By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
Members of the Caldwell City Council on Tuesday toured the facility which formerly housed Caldwell Elementary School, and then discussed whether they were interested in trying to purchase the property from the Forrest City School District.
The general consensus was that they want more information.
During the tour, council members informally discussed the condition of the building, including the roof and plumbing. They also looked at the old cafeteria, where all the appliances have been removed and water was running in at least two places.
As the tour continued through old classrooms, some of which still had decorations forlornly hanging on the walls, a storeroom with books and one room full of old computers, Mayor Gary Hughes voiced some doubts.
"I don't know what use the city council would have for this building," he said. "It's really the property that we're interested in."
With the tour completed, the council crossed Ark. Highway 1 to the city hall and convened formally.
Hughes repeated his doubts to the council, asking if they could think of any uses for the 18,700-square-foot school facility. While some thought the cafeteria area might be useful, they had doubts about the rest of the building.
There were also concerns over the possible expense that would be involved in refurbishing the building, even the cafeteria alone, and the possibility of asbestos or lead paint in the building, which was constructed around 1950.
Like Hughes, the council members expressed more interest on the estimated four acres of land than in the structures. Hughes said a survey is being made of the property in order to get a legal description.
The council decided to ask the Forrest City School District for information on the possible need for asbestos abatement.
On another matter, the council heard first reading of an ordinance to amend a water rate ordinance the council recently adopted. Hughes explained that one paragraph of the ordinance concerning hookup fees needed clarification.
The council also voted unanimously to appoint Liz Patterson, daughter of deceased council member Bob Mosley, to his position. Newly-elected council member Barbara Posey was also at the meeting and was introduced. She will take office in January, stepping in to the position being vacated by John Clark, who did not see re-election.
On another matter, Hughes updated the council on solid waste tax money. The city has been interested in possibly using some of the excess revenue.
Hughes told the council that the city has about $80,000 that it cannot touch, because it is extra money from its share of the countywide solid waste sales tax. It can be spent only on solid waste, and the city's current solid waste expenses are considerably less than the revenue that is coming in.
"And that's where we stand on that," Hughes said.
By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
Tuesday's meeting of the St. Francis County Budget Committee was at times heated as discussions over several issues, including a proposed bonus for county employees, led to raised voices.
The issue of incentive bonuses will now move back to the full quorum court after budget committee members failed to make a decisive move in any direction during Tuesday's meeting. By a slim 4-3 margin, with commission chairman Henry Wilkinson breaking a 3-3 tie, the committee shot down a motion which would have rejected a proposed $750 bonus for full-time county employees and elected officials, and a $375 bonus for part-time employees and quorum court members. Justices Evans Seawood, Regan Hill and Donald Cagle voted in favor of rejecting the bonus, and justices Leodis Williams, B. McCollum and O.J. Gandy joined Wilkinson with no votes.
Discussions became heated after Sheriff Dave Parkman made a plea for the employees prior to the vote. "It seems like we're just tossing this thing around like a bad penny. I understand that this is a lot of money we're talking about, but I've offered to give money back to county general, and I've made considerable cuts in my budget for next year. These people are going from paycheck to paycheck, and we need to remember that. You can forget about my bonus, I don't need it. But the employees of this county need it and deserve it. We've got people working up here who are below the poverty level and this would really help them out," Parkman said.
Justice Evans Seawood questioned Parkman on the taxpayers without jobs in this county. "I understand that, Sheriff, but we've got people throughout this county that don't have anything and are definitely below the poverty level. Those people are taxpayers, and I can't support giving the employees $1,000 or $750 when we can't even get the budget worked out," said Seawood.
Parkman responded, "I feel sorry for those people, and I wish there were more jobs out there for them, but I care about my employees and I want to see them get this bonus."
The prevailing opinion among the three committee members voting not to give the bonus was not that they didn't want to see employees receive the bonus, but they wanted to wait until budget figures for next year were finalized before making a decision.
