GRAVETTE — Following a brief public hearing Thursday evening, the Gravette City Council convened in special session to unanimously approve the voluntary annexation of property owned by Larry Holloway to be a part of Gravette.

The hearing took less than five minutes. No one spoke against the annexation.

The approximately 90-acre tract joins Gravette’s boundary east of Hiwasse. It was Holloway’s second attempt to annex into the city. Earlier the parcel had been included with several other tracts, a request which County Judge Bob Clinard denied.

The judge approved Holloway’s later annexation request in early November.

Following the hearing, the council began its special session, which included interviewing three applicants for the position of Gravette city attorney.

David Bailey, of a law firm bearing his name in Siloam Springs; Hardy Croxton, Jr., Rogers attorney; and William Trentham, partner in the BMT law firm in Bella Vista and Gravette, spoke briefly and answered questions. BMT recently purchased the Tom Smith law firm in Gravette. Council members had reviewed each of the three attorneys’ application/resume before the meeting.

Each attorney spoke highly of Gravette, listed various credentials and indicated Gravette was in a “win-win” situation whichever firm was selected.

After a brief executive session, the council unanimously named Bailey as Gravette’s city attorney to replace Judge-elect Tom Smith who has served the city for several years. Mayor Byron Warren expressed appreciation to all of the candidates who had applied for the position.

Bailey graduated from Harding College in Conway in 1993 and graduated, with honors, from the U of A School of Law in Fayetteville in May, 1996. He established his firm in Siloam Springs later that year.

For two years, from 2009 to 2011, he served as visiting clinical assistant professor and taught at the U of A School of Law. Since returning to his firm, he has continued serving as city prosecutor for Siloam Springs, a position he assumed in May, 2002.

Bailey and his wife Carla reside on Jenkins Corner Road, west of Gravette.

The council then took action on the Holloway annexation question. The governing body heard bids for a stormwater/drainage project in Gravette presented by Sammi May, representing Morrison-Shipley, the engineering firm which designed the project.

Six bids were received,ranging in price from $38,204 to $78,892. The council directed the firm to secure more information and return to the December 27 regular council meeting for possible action.

The council went into its second executive session to discuss an unspecified personnel matter, returning later to announce no action was taken.

Before adjourning, the council approved Christmas bonuses for city employees: $200 for full-time employees and $100 for part-time.

Committee Meeting

A Committee of the Whole meeting immediately followed. It involved discussions of various topics and included reports from several city departments. No official action is possible during committee meetings. Among the items discussed were the following:

◊Gravette is being asked to join a county-wide interlocal cooperation agreement to form a hazardous materials (HAZMAT) response team for Benton County. Benton and Washington counties are dissolving their two-county team at the end of this year.

Documents outlining how such a county team will operate are being studied with a per-capita assessment to help fund the operation. The quote of 38 cents per capita was mentioned as the probable cost.

◊ Learned that new filters are expected to be installed for the swimming pool Dec. 14. The delay has been caused by missing components.

◊A final permit from the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality will allow upgrading sewer lines to begin after bids for the project are accepted. Lines to be upgraded from six-inch to eight-inch include: line on El Paso SE between Birmingham and Highway 59; Third and Fourth Ave. SW; and the intersection at Highways 59 and 72. A line serving the hospital will also be upgraded and rerouted. These major areas contain small leaks which were discovered by a recent camera inspection of lines. Issuance of bonds for the project is expected after the first of the year, and it is hoped work on the project can begin by March.

◊Directed the Library Commission to secure cost estimates for converting the Civic Center to house the public library if that location is selected.

◊Learned that official maps of the city including the newly incorporated areas will be required before an official special census can be accomplished sometime during 2013.

◊Spent several minutes discussing the city budget for 2013.

The meeting adjourned before 9 p.m.

News, Pages 3 on 12/19/2012