HIGHFILL — The city council, on Nov. 8, passed on its second reading an ordinance adding a definition for a concentrated animal feeding operation, on its first reading a city budget for 2012, and resolutions appointing Don Nash and Pam Harwell to the planning commission next year.
With council members Ryan Evans, Toby Lester, Paula Pautsky and Michelle Rieff present(Sandy Evans was absent), the council read by heading only an ordinance which adds the Environmental Protection Agency's definition of concentrated animal feeding operations to the city's zoning code. The ordinance will be brought back for its third and final reading next month.
Proposed Budget
A proposed city budget was read on its first reading by title only, but budget meetings were set to review it line-by-line for each department.
Account balances as of Nov. 2, according to the document, totaled $754,713. Projected 2012 budget summaries include $240,000 administration, $201,192 for street and alley, $172,500 police department and $151,935 for the fire department. Also attached to the budget ordinance was the water-wastewater fiscal budget for 2011 which is on a fiscal year from July 2011 through June of 2012. That budget includes total incoming revenue of $722,260 with total expenses (including water andwastewater loan payments) being $907,634 for a negative balance of $185,375.
The proposed budget is likely to be adjusted in working sessions of the council before it comes back for second and third readings during the December and January meetings.
Police
Under department head reports, Eric Jones, chief of police, reported the department had been given several military rifles which were being cleaned andplaced in the city's patrol cars. He also said his department was investigating some drug cases and making a number of drug arrests.
Recycling
The council also voted to authorize the mayor to pursue getting a recycling trailer located in the city by the old police station because the current recycling service was picking up less than 100 pounds of recyclables onits route in the city, which the mayor said is not very "environmentally friendly" because of the amount of diesel fuel burned to pick up the materials.
Water
James "Butch" Wiand told the council of a water bill dispute involving a customer who had a leak on his side of the meter. The water customer, according to Wiand, blamed the leak on a check of the reduced pressure zone valve on the customer's side of the meter which occurred about a month prior to the leak without the customer being notified. Wiand said no abnormalities showed up in water usage on the following meter reading but said 395,000 gallons went through the customer's meter the following month. Wiand said the water board authorized him to charge the city's cost to purchase the water rather than the normal price which includescosts for the water system itself. The council by consensus indicated the offer was more than fair but left any decision regarding the matter to the city's water board.
Wiand also reported on some preliminary studies on a Logan-Robinson Water project to serve the Logan and Robinson communities. The new system, Wiand said, would want to connect to the Highfill system, probably at the Pepper Hills Estates. He said the new system was in the Highfill Water service area.
Wiand said the new system, if and when it is completed, would provide a second water source to the city of Highfill for backup purposes. He said the new system could eventually require a new employee for Highfill.
Wiand told council members the sewer plant's water clarifiers were leaking and that a company was coming to check them last week. He also said the city, in its budgeting process, needed to include $30,000 to $60,000 to complete sewer lines tothe Baptist Church to serve two buildings there.
Ambulance Service
Kevin Higgins, Highfill’s fire marshal, said Bentonville Ambulance Service has basically sent the city a bill of $9,140 to provide service within the city limits of Highfill during 2012. If the city doesn’t pay, Bentonville would no longer provide ambulance service to Highfill, he said. The dollar figure is based on 23 calls within the city last year - down from an initial amount of $18,000 based on all calls within the fire district.
He said the city's other options would be to divide its service area among other ambulance services, hire an outside company to provide service within the city or ask the county to provide the service. He stated his view that he regarded the fee charged by Bentonville as "taxation without representation" because he thought the city, if it pays Bentonville for ambulance service, should have representation on the governing board for the service.
Higgins said a countywide study of the problem has been recommended and, if approved by the county, may produce some solutions.
Higgins also provided an update on progress in the Silver Meadows subdivision, saying the developer had only completed half of one item on a list of items he promised to complete in October. He said the developer needed to replace manhole covers stolen and close off the subdivision until it is complete and homes can be built there.
Road Repairs
Vernon Reams, the city's street and maintenance supervisor, told council members the city had received payment of $43,000 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for road repairs and could receive another $7,200 from the state. He also said the county has stepped up and begun assisting the city with road work and repairs.
Mayor Stacy Digby reported that a fall cleanup day had been scheduled for Nov. 19.
News, Pages 1 on 11/16/2011