"It's been said that I am not in favor of giving the employees a bonus, and that's just not true," said Cagle. "Right now, the county general account is $600,000 over the budget that we came into 2004 with, and we're working on the budget for 2005. We've got to make some hard decisions for next year because we're going to see some increases to our insurance payments, and the first few months of the year are always hard. I just can't see giving out this bonus when we don't know what we're facing yet for next year. I would much rather not give the bonuses right now then to give the bonuses and then in March or April be sitting here making a decision on what positions are going to be cut or asking the elected officials to decide what positions could be laid off. I will vote for a bonus, if we have the money" he added.
"Everybody who reads the Times-Herald knows what I've said and how I feel about this. I am not for giving a $1,000 bonus, and $750 ain't too far from $1,000. Until we get this budget worked out, I just can't be for the bonus," said Seawood.
According to Hill, the major issue is not with giving the bonus, it's with making a decision without all of the factors involved settled.
"I really have to go back to what Mr. Seawood said. Until we can come up with a budget that we can balance, I say that it would be best for us to wait on making a decision whether the bonus is $250, $500 or $750. I would love to be able to give the bonus right now, but we need to get the issues with the budget for next year settled," Hill said.
Although Wilkinson cast the deciding vote Tuesday night, he told committee members that several issues could change his vote by next week's quorum court meeting.
"I am in favor of giving a Christmas bonus, and I want that to be understood, but the devil is in the detail. We would like to see employees get something, but until we find out where we stand it is difficult to determine how much can be given. You also have to take into consideration the fact that we're going to see an increase of close to $70,000 in insurance premiums and the fact that if we give this bonus there is absolutely no chance of giving the employees a raise," Wilkinson said.
In other business, St. Francis County Judge Carl Cisco was asked by Wilkinson to explain plans for spending in the road department for next year. According to Cisco, plans for next year call for the department to spend approximately $90,000 of the monthly budget which is expected to be between $100,000 and $110,000, leaving the remaining funding untouched.
"Barring major catastrophes, we should be able to hit that target which is basically $20,000 more than we're spending right now," Cisco said.
The budget would also call for the possible reduction in the number of road graders currently used by the department, according to Cisco.
"Right now, we're using six graders and we've found that we can cover the county in basically the same amount of time using only five. We would be able to do the same amount of work, but that would be one less machine in use," said Cisco.
While justices listened, Seawood took exception to Cisco's budget proposal.
"Judge, I'm just going to be honest, I don't know why we should believe that you're going to be able to get your spending under control. You haven't done it this year, so what will make next year any better. I also don't like the fact that you're not following the law and bidding out these jobs for the road department the way that you are supposed to. And, then I've got people calling me about the roads and they're telling me that your office gave them my telephone number because they're in my district. Well that's going to stop," Seawood said.
Cisco responded, "Mr. Seawood, If I have to bid something out by law, then it will be bid out, but I will run my office as I see fit. I would really like to know where all these questions were earlier this year when you were calling me on a daily basis trying to make sure that the road to your church was paved. Now that it has been paved, all I hear from you are complaints."
"Well I'm glad to know that the people of St. Francis County know that I have enough pull to get things done, but you're still not doing what's right," Seawood said.
"The people that live in the county and use county roads have one primary concern Mr. Seawood and that is with their roads. We work to make sure that they have smooth roads throughout this county, and we will continue to work to make sure that we have good roads," Cisco said.
After questioning Cisco as to what expenditures come from the road department budget, Williams commented, "I understand a little better why the road department runs in the red if labor costs have to be paid from that budget. Now being $200,000 or $300,000 in the red may be excessive, but for those people that live on county roads, those roads are vital and important to them. It may be the most important thing that the county can do for them, and if the department has to overspend a little bit to make sure that our people have smooth roads, then so be it," Williams said.
According to Wilkinson, officials are still working to present a balanced budget to justices at next week's regular quorum court meeting.
