Decatur approves refinancing and procures funds for sewer plant upgrades

— In the final regular session of 2016, the Decatur City Council met in the conference room at Decatur City Hall Dec. 12 to discuss and pass two ordinances designed to upgrade the existing wastewater treatment plant and refinance two existing high-interest-rate bonds.

Prior to the regular meeting, the council held a public hearing on these ordinances. The 30-minute session was designed to allow the public to ask questions and make remarks pertaining to these ordinances in accordance with Arkansas municipal codes. These ordinances were printed in newspapers and available in the city office 10 days prior to the meeting, allowing the public to review the ordinances before the hearing.

The meeting was open for 30 minutes, at which time no public comments were heard. At 6 p.m., Bob Tharp, Decatur Mayor, closed the hearing and opened the regular council meeting.

The council carefully reviewed the ordinances before putting them to a vote. With the rules suspended, the council read the two ordinances by title only and passed each of them on three readings with a single vote.

With the passage of the first ordinance, the city can now pay off the original 2008 and 2010 higher-interest bonds which it used in the construction of the current wastewater treatment plant in 2010. The new low-interest bond will allow the city to save an estimated $700,000 over the next 20 years.

The second ordinance dealt with securing funds for upgrades to the Decatur wastewater treatment plant, allowing the city to spend up to $10,000,000, if needed, for much needed improvements. Work on this project is expected to begin as early as mid 2017.

The city council has one more ordinance to pass in January before this process is complete.

Other council business

The council approved the 2017 Benton County District Court West budget; passed on the second reading the proposed hobby chicken ordinance. The third and final reading of this ordinance will be conducted during the January meeting.

The Decatur City Council meets the second Monday of each month at 6 p.m. in the conference room at Decatur City Hall. The first 30 minutes of each meeting is opened for public input. For more information, call the city offices at 752-3912.

General News on 12/21/2016