GENTRY -- City council on Dec. 2 passed a budget for 2020 and set salaries for elected officials and members of the planning commission.
With an adjustment to the firemen's sinking fund budget because of an anonymous donation of $226,000 toward an aerial firefighting apparatus, the council unanimously adopted the proposed budget for 2020 which had been presented by the mayor and reviewed by the council in a working session.
The budget includes projected revenues and expenses of $2.364 million in the General Fund and $3.735 million in the water and sewer fund.
The full budget for all the funds are available at Gentry City Hall.
The council tabled the annexation ordinance it has passed on first reading in November. Since Decatur is no longer pursuing annexation by election, the need to pursue a similar measure was not viewed as necessary to protect Gentry assets north of the city.
Kevin Johnston, Gentry's mayor, said there was a possibility that some landowners may petition to be received into Gentry.
An ordinance was passed on three readings and with an emergency clause attached which sets the salaries of all elected officials in the city, as well as those appointed to the planning commission. The ordinance was passed to group all of the elected officials' salaries together and to bring the city code in line with what is actually being paid to elected officials.
Rounded to the nearest dollar, the ordinance sets the mayor's salary at $57,727 per year; the city clerk at $4,602 per year; the city attorney at $32,398 for prosecution duties and $125 per hour for city attorney duties and criminal appeals. City council members are paid $3,197 per year, plus $133 for special meetings. Members of the planning commission are paid $149 per meeting attended and $75 per special meeting attended.
The council adopted a resolution expressing its support for a joint House resolution to amend the state constitution and continue collecting 1/2 percent sales and use tax for the purpose of highway, road and street construction and maintenance after the current bond is paid off in 2023. Johnston said the money collected is divided between the state, counties and cities, with the state receiving 70 percent, and counties and cities each receiving 15 percent of the revenue generated.
The council accepted the final plat for Phase 1 of the Grand Estates Subdivision (located along Arkansas 12 on the west side of the city). The ordinance was adopted on three readings and with an emergency clause.
Mayor Johnston reported that all necessary documents had been submitted to the state for the construction of the new Dawn Hill East Bridge and he expected approval soon so that the project can be advertised and bids accepted. He said it has been a long process but he expected things would begin to move along much more quickly now.
A committee made up of the mayor, a representative from McClelland Engineering, Police Chief Clay Stewart, and council members Jason Williams, Jason Barrett and Cindy Philpott was established to help formulate plans and scope of work for the design of new park amenities. Johnston said he thought it could be possible to have a ribbon-cutting on a new splash pad by the July 4 Freedom Festival. Johnston discussed the possibility of hiring a construction manager to help the city plan the best order and implementation of construction projects for park improvements.
General News on 12/11/2019