City joins hazardous waste cooperative

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

— In case of a chemical spill or other hazardous substance emergency, Decatur will be served by the Siloam Springs Fire Department’s Hazardous Material Response Team under a new interlocal cooperation agreement.

The Benton and Washington County Hazmat team recently disbanded. Benton County will now be covered by an interlocal cooperation that will include hazmat teams from the Bella Vista, Bentonville, Rogers and Siloam Springs Fire Departments. Decatur will be covered by the Siloam Springs team, according to Decatur Mayor Charles Linam.

The city council passed a resolution to join the new interlocal cooperation at their Dec. 11 meeting.

Each city in the cooperation will pay $0.38 per citizen annually. The cities that provide the hazmat teams don’t have to pay into the coop because they support the teams. Decatur’s costwill be $662 a year, approximately the same amount it paid the Benton Washington County response team, Linam said.

“With all the chemicals that are hauled through here, you hope you never use it, but there’s always a chance,” he said.

Energy Code

Decatur’s city council approved new energy-efficient building standards at its Dec. 11 meeting.

The ordinance provides minimum energy standards for the design of new public and private buildings as well as additions to existing buildings. The code regulates heating and air, water heating, electrical distribution and lighting systems, as well as the building’s “exterior envelope.”

The state “strongly suggested” that Decatur pass the code before January, Linam said. An emergency clause was passed so the ordinance would go into effect by the required deadline.

Alcohol permits

Decatur police Chief Terry Luker told the council the Decatur EZ Mart has applied for a permit to sell beer and wine.

Luker and Linam said the Arkansas Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control had sent them both letters asking for their opinion.

“At this point, there’s not much we can do or say,” Luker said.

He did note that EZ Mart could face an obstacle to approval because the store is located across the street from the Decatur Care 4 Kids. He explained the state requires stores selling alcohol to be 1,000 feet from a school- or church-owned building. After measuring, it was found that EZ Mart is only 104 feet from the daycare facility, which is owned by Decatur’s ministerial alliance.

Luker and Linam said the beverage control department would be approving the permits on Jan. 15.

Retirement Plan

The city council passed a resolution removing former Mayor Bill Montgomery and making current Mayor Charles Linam the trustee of the city employ-

The plan was also amended so employees could choose to join the plan each January. In the past, employees had only one chance to join the retirement plan when they were hired. Linam pointed out that some employees were young when they were hired and didn’t think ahead to retirement, while others couldn’t afford to have the money taken out of their paychecks. Now they will have a chance to join at a later date. Theretirement plan takes 4 percent out of an employee’s paycheck, an amount matched by the city.

Budget

The city council passed a 2013 budget - $3.1 million water and wastewater department budget and a $748,000 budget for the city - at its Dec. 11 meeting.

Unfortunately, the city won’t be able to afford across-the-board 3 percent raises for employees because of a large raise in the cost of health insurance, Linam said.

Two very underpaid employees were given a $0.25 per hour raise, he said. The budget also allowed for one part-time employee who currently works 32 hours a week to be considered full time and receive benefits.

News, Pages 1 on 12/19/2012