HIGHFILL — City council on Aug. 8 asked that specs for road repairs and for a new police pickup truck be put out to bid, with a planned bid opening and decisions to be made at a special council meeting at 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 22. But, that special meeting was canceled and a special meeting was set for Tuesday, Aug. 15, at which money for the projects was approved.
With one dissenting vote by Mark White, the council approved amending the city budget to allow the expenditure of $39,750 for the purchase of a new patrol pickup truck for the police department. Of that money, $15,800 will come from an insurance payment for a wrecked Dodge truck, $4,000 from police savings and the balance from the city savings account.
Council member Michelle Rieff said she viewed the patrol vehicle purchase as necessary for public safety because of 40 new homes under construction in the city and the need for the Highfill Police Department to respond to emergency calls without breaking down along the road.
The council unanimously approved amending the city budget to allow spending up to $35,000 for the repair and repaving of Digby and Peterson Roads. Estimated costs were in the range of just over $20,000 for Peterson Road and just over $12,000 for Digby Road. The estimated cost is based on the work being added to a current contract with Decco Paving. The council asked the mayor to check the cost with Hutchens Paving before agreeing to a contract with Decco for the additional work.
According to Stacy Digby, Highfill’s mayor, he was advised by Jay Williams, the city’s attorney, that some new Arkansas purchasing laws went into effect Aug. 1 which removed the bidding requirement for street and road projects under $35,000. The limit used to be $20,000. And, if the council has appropriated funds in the budget or by a council vote for a police car purchase, the mayor has the ability to make that purchase.
“This will speed up getting roads fixed,” Digby said, adding that “there were several safety concerns raised on the condition of Peterson Road.”
Road projects brought up at the Aug. 8 meeting included repairs to Peterson, Digby and a part of Malone Roads. Vernon Reams, the city’s street supervisor, estimated the approximate total cost of all three road projects to be $68,000.
On Aug. 15, Digby said the Malone Road project would have to be held back and put out to bid because it would put the city over the $35,000 limit which it could spend on a road project without the bidding process.
A fourth road project, replacing culverts on Aubrey Long Road with box culverts, was delayed as well in the hope the county will be able to assist Highfill with the projects by providing labor and equipment, with Highfill providing the culverts and materials. County assistance was estimated to save the city approximately $16,000 on the Aubrey Long Road project, though county assistance would not be available until the county finishes a number of its own projects.
The council did authorize the spending of $12,000 from city savings to purchase the needed box culverts for Aubrey Long Road so they are available when the county can assist.
Reams told the council that FEMA had been out to view the city’s flood-damaged roads but that he had not yet received estimates from FEMA on money to be made available to the city for road repairs.
Donna Kelly, a Highfill resident, presented the council a petition with 35 signatures requesting repairs to Peterson Road. She told the council the road was dangerous as is because of all the large potholes, which have caused some to lose control and drive off the road. Stacy Digby, Highfill’s mayor, said the road, if not repaired, would soon lose its base and might have to be returned to a gravel road.
Though Mayor Digby, on Aug. 8, suggested holding off just a little longer on purchasing a new patrol vehicle because the police department was over budget on all its line items but salaries, the council asked Blake Webb, Highfill’s police chief, to obtain bids for a 4-wheel-drive pickup truck for the police department. Digby questioned Webb about department purchases and spending $1,000 to make modifications to three department rifles so they could be used in patrol vehicles. Webb told the council he anticipated no other special purchases or new equipment needs for the current year.
At last month’s council meeting, Webb proposed the purchase of a Chevrolet Silverado to replace the department’s Dodge pickup truck which was totaled in an accident with a horse. Webb proposed the 4-wheel drive truck because of the city’s many unpaved roads and because of the high cost of purchasing a Chevrolet Tahoe. He estimated the vehicle cost would be $32,500 plus $350 for a towing package. Equipment to outfit the truck for the department was estimated at an additional $6,850. Webb proposed using the $15,800 the department had received from insurance for the totaled Dodge, another $5,000 from police savings and the balance of $18,550 coming from city savings.
Specifications were originally going to be put out to bid because a Chevrolet truck meeting the desired specifications was not on the state bid package. The most recent information, however, is that the mayor can make the purchase if the council designates funds for the purchase.
Both Webb and the council expressed concerns about purchasing another Dodge because of previous mechanical problems the department has had with Dodge patrol units, and with purchasing a Ford because of recent reports of carbon monoxide entering the cabins.
The council approved spending up to $5,000 for repairs to a storm siren on Mason Valley Road which was damaged due to a lightning strike or electrical surge. According to Gene Holland, Highfill’s fire chief, repairs were estimated at about $4,000.
Councilman Toby Lester said repairing the siren was important because of its proximity to the Northwest Arkansas Children’s Shelter and new housing units nearby.
Also approved was the expenditure of an additional $485 from savings for the programmable logic controller equipment and software approved for purchase last month for the water department. Butch Wiand, the city’s water and sewer department supervisor, told the council that the purchase of the line locator came in at approximately $500 less than the council approved last month, making the total amount spent by his department pretty much the same as what the council had allotted.
Last month, Wiand asked permission from the council to spend $4,600 for a line locator from water department or city savings. Also approved in July was the purchase of a computer system and hardware which allow for remote monitoring and control of the city’s water system, including tank levels and water pressure. According to Wiand, the PLC software is “the brains of the system” and operates the system pump and monitors and lowers water pressure when needed during times when the city’s water tank is down for wash out or repair and lines are pressurized by the city pump. The price approved last month was $6,800. The increase came about because of a price increase since the original bid was obtained.
General News on 08/16/2017