Gravette mayor delivers state of city address

GRAVETTE -- Kurt Maddox, mayor of Gravette, delivered his state of the city address to open last Thursday's city council committee of the whole meeting. It was a very positive message outlining accomplishments in his first year in office and predicting further progress in 2016.

Tim Dewitt, street department manager, reported that bids were being sought for repaving Highway 59 from Spavinaw bridge south of town to Sulphur Springs, a distance of 6.4 miles. He anticipates work will begin in late April or May. Dewitt submitted a requested list of city owned vehicles and their mileage. He said he had ordered a new truck for the street department which should arrive in six to eight weeks.

Any Bower, police chief, reported he had filled the full-time position in the department. He submitted a list of police department vehicles and expenses to date for maintaining them.

Rob Douthit, fire chief, reported that one of the EMTs had resigned and was moving to a job out of state. The fire department has received two grants, one of them through the rural fire protection association. One, for $10,000, will provide lighter weight gear for summertime wear, reducing the risk of heat exhaustion. He reported the department ended the year with 860 ambulance runs, a significant increase over last year.

Kim Schneider, library manager, said the library would be moving to its new Main Street location this week.

Mayor Maddox said the city is considering selling the Russell/Pierce Cemetery on Russell Corner Road west of town. It was donated to the city in 1898 by Wallace Township but is too expensive for the city to maintain. It was recently surveyed and the decision has been made to offer it to the Alexander family at fair market value. The Alexanders have already done some clearing work and fenced the property, which is about a quarter of an acre. They have many descendants buried in the cemetery.

Council members discussed the Waste Management contract. Several complaints about trash pickup are still being received and the company still hasn't caught up on paying franchise fees. Maddox said the city's cost has gone up since the company was billing for every little item. A letter will be drafted and sent to the company requesting more accurate billing and resolution of the complaints.

Staggered terms for city council members will be on the November election ballot and voters will decide the issue.

Chris Speights, financial director, presented the year-end financial report. Council member Richard Carver suggested setting a goal and keeping a certain amount in reserve. Speights recommended that the city keep a $500,000 reserve fund and increase that to $1,000,000 in five years as the city grows, but mayor Maddox pointed out that amount may have to be higher or lower depending on tax growth over the next several years. He noted that the BiLD architectural firm had already been paid for their services and city income would be going up in 2016 because of an increase in property values.

Speights said that one more police vehicle had already been included in the budget and Carver suggested budgeting for another police car, maybe two, to catch the department up and then setting up a regular cycle of replacing each vehicle every five years.

Mayor Maddox reported that the owner of J.D.'s Dirt Work wants to lease the old bus barn for $3,000 a month until the city needs it for other uses. He says he will mow and maintain the property. Richard Carver said he had recommended that the building be used for city employees to do oil changes and minor repairs on city vehicles and thus save the city some money.

Carver noted that Hiwasse needed a better fire department building and better fire protection for the area. Maddox said there was a large building in Hiwasse that could possibly be used for both a fire station and a police substation. He said personnel at Marathon Metal had indicated their willingness to partner with the city and possibly do a match project or donate some materials for a project requiring metal.

Maddox briefly discussed FEMA flood damage funds. He said the city had spent about $10,000 so far to repair flood damage and make roads passable. FEMA has requested the city stop repair efforts until they have completed their damage assessment. FEMA usually provides a match of flood repair funds, Maddox said, but the city must pay the initial costs and then FEMA reimburses them. Maddox recommended council members authorize a reserve which could be tapped into for repairs immediately after a catastrophic flood, ice storm or tornado before FEMA funds are approved. Council member Ron Theis recommended the city develop an emergency preparedness plan with procedures in place to deal with the aftermath of a natural disaster.

Mayor Maddox reminded those present of Governor Hutchinson's visit scheduled on Friday, Congressman Steve Womack's visit to city hall at 10 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 21, and the Chamber of Commerce gala on Feb. 11.

General News on 01/20/2016