Committee members were presented with a proposed budget compiled by County Clerk Elizabeth Smith which listed revenues and budget requests from each elected official. The committee also received a breakdown of revenues from County Treasurer Ann Harbin. According to the projected budget, the totals for 2005 would be expenditures of $6,266,345 with revenues of $6,657,735 leaving a projected surplus of $391,390. That surplus would be in spite of a projected deficit in the county general account of $567,048 this year. Hill cautioned justices that hard decisions would have to be made in order to balance the county general account and one week might not be enough time to do it in.
In other business, a request from Forrest City Area Chamber of Commerce president Randy Pearson for the $200,000 promised to help bring a factory to St. Francis County received mixed reviews from some attending Tuesday's meeting. According to a letter read by Wilkinson, Pearson was requesting the funding within 10 days in order to finalize the deal between a California based company, St. Francis and Cross counties and the state of Arkansas.
Circuit Clerk Bette Green said a decision to fund the venture would show county employees how the quorum court truly felt.
"You all have shown tonight exactly what you think of the employees of this counties. You failed to make a decision on giving back basically $79,000 to employees in bonus money, but you're willing to give $200,000 to some company from California that you know nothing about," Green said.
According to Wilkinson, he, along with Cisco, will work over the next week to find the funding for the venture.
By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
A California-based plastics company could be one step closer to making the move to Colt, according to a letter read last night during a meeting of the St. Francis County Quorum Court's Budget Committee.
According to the letter read by committee chairman Henry Wilkinson, closing on the facility could come within 10 days after the return of the company's owner from an overseas trip. The letter was a request from the Forrest City Area Chamber of Commerce asking for the $200,000 payment which was promised by the county during last month's quorum court meeting.
The funding will be combined with a matching $200,000 payment from Cross County and funding from the Arkansas Department of Economic Development to lure the company to the vacant RBX or Rubatex building near Colt. Plans call for the creation of at least 170 jobs within the first year and possibly 300 jobs after three years.
"They (the company) really liked the Colt facility because of the condition of the plant and the fact that it has 50 acres of land which will allow them to expand. They also like the location because there is a railroad spur right there which gives them access to the railway right there at the plant. This is something that is going to be a definite positive for the area because they are planning to employ 170 people in their first year with further plans for up to 300 jobs within three years," Pearson said last month.
Wilkinson said that he plans to meet with St. Francis County Judge Carl Cisco this week to discuss funding options for the factory.
By ALAN SMITH
T-H Staff Writer
The annual Mightymite Triathlon will get a facelift in 2005.
The Forrest City Advertising and Promotion Commission on Tuesday agreed to add three cycling events and an extra day to the annual festivities.
Both Wyndell Robertson, the director of the annual event, and Andrew Holliday, of XL Management Group of Memphis, attended the meeting to discuss how the triathlon could be improved and expanded into a two-day event. Holliday began by recapping what was discussed in the last few months, a cycling event in conjunction with the triathlon.
"We had broken it down into wanting to add a cycling event to the Mightymite," said Holliday. "Since then, we have found out that there are no major cycling events that would conflict with hosting an event here on that weekend (June 16-17, 2005). One of your main concerns is that you want the racers to stay overnight and spend money on meals and gas in Forrest City. We believe with this proposal we can beef up the numbers for the triathlon and get a good crowd for the first year of the cycling events.
"What we have come up with is a two-day event that will include four separate athletic events," continued Holliday. "On Saturday morning (June 16), we will have the Mightymite and a cycling criterium. A criterium is a race around a small track. These races are very exciting because the racers are in a smaller area, so instead of seeing the cyclists go by just once, they go by several times. There are also more crashes in these races, which make them more exciting. Saturday afternoon we will have time trials. Having the time trials in the afternoon means that the cyclists will be in town longer. The fourth event will be the cycling road race. It will be held on Sunday morning (June 17). Of course most people will stay overnight if they are participating in both the events on Saturday and on Sunday."
