City of Alexander Special Meeting tonight, Thursday

City of Alexander Mayor Paul Mitchell has scheduled a Special Meeting for tonight; Thursday, November 19. Aldermen will be asked to approve adding additional streets to the list of streets being repaired and repaved under a state-funded program and move about $86,000 owed by the general fund to the street fund.

The meeting will be held in the courtroom at city hall at 6:30 PM, instead of the usual 6:00 PM, so all aldermen can attend. The public is invited to the meeting.

The subject of having more streets repaved and the funding proposal was discussed at the regular November 16 meeting. Mitchell asked aldermen to consider having more streets repaved while the contractor is in the city, which would save on costs.

Mitchell proposed paving the city park driveway and parking lot, which are currently rock, using funds from the park budget. He also suggested paving Don Parker Drive from Redwood Lane to West Azalea Drive; paving West Azalea Drive from Don Parker Drive to Kathy Drive; and paving Dogwood Ranchette Drive. The streets would be paid for mostly from the street fund. Besides the current balance the general fund owes the street fund about $86,000 and there is $14,782.51 left of the $250,000 street improvement grant from the Arkansas Highway Department of Transportation.

While Shirley Johnson was mayor the general fund received $159,913 of street fund revenue from the state in violation of state law. What’s called “Street Turnback” funds, which come from the state’s fuel tax, can only be spent on street related services.

In 2007 city council members, most appointed after the annexation of Woodland Hills, discovered the illegal spending noted in an annual state audit of the city. By 2007 Johnson had been mayor for 17 years. Johnson lost re-election in 2010.

Aldermen ordered that all street fund money be deposited in the street fund. Also, future budgets provided for payments of additional revenue from the general fund to the street fund to return the misappropriated funds. The current amount owed is reported at around $86,000.

The streets to be repaved under the state grant are Autumn Cove and that portion of Magnolia Glen that intersects Autumn Cove in St. Joseph’s Glen, Brookwood Road from Don Parker to the railroad tracks, all of Cornerstone, Kelli Place, and a portion of 2^nd Street. The paving began Wednesday, November 18.