HIGHFILL — With two of the five members absent, the Highfill Council, on Oct. 9, approved the purchase of a copy machine the city has been using on a trial basis, adopted an ordinance setting the city’s millage rate and passed resolutions filling vacant positions on the Highfill water and sewer committees.
With council members Sandy Evans and Michelle Rieff absent, council members Ryan Evans, Toby Lester and Paula Pautsky handled business, with Mayor Stacy Digby casting a vote when needed.
After doing the price comparison requested bythe council in September, the council voted to purchase the machine it has been using on a trial basis. The cost before taxes was approximately $4,300. Money was in the budget for the purchase, but Digby sought council approval before making the expenditure at the council’s request.
The new copy machine was needed to print water bills for the city because the city’s previous machine wouldn’t feed the card stock used for the bills.
Since the previous machine is all but paid for, with only $700 remaining, the council agreed to pay off the old machine and allow the police department to use it.
With rules suspended,the council adopted a required ordinance setting the city’s millage rate on real and personal property for 2012, to be collected in 2013, at 5 mills, unchanged from last year.
The council approved a resolution authorizing the city to open a savings account for the water/ wastewater department. James “Butch” Wiand, supervisor of the departments, had requested the account to save money for major upkeep and repair expenditures to the systems in the future.
Two resolutions were passed appointing Bob Reams to fill vacant seats on the water and sewer committees. The positions came open when Leroy Bolinger resignedbecause he was moving out of the city.
Mayor Digby presented the council with a draft budget for next year which, he said, could serve as a starting point for upcoming budget meetings in preparing a final budget for council approval.
Digby also told council members the city may need to look at some repairs to the Highfill Police Station because the stucco is coming off in the back and on the side. He suggested using water sealant and painting over it.
Both Evans and Lester suggested the mayor look at repair options, including “bricking it” to matchthe city building. Lester said he didn’t see the city building a new police station at any time soon, so suggested more permanent repairs to the existing station. Digby said the city may also wish to look at putting a sidewalk between the city building’s parking lot and the police station.
Digby said the city would hold its Trunk or Treat in the city park on the evening of Oct. 28, between 4 and 6 p.m. He also suggested a fall cleanup in the city from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 2-3.
A representative for Edward Nicklaus asked council members and city attorney Steve Miller if dropping the truck parking area from plans for the Nicklaus property was asignificant enough change in circumstances to allow a new rezoning request without waiting for 12 months, as required by law. Miller said he would look into it but thought the change in circumstances would be something outside of property-use plans which would impact potential uses for the property. He suggested that it might be possible to request adjustments to the existing planned unit development zoning and would do more research on that possibility.
The council last month denied an appeal of the planning commission's decision to deny a request to rezone property located at 14378 W. Arkansas Highway 12 from planned unit development (PUD) to general commercial (C-2). No one was in attendance to speak in favor of the appeal at the September meeting, though written materials were received.
News, Pages 8 on 10/24/2012