n Ordinance creating finance director post moves forward.
GENTRY -- Gentry City Council, on Monday, approved a memorandum of agreement with Siloam Springs, agreeing to pay Siloam Springs $25,000 for ambulance services within the city limits of Gentry for the current year.
The agreement, to be signed by both mayors, includes the statement that "the City of Siloam Springs Fire Department will provide emergency medical related services within the corporate limits of the City of Gentry for a fee of $25,000 for the remainder year 2014 of service."
The memorandum also says "the City of Gentry recognizes the need to create a built-in escalation mechanism for payment and will work toward providing a per household formula from which to calculate the payment in year 2016 and beyond."
The fees paid by the city of Gentry to Siloam Springs do not preclude the city of Siloam Springs from billing individuals served within the city of Gentry for ambulance and medical services provided.
The memorandum also includes an aid agreement between fire departments which would commit Gentry's fire department to assisting Siloam Springs Fire Department whenever the Siloam Springs Department's resources are depleted by calls for service. The departments already provide each other with mutual aid when needed. Gentry's aid to the city of Siloam Springs does not include any payment; however, Siloam Springs also provides mutual aid to Gentry when needed and takes Gentry's aid to its fire department into consideration when calculating costs to provide EMS service to Gentry.
The agreement provides for each department to first provide adequate resources to provide fire protection to its own jurisdiction before providing aid to the other.
The agreement, which is similar to last year's arrangement, is retroactive to Jan 1 of this year. It may also be canceled by either party with a 90-day notice.
Gentry paid Siloam Springs $15,000 for EMS services last year, and Siloam Springs is urging Gentry to work toward a per household formula in calculating EMS fees in future years.
With approximately 1,275 households in the city, annual costs could be near $83,000 if calculated at $65 per household.
The council also accepted the low bid of Allcorn, Inc., Concrete Construction, of $46,712.40, to complete a health and fitness walking trail (sidewalk) project in the city park. A total of five bids were received for the project. The city received a $50,000 GIF grant through State Senator Jim Hendren for the project.
The city approved the bid and committed any leftover grant funds to pay for completion of concrete pads for picnic tables and benches along the trail.
An increase in trash service rates, built into the contract with Republic Services of Bella Vista, will increase its trash collection charge per household to the city to $10.61 per month, a 3 percent increase over the rate charged last year. The rate increase is based on an estimated Consumer Price Index increase in 2014 for water, sewer and trash collection of 4.4 percent.
Also approved on its second reading was an ordinance creating the position of city finance director and redefining the duties of city clerk.
The ordinance, if passed on its third and final reading next month, would create on Jan. 1, 2015, the position of director of finance to perform most of the duties currently performed by the city clerk. The position will be filled by appointment rather than by election, with the employee subject to the mayor or his designee. The position would be a full-time salaried position.
The ordinance also creates, on Jan. 1, 2015, the combined position of city clerk and city treasurer, but limits the duties of the elected position to attending all meetings of the city council, planning commission and board of adjustments and acting as city clerk at such meetings by keeping and finalizing official minutes of those meetings. Duties would also require the quarterly submission to the council of a full report and detailed statement of the financial condition of the city. The position is an elected position with an annual salary of $4,000 ("subject to adjustment from time to time in accordance to the provisions of Arkansas law").
By separating the positions into a hired/appointed position and an elected post, the city would have more control over ensuring that it has a qualified employee to handle the day-to-day management of the city's finances and not jeopardize that management when administrative changes take place following elections.
The change would also affect retirement benefits, with the full-time post coming under the city's participation in the Arkansas Public Employees Retirement System, and the part-time elected post subject to retirement benefits for city clerks under Arkansas Statute 24-12-121 (a)(1).
General News on 03/05/2014