GENTRY — Gentry City Council on Monday night gave the mayor the authority to enter into a contract with the city of Siloam Springs to provide ambulance service within the city of Gentry and approved two ordinances for the purchase of a diesel-powered lawnmower for the parks department and for the purchasing and equipping of a new patrol car for the police department. Also approved by the council was a resolution adjusting the 2016 budget to reflect actual incoming revenue and expenditures.
The council approved a measure to authorize the mayor to enter into a contract with the city of Siloam Springs to provide ambulance services within the city of Gentry for 2017. Cost to the city will be $63,702.69 for 2017. Gentry paid Siloam Springs $45,000 for ambulance services in 2016, and the cost is projected to go up in future years by approximately $13,000 per year to enable Siloam Springs to provide the services to Gentry without incurring a loss.
At a special meeting of council committees on Thursday, council members were given a cost breakdown indicating a total annual cost for providing the service to Gentry to be approximately $127,405. The cost figures are based on an out of city per capita cost and Gentry's population, meaning an increase in Gentry's population could change those numbers.
In their Thursday committee meeting, council members discussed with Vester Cripps, chief of Gentry's volunteer fire department, options for the future should Gentry continue to grow or should Siloam Springs at some point be unable or unwilling to provide ambulance service to Gentry. Costs of staff and equipment were discussed, with staffing being the greatest ongoing expense.
Cripps pointed out that Gentry and Siloam Springs have had a good working relationship which has benefited both cities. He said he believed renewing the contract with Siloam Springs for ambulance services for 2017 was in the best interest of Gentry and its residents but did acknowledge that, at some point in the future, the city of Gentry might need to consider providing the service for its residents.
The council approved an ordinance, on three readings with a single vote and declaring an emergency, to authorize the purchase of a 2016 Toro Groundsmaster 4000-D demo unit with 150 hours for a price tag of just over $55,600. The special price represents a savings of approximately 40 percent for the city, with the regular price being more than $68,000. The purchase of the wide-area mower is projected to cut mowing time significantly and free up a city employee for other work each week. The special price will allow the city to purchase the mower without exceeding the amount budgeted for the purchase in 2017.
Also approved was the purchase of a new 6-cylinder Dodge Charger patrol unit for the police department. The budgeted purchase was approved by ordinance, bypassing the bid process, since the vehicle is being offered to the city by Superior Dodge in Siloam Springs at state-bid price but with the option of having all the special equipment such as lights and siren installed in Siloam Springs rather than by multiple vendors around the region. The local purchase also saves the city a delivery charge and is expected to save the city money and possibly keep the purchase of the car and the installation of equipment close to the police department line item in the budget.
In addition, the city council approved the disposal of a wrecked Crown Victoria police unit to the insurance company for a payment of $3,300 from the city's insurance company, less a $1,000 deductible. The payment for the totalled vehicle was thought to be larger than any money the city might receive by auctioning the vehicle as it has done with previous vehicles retired from the police department.
The council approved by resolution an amended 2016 budget reflecting actual incoming revenue and expenditures for 2016. In almost every category, an increase in incoming revenue or a reduction in anticipated expenses resulted in additional savings for the city, putting the city in better financial standing for the new year. A complete listing of adjustments is available at city hall.
Also approved by the city council was a rezoning request from industrial to residential-office for two parcels on the west side of S. Nelson Avenue owned by Amoth and Berry.
The council approved continuing with procedural rules and the existing format for meetings in 2017 and adopted a meeting schedule to conduct regular council meetings at 6:30 p.m. the first Monday of each month in the council chambers. Meetings will be held on the second Mondays in July, September and in January of 2018.
General News on 01/11/2017