Holliday provided a copy of the proposal to commissioners. In the proposal, the total cost to provide prize purses, awards and marketing for all four events would be $11,000. It also stated that the impact of hotel stays on Friday is estimated to be between 50 to 100 rooms reserved, and on Saturday night, 100 to 200 rooms reserved.
"We have spoken to area cycling clubs and they seemed very favorable to the idea of the events," stated Holliday. "We have also contacted the Arkansas division of the USCF (United States Cycling Federation) and we have all of the paperwork ready to go to make the event an official USCF event."
It was asked what it would take to make the Mightymite a state championship race.
Robertson responded, "We did apply to make next year's event the state championship event, but we got turned down and they picked the race in Conway," said Robertson. "I am hoping that the next year we can improve our application and our participant numbers and have the Mightymite the state championship race."
Chairman Kem Merrell stated that he had been approached by a local group that is in the early stages of planning a music festival in Forrest City. Both Robertson and Holliday stated that they would like to meet with the group and see if they could offer them any assistance.
The commission unanimously approved the $11,000 of funding for the new expanded Mightymite.
Glenn Shepherd, representing the Forrest City Lion's Club and the Crowley's Ridge Saddle Club, presented the members with a report on the 2004 Charity Rodeo held in September.
"We feel this year we had a great rodeo," said Shepherd. "We had the five-time world women's barrel racing champion Martha Josey here one of the nights. She had nothing but good comments about the city and the event. We had folks from Iowa, New Mexico and North Carolina. We had a great turnout and we expect a larger crowd next year. We ran out of parking at the fairgrounds because we had so many people."
Shepherd gave a report that stated the event netted $10,404.57, under the $11,000 reimbursement figures agreed upon by the A and P. The commission stated that they were pleased with this year's event and asked Shepherd to come back in June to prepare for the 2005 event.
Before adjourning, Merrell said that a letter was drafted last month about funding projects at the Forrest City Civic Center. The letter stated that the commission wanted several items, including rate structures, parties responsible for bookings, policies of required deposits and a five-year list of past bookings and a one year list of future bookings. Merrell said the commission had not received a response to the letter.
By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
New construction in St. Francis County topped 2003 by just over $3.8 million, according to County Assessor Craig Jones.
However, that won't translate into nearly that much in actual property tax dollars, he reminded.
The total amount of new construction for this year was $10,691,000, compared to $6,858,950 last year.
Much of the new construction was in the Forrest City School District, including the new Counseling Services of Eastern Arkansas and the new apartments built at Chapel Ridge, he said.
"There were a couple of things under construction that didn't get put on last year, and that's basically what a lot of it is," Jones said. "Those two projects weren't the whole thing but they helped the overall numbers a lot."
The dollar amounts are broken down by school district. This year's amounts, with last year's amounts in parenthesis, are as follows: Forrest City School District, $9,078,900 ($5,430,650); Palestine-Wheatley School District, $1,305,750 ($1,194,050); Hughes School District, $306,350 ($234,250).
Jones said these amounts reflect only market value, and would not translate into large increases in actual tax dollars.
He said the following taxing entities would probably see these increases in taxes payable in 2005 (amounts are approximate):
East Arkansas Community College, $2,800; St. Francis County General, $8,000; St. Francis County Road Department, $1,500; Forrest City School District, $56,000; Palestine-Wheatley School District, $7,500; Hughes School District, $1,700; City of Widener, $30; City of Forrest City, $4,000; City of Caldwell, $415; City of Palestine, $205; City of Hughes, $25; City of Madison, $130; City of Wheatley, $100; City of Colt, $86; Forrest City Public Library, $1,900.
Jones also cautioned that even these figures may end up being smaller.
"This isn't counting what has been burned or bought by a church and taken off the tax lists, etc.," he said. "There's going to be an increase, but it may not be that much. We don't know what's been taken off. We'll have a better idea of what's coming in January or February."
Still, he said that more is better, even if it's just a little more.
"Maybe it's a little sign that the economy is starting to turn around a little bit," he said. "It's always a good thing when you can increase your assessed value."
