DECATUR — Decatur city council members questioned the choice of location for a proposed sidewalk that would connect the subdivision around Veterans Park with Northside Elementary School, at the Dec. 12 meeting.
Decatur received a letter from the Arkansas Highway Department last June announcing the city has received a $100,000 grant for federal aid enhancement funds but has not received any follow-up paperwork since. The 80/20 matching grant would require Decatur to pay $20,000 toward the project.
Councilman James Jessen questioned the need for a sidewalk around the park on Arkansas Highway 102 and down Mount Olive Street to the school. He pointed out that it would not be safe for elementary-school-age children to walk that far in such a remote settingand questioned whether school principal Leslie Sharp would even allow it. He also pointed out that children would have to cross Arkansas Highway 102 in a 45 to 55 mile per hour speed zone to reach the school.
“That’s a terrible highway, the speed limit is way too high,” said councilwoman Gina Holt, who lives in the area.
Councilman David Sutton said he drives the route to the elementary school twice a day to take his children to and from school and has rarely seen anyone walking that way.
Jessen suggested extending the sidewalk on Roller Avenue from the post office to the high school, pointing out that high school aged kids are old enough to walk to school and that many already walk that way on the edge of the highway.
Linam explained that former mayor Bill Montgomery applied for the grant, along with city utilities director James Boston, with an eye for thepossibility of a developer building on the west side of Mount Olive Road.
Street and parks department manager Mike Barnett pointed out that if the west side of the street was developed, the sidewalk would have to be torn up and replaced anyway. Barnett suggested asking any future developers to put a sidewalk in at their own expense.
Sutton asked about the possibility of not accepting the grant money.
Linam said he was concerned that if they sent back this grant money, they would be less likely to receive grant money in the future and that it was his understanding the money must be used just as proposed in the grant application.
City administrative assistant Kim Wilkins suggested calling the grant administrator to see if there was any way to change the location of the sidewalk and explain to him that the city council felt it would better serve the community somewhere else.
The council voted to table the issue until next month so Linam can talk to the grant administrator about the city’s options.
Budget
Decatur city council members approved the budget for 2012.
The 2012 budget is $12,000 more than last year’s in both income and expenses for a total of $771,000. The water and wastewater departments budget is set at $3.1 million.
Balancing the city’s budget became a concern after the council voted to give police officers Arkansas Local Police and Fire Retirement Fund with back pay last month at an estimated cost of $59,500 for 2012.
The total city budget, including equal income and expenditures, was $771,185 distributed to the following departments;
◊Administration expenses - $248,750
◊Police Department - $382,885
◊Fire Department - $77,950
◊ Parks and Recreation - $33,340
◊Library Expenditures - $28,260
A separate budget, including income and expenditures for the water and wastewater departments, will total $3,131,000. The street department was budgeted $148,500 in income and expenditures.
“I’m proud to say it is a balanced budget,” said Mayor Charles Linam, thanking police chief Terry Luker, councilwoman Gina Holt and city administrative assistant Kim Wilkins for their work on the budget.
“If our sales tax will continue holding at current rates, it will be no problem to meet this budget,” he said.
City attorney pay
Council members voted to increase city attorney Tom Smith’s fee from $65 to $85 per hour.
Linam told the council that Smith had requested the $20 an hour increase in pay. Linam reported thathe called other local cities and did not find any other attorney that works for $65 an hour. Gentry’s attorney, Jay Williams, is paid $125 an hour, he said.
Council, firefighter pay
City council members and firefighters will be paid as employees instead of independent contractors next year.
Council members are paid $100 a month for their service and firefighters are paid $10 to $20 for each call they respond to, depending on their seniority. They currently are responsible for withholding their own taxes and receive 1099 forms. Next year they will all be asked to fill out W-2 or W-4 forms.
The change will actually be an advantage for council members, Linam explained, because they are currently responsible for paying taxes at a rate of 7.65 percent, but as employees they will only have to pay at a rate of 3.3 percent, with the city paying the other half.
News, Pages 6 on 01/04/2012