Water rising

GENTRY — On Monday city council members approved, on its third and final reading, an ordinance that will raise city water and sewer rates by 3 percent beginning in November.

The small rate increase is part of a plan to adjust rates modestly upward each year to cover the increased costs of water and to build up a reserve whichcan be used to replace and repair portions of the system as the need arises.

Minimum water rates in the city - up to 1,000 gallons per month with a 5/8 to 3/4 inch meter - will go up to $11.26 per month. Outside the city, it will be $27.01.

Minimum sewer rates will be $6.42 per month within the city and $10.63 outside the city.

In the past, the city had gone almost 10 years without a rate increase and then was forced to make a large increase to keep from operating at a loss to the city and to provide for system repairs and improvements. Rather than repeating that, the city, in cooperationwith large water users, adopted a plan of small annual increases rather than waiting until necessity forced a large increase on customers withoutopportunity to plan and budget for it.

Unanimously approved on its first reading was an ordinance readjusting ward boundaries to equalize the population numbers within each city ward.

With the results of the 2010 Census, ward boundaries in the city were in need of adjustment to comply with state law.

Under Arkansas statute A.C.A. 14-43-311, cities of the first class are required to ensure wards are as equal in population as possible, and courts have generally limited population deviations between wards to a maximum of 10 percent.

Using the 2010 ward boundaries and the new census figures, the ward populations in the city were as follows: Ward 1 - 384; Ward 2 - 867; Ward 3 - 1,348; Ward 4 - 559; Total population - 3,158.

In order to equalize populations within each of Gentry’s four wards, the Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission proposed a change in boundaries which would equalize populations and also leave elected aldermen within the ward they were elected to serve.

Under the proposed change, ward populations would be as follows: Ward 1 - 789; Ward 2 - 786; Ward 3 - 765; and Ward 4 - 818.

According to Gentry mayor Kevin Johnston, the city requested the proposed changes already last spring so that it could pass an ordinance to comply with the law.

Councilman James Furgason expressed concern that the city ought first consider annexation to square up its borders. He distributed a chart showing areas where the city may wish to look at annexation, including islands and near-islands of land encircled by the city.

Others, including Johnston, voiced the opinion that it would be better in most cases not to force annexation on propertyowners but to take in those properties where landowners petition to be annexed into the city. Johnston made mention of landowners interested in annexation on the west edge of Gentry. Furgason suggested the city look at land to the south, up to Dawn Hill East Road and east to Arkansas Highway 12.

Johnston urged passage of the ordinance because of the time involved to complete the procedure, making mention of upcoming city elections in 2012. He said the new ward boundaries allowed for considerable growth in each ward but said the wards could also be readjusted again in the future if need be, based on population figures in annexed lands.

Ward population figures and proposed boundary changes used in this article were submitted to the city by Jeff Hawkins, Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission director.