The Alexander City Council has decided how much to charge city
employees who are living in the cottages on the former Human
Development Center (HDC) property. They are located in the southeast
corner of the property along Highway 111.
Mayor Crystal Herrmann presented council members several rental
comparisons. One is from the 2020 Census. Another were figures from
Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The third is rent being charged
for apartments in Little Rock and Alexander.
About the census average Herrmann said, “And you'll see the average
Alexander City estimate of rent is $1,000. But it also has a margin
plus or minus of $371.”
That sets the range from $629.00 to $1,371.00.
“I thought HUD would be another really good tool…,” Herrmann
said. “On HUD, they had for our market one bedroom units, area's
average around $1,116, while two bedroom units added around $50.06.
“But the low income apartments in nearby Little Rock/Alexander area
show $725 to $886 per one bedroom unit,” she continued. “So we
have the complexes over here” (near the railroad tracks). “Two
bedroom is 900 and something dollars.”
Age was another consideration. It’s been estimated the cottages
were built around 1950. Council members settled on $450 per month for
a one bathroom cottage and $500 for the two bathroom cottages.
Renters are currently paying $100 per month.
Auditors with the Department of Legislative