The Alexander City
Council has re-established the city’s planning commission after
dissolving it in April. At the council’s June 19 meeting Mayor Paul
Mitchell then appointed Ward-2 Alderwoman Juanita Wilson and former
Ward-3 Alderman Michael Huck to fill two of the five vacant planning
commission seats. Mitchell is still accepting resumes from any city
resident wishing to serve on the commission.
Mitchell also said
he wanted to appoint Fire Chief Mark Ridgeway to the planning
commission. However, it is understood that state law limits a
planning commission’s membership to one-third by any elected or
appointed member of the city. Since one-third of five is one
Alderwoman Juanita Wilson will serve as that member. If Ridgeway
can’t serve directly as a member of the planning commission Mitchel
said he will appoint him as a liaison to the commission.
The ordinance
establishing the current five-member planning commission was passed
in November, 2014. It established two temporary one-year terms, two
temporary two-year terms and one three-year term. When the temporary
terms expired they converted to three-year terms establishing a
staggered appointment calendar.
When the ordinance
was approved Michelle Hobbs was mayor. Later in November she was
defeated by Mitchell in a runoff election. He was sworn-in January
1, 2015 to a four-year term.
The ordinance
required the city council to make the first appointments. While not
stated in the ordinance, after those initial appointments filling any
vacancies falls to the mayor.
The three-year term,
the two two-year terms and one of the one-year terms were filled at a
special meeting April 6, 2015. Huck had volunteered to serve on the
planning commission but was not appointed by the council in a seven
to one vote. At the regular May meeting the council filled the
remaining vacancy.
Using April 6, 2015
as a starting point the two one-year terms expired April 6, 2016.
Their next expiration year is 2019. Wilson and Huck were appointed by
Mitchell to complete these two terms. He still needs to fill the
vacancies for the original two two-year terms, which now expire in
2020, and the one three-year term, which expires in 2018.
During the first two
years of the original appointments two of the planning commission
members resigned. Mitchell did not fill those vacancies. In April,
2016 and 2017 the appointment of two other members expired. Mitchell
did not reappoint the individuals holding those two seats, but by
state law they remained appointed until replaced. When the council
approved to, “Dissolve the planning commission and re-establish it
at a later date,” during the April, 2017 meeting, that action
removed all current members of the planning commission from their
positions including the term that expires in 2018.
During the April
meeting Mitchell said the last planning commission meeting was held
around April of 2016. He said planning commissions are required to
meet once every quarter.
During the June
meeting Mitchell expressed the same sentiments he stated during the
April meeting.
“They’ve gotten
very little done,” Mitchell said.
At the April meeting
Mitchell said he wants to appoint, “People who are really
interested.”
The vote to
re-establish the planning commission was seven to one. The only “No”
vote was due to the absence of Ward-1 Alderwoman Elizabeth Bland who
was out-of-state at the time. Anyone who is absent is counted as a
“No” vote.
The only other
business conducted during the June 19 meeting was a report on the
distribution of free smoke detectors to City of Alexander residents.
The city’s fire department is working with the Little Rock chapter
of the Red Cross to provide the life-saving devices.
Red Cross
representative Nora Hamdon told council members 103 smoke detectors
have been provided and installed. Hamdon and a member of the City of
Alexander Fire Department have been canvassing the city on Saturdays
looking for anyone who doesn’t have at least two working smoke
detectors. She said the Red Cross is providing a maximum of two per
residence and installing them to be sure they are installed properly
and put to use.
The next regular meeting of the Alexander City Council is Monday,
July 17. Meetings start at 6 PM and are held in the courtroom at the
City of Alexander Municipal Complex. The public is invited to attend.
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ReplyDeleteWOW! WOW! Sounds for the world like one of the ex-planning commission seat warmers. If you recall at your very first meeting, all you did was bad-mouth the mayor, for over an hour, proof positive the focus was to do everything possible to stop any progress.
DeleteIt didn't work, the list of progress for this mayor is just getting longer and longer.
Planning Commission, like every other meeting of its kind is open to the public. Yours was posted one time. So Mayor didn't miss a lot of them did he!
The new commission is totally professional, they are to be admired.
Again just one more progressive step forward.
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Deleteaccording to the minutes
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DeleteThe Mayor Shirley Johnson planning commission hadn't met quarterly (as required) for quite some time when it was "dissolved." In her infinite "wisdom" the ordinance that created her planning commission included the names of the first members. As each one was replaced the planning became more and more illegal. When that planning commission was left with two of its original five members, and then eventually one, it became illegal. In essence it dissolved itself. Shirley Johnson, God's gift to the gullible.
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DeleteI don't recall Mayor Shirley getting approval for appointments to the her planning commission. She rarely asked approval for anything she did.
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DeleteI've read 14-56-404, 405 and 406. None of them make any reference as to who appoints to fill vacancies. The implication seems to be it should be covered in the ordinance. The ordinance, presented by Alderwoman Andrea Bearden and passed in December 2014, only says the council appoints to start the planning commission. It makes no mention of filling vacancies. Maybe the ordinance needs a rewrite.
Deleteyou obviously don't go to the meetings; alex.res.
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ReplyDeleteFortunately they (the new commission) has a higher place to go to check 'right' vs'wrong.' Not to mention other leaders in the city government who have authority to step above and beyond the uneducated previous council, to see that state laws are met PROPERLY.
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ReplyDeleteThey weren't on the commission, and the ones in council now, understand when I say educated.
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ReplyDeleteThis is a blog-site; not first grade grammer. Visual aids aren't usually required.
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