By ALAN SMITH
T-H Staff Writer
Concerns over the way police officers in Hughes interact with the public were voiced during a meeting of the Hughes City Council Monday night.
Two councilmen questioned Tim Nelms, an officer with the Hughes Police Department, over complaints they said they had received from residents about the way they were treated by police. Nelms attended the meeting to present councilmen with the department's monthly police report. He was standing in for Jimmy Latham, chief of the HPD.
"I would really like to express these concerns to the chief, and I would like to speak to him when he is better, but I will discuss them with you," said Councilman Malcolm Curne to Nelms. "Some folks are feeling that they are being demeaned by the police. They are citizens, even if they are criminals."
Curne said he was referring to conversations he had previously had with residents of the city, but did not offer any specific instances of mistreatment by police. Curne also presented Nelms with guidelines for police conduct that the council passed last year.
"These are guidelines that the city passed," said Curne. "It shows how to conduct policing in a professional manner. I am not accusing anyone of anything here, but I am asking if you have seen these guidelines." Nelms responded that he had not.
"We should still treat criminals with respect. We need to treat them like human beings, we need to treat them professionally. By all means, do your job, but do it respectfully. Respect deserves respect," Curne said. "I realize that they curse at you; I have been there before when I was an officer here. But, as an officer, you are in control of the situation. If you lose control, there is no control. You can't treat them the way they treat you in the streets."
"I will treat them like they treat me," responded Nelms. "People come to you and tell you what we (the HPD officers) have [allegedly] done, instead of coming to us about it. It seems that you are taking their word over ours."
Member Ray Charles Robinson interjected. "You have a job to do in that uniform, but you can't treat them like they treat you. And it is not people running to us complaining. That uniform carries a professional responsibility. You have had the training to handle these situations; the other people have not. You have a responsibility to treat people with respect and maintain control of the situation."
The council agreed to address Latham with their concerns at the next meeting.
In other news, Mayor Donnie Mooney stated that an increase in Hughes city water rates should be tabled until next month. "I would like to table this because we can pay our bills for this month, and I would like to do more research on what the amount of increase should be," Mooney said.
"I am waiting on the architect and engineer to tell us about the new doors that will make the city hall handicapped accessible," added Mooney. "They feel that they could find us some bigger doors. They also feel that they can work it so that we don't have to remove brick from the building."
By ALAN SMITH
T-H Staff Writer
Christmas bonuses were approved during a brief meeting of the Palestine City Council Tuesday night.
Mayor Willetta Carroll suggested the bonuses remain the same as they were last year, with minor amendments.
"Last year, we gave a week's salary to each employee and $50 to each councilman," said Carroll. "This year, I would like to take the bonuses for water department employees out of the general fund since the water rates have not gone up yet," Carroll said. "I would also like to give the police officers a $500 bonus."
The bonuses were approved by a unanimous vote of the council.
Carroll also addressed the water rate increase. "I believe what we need to do is raise our rates to match the increase that Forrest City is proposing," stated Carroll. "They are increasing from 77 cents per unit to $1 per unit. We buy our water from Forrest City, and if they are increasing the costs, then we have to increase our rates."
The council also voted unanimously to increase the water rates to match the proposed Forrest City rate increase.
Veterans will be honored Thursday at Mustang Arena, with the annual Veteran's Day program at 10 a.m.
Normal Gilchrest, postmaster of the Forrest City U.S. Post Office, will be the guest speaker. He is the highest non-commissioned officer in the U.S. Air Force Reserve in Arkansas.
All United States veterans will be honored. In addition, the Forrest City School District will award honorary diplomas to veterans whose high school careers were interrupted by World War II and the Korean War.
In addition to the special program Thursday, several offices will be closed for the Veterans' Day holiday.
The Forrest City City Hall and the St. Francis County Courthouse will be closed on Thursday in honor of the holiday. Joining the local government offices, state and federal offices including the Revenue Department, the United States Postal Service and the Social Security Administration office will be closed. Local banks will also join the list of closings tomorrow.