Approximately 100 citizens attend Sulphur town hall meeting

Photo by Susan Holland County Judge Barry Moehring gave an overview of the workings of county government at the town hall meeting in Sulphur Springs August 7. A question and answer session followed at which he heard from several area citizens and assured each one that their concerns would be addressed. The meeting was attended by approximately 100 persons.

Photo by Susan Holland County Judge Barry Moehring gave an overview of the workings of county government at the town hall meeting in Sulphur Springs August 7. A question and answer session followed at which he heard from several area citizens and assured each one that their concerns would be addressed. The meeting was attended by approximately 100 persons.

Wednesday, August 9, 2017

— Approximately 100 area citizens attended the town hall meeting held Monday, July 31, at Sulphur Springs. County Judge Barry Moehring, Chief Deputy Meyer Gilbert of the Sheriff's Office and County Assessor Rod Greve were present and gave short talks outlining the duties of their offices.

Also in attendance were Mayor Bill Edwards of Centerton, Mayor Kurt Maddox of Gravette, Mayor Shane Weber of Sulphur Springs, State Representative Kim Hendren (co-producer of the meeting) and several area justices of the peace and county staff members.

Moehring gave a brief overview of county government and explained where county tax dollars go. He said, out of a county budget of five million dollars, almost half goes to the jail and sheriff's office and 29 percent to roads. With 1,400 miles of county roads and 246 bridges, culverts and slabs, much road maintenance is required. He said the county's plan for 2017-18 is to fix the current paved road systems, set higher standards for dirt roads and pave fewer new roads.

Chief Deputy Gilbert said the sheriff's office has investigated 2,635 offenses through June, in addition to serving papers, both criminal and civil. The sheriff's office has also recently instituted new programs such as the New Leash on Life Program and the inmate vegetable garden.

Assessor Greve explained that the assessor's office is responsible for valuing all real and personal property in the county. Employees in his office include 26 professionally-designated assessors, deputies and support staff.

After the opening presentations, Moehring opened the meeting to questions from the audience. Many citizens asked questions and aired concerns, several dealing with road repairs, including possible paving of Butler Creek Road, damaged chip and seal on Spring Street in Sulphur Springs and the possibility of individuals paving sections of roads near their homes. Jay Frasier, head of the road department, was present and acknowledged these concerns. Moehring said a ticket would be made on each road repair request, problems would be studied and solutions sought. He explained that, with limited resources and many needs, county officials must try to be objective and address priority needs first. He acknowledged that the vitality of the area will depend heavily on the quality of its infrastructure.

Tim Craig and Bob Ackerman expressed concern about truck traffic speeding on Beaty Road, and Craig asked if it could be designated a no truck zone. Other safety issues included dump trucks speeding in Sulphur Springs and speeding and lack of signage on county roads near Highfill. Moehring said some consideration was being given to changing the speed limit from 55 to 40 on some roads.

A mother expressed concerns about children's safety, and an area mail carrier reported problems with speeding and lack of signage on the hill on Arkansas Highway 59 north of Gravette. Since 59 is a state highway, Moehring said perhaps they should take their concerns to representative Hendren.

Rickie Stark, of Gravette, brought up a problem with increasing numbers of bicyclists on area roads, with no shoulder and poor visibility on some sections. Moehring said the road department would be taking a look at the situation and possibly designating some roads where bikers can travel safely and discouraging bike traffic on some others.

Jay Oliphant, president of the Gravette school board, told about Act 509, which permits multiple school districts to work together on a career center. He encouraged placing more emphasis on vocational education and asked if the county might be interested in supporting an area career center. Moehring acknowledged there is a significant effort in the western part of the county to create such a center and that a shortage of skilled workers in the trades shows a need for more vocational training. However, county support would be something new and he would not support a tax increase. Oliphant said there is plenty of support from industry and he feels something needs to be done soon.

Bob Simon, of Sulphur Springs, expressed displeasure that abandoned properties and weedy lots in his neighborhood are not being cleaned up. He said city ordinances are not being enforced. Moehring said the county has no jurisdiction in the cities. Shane Weber, Sulphur Springs mayor, spoke about the issue and told about current cleanup efforts. Representative Hendren said $12,000 of federal funds have been designated specifically to help clear up delinquent property in Sulphur Springs.

Ken Young, of Sulphur Springs, asked if the county had an emergency plan to implement after major disasters. Moehring said plans are in place for tornadoes and other routine disasters but not for major bioterrorism events. He said the county has an excellent head of public safety and many very capable first responders.

Dan Yates, a Gravette attorney, said the county needs a new courthouse but, since a new structure would be so expensive, he wondered if the county could work with the cities to provide better court facilities. He expressed his desire that additional courtroom space could be financed without a tax increase. Moehring said he had the same goal.

Assessor Greve was questioned about qualifications for equalization board members. Greve said members serve three-year staggered terms and a call for volunteers is issued when a vacancy occurs. The county selects two members, school districts two members, cities two members and the quorum court three members. The county clerk is secretary of the board but it is not a part of the county board.

Some citizens had praise for the county, with David Barber, of Sulphur Springs, expressing appreciation for work done on county roads and commenting that, given the logistics, road department employees do a great job. Emily Ramirez expressed her thanks for the county's help with grading her road.

Judge Moehring said he appreciated the good turnout for the meeting and thanked everyone for attending. He said he would do his best to see that all concerns are addressed.

Community on 08/09/2017