one-half month campaign informing men of the risks and prevention of prostate cancer as well as encouraging men of appropriate age to get a prostate screening.
According to a press release, the Arkansas Prostate Cancer Foundation chose five counties to focus the Mayors' campaign. The counties were chosen based on their high prostate cancer mortality rate, the percentage of medically underserved, demographics and race, rural designation, percent of population uninsured or on Medicaid, and access to care. If the program is a success, it could be a model for the rest of the country.
One special feature of the campaign will be prostate screenings (and mammogram screenings for women) for after work hours. There will be radio spots, newspaper ads, a banner across Washington Street and information at the eight city halls in the county. Posters, bookmarks, blue ribbons and postcards will also be used. Speaking engagements at various civic groups have been scheduled.
Participating mayors include Forrest City Mayor Larry Bryant, Palestine Mayor Willetta Carroll, Madison Mayor James Brooks, Colt Mayor Virgil Keeler, Wheatley Mayor Larry Nash, Widener Mayor Dot Halford, Hughes Mayor Donnie Mooney and Caldwell Mayor Gary Hughes.
Other sponsors include the American Cancer Society, Arkansas Prostate Cancer Foundation, UAMS Arkansas Cancer Research Center, Baptist Memorial Hospital-Forrest City, East Arkansas Enterprise Community, The Witness Project, Woodruff Electric Cooperative, the St. Francis County Cancer Council and the SFC Hometown Health Network.
The St. Francis County Community Development Corp. is sponsoring a Summer Youth and Technology Program, for youth in grades four through nine, at the Forrest City Cyber Cafe.
The program will include a week of basketball camp, athletic activities, computer training, a digital storytelling workshop, vegetable gardening and training to run a small business.
The program begins on June 7 and ends on July 11. The times will be from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. (The basketball camp will be the week of June 7-11, from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m.).
A fee of $20 is required. Scholarships are available for those in need.
Registration begins Monday, May 24, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the Forrest City Cyber Cafe, 500 S. Rosser (Corner of Rosser and Davis).
There are only 25 slots available.
The Arkansas State Police are once again taking part in a national effort to protect motorists with the Click It or Ticket program. Sergeant Jackie Speer of Troop D stated that the program's purpose is to make people aware of the law because safety belts save lives.
"The mobilization will run from Monday, May 24, through Sunday, June 6," said Speer. "The purpose is to encourage people to comply with the law. By advertising and getting the word out that we are looking for seat belts on the drivers we pull over during this time, it will remind them to wear their belts even when we are not doing the Click It or Ticket program."
According to a press release from the ASP Headquarters in Little Rock, $450,000 will be spent in the state to advertise the campaign, which is part of $30 million that will be spent nationwide.
"We want drivers to be safe," added Speer, "and this is one way for us to help them stay safe during the busy Memorial Day holiday."
The Click It or Ticket mobilization does cover the Memorial Day holiday, and according to Speer there will be sobriety check points throughout the holiday period. "We will have check point in several locations in the Troop D area during the holiday period," stated Speer. "The period begins at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, May 28, and will continue through Monday, May 31 at midnight.
The Scholarship Committee of the Forrest City Education Foundation has announced that it will extend the deadline until July 20 for those interested in seeking the FCEF Teacher Scholarship..
The deadline extension will enable students now finishing their second year of college to obtain the Pre-Professional Skills Test (PPST). The results of this test are a requirement for students entering the teacher education program and are also a requirement for those applying for the Teacher Scholarship.
Other criteria for the scholarship is that applicants must be Forrest City High School graduates who agree to return to the Forrest City School District to teach upon graduation for a minimum of two years. The Foundation will be awarding up to two, $1,000 scholarships.
Application forms are available at school district offices
and at East Arkansas Community College. For more information,
write or call the Forrest City Education Foundation Scholarship,
c/o Catherine Coleman, 1700 Newcastle Road, Forrest City, Ark,
72335, (870) 633-4480, ext. 218; or Forrest City Education Foundation
Scholarship, c/o Sonya Fletcher, P.O. Box 2813, Forrest City,
Ark., 72336-2813, (870) 630-2400.