GRAVETTE — Gravette’s new voting wards for election of city council members were changed by the council at a special meeting Thursday night.
The new wards, three in number, have been redrawn to reflect the annexation of Hiwasse and rural areas which became part of the city earlier this year.
Approved at the special meeting was an ordinance describing the ward boundaries. An accompanying map shows the boundaries of the three wards.
Ward 1 remains as it has been in recent years, all areas of the city west of Highway 59.
The present wards 2 and 3, that area east of Highway 59, are combined to become Ward 2.
The new Ward 3 includes the land annexed earlier this year.
The special meeting was necessary to approve the changes which will besubmitted to the Arkansas Secretary of State and to Benton County.
Two council members will be elected this November from each of the three wards. Those elected will take office on Jan. 1, 2013.
Persons interested in serving must file for the two-year positions - Position 1 or 2 - by August 17 to be on the November ballot. They must be residents of the ward in which they file and must secure signed petitions of not less than 10 qualified electors. They do not file by party affiliation, but rather as independents. There is no filing fee.
The filing period opens Friday, July 27. Petition forms and other required filing documents are available at the office of the County Clerk, 271-1013, in Bentonville.
Ordinance 12-14, approved unanimously at the special meeting, provides the following legal description of the wards:
Ward 1: Lands west of Highway 59 to the Gravette City Limits.
Ward 2: Lands east from Highway 59 to the west side of Lion Drive south to Highway 72, then east along the south side of Highway 72, then south along the west side of Stagecoach Road to Bittersweet Road and lands to the Gravette City Limits.
Ward 3: Lands along the east side of Lion Drive to the north side of Highway 72 to Stagecoach Road, then south along the east side of Stagecoach Road to Bittersweet Road, then east to the Gravette City Limits as defined on the attached map as “Exhibit A” to this ordinance.
Sports, Pages 10 on 07/25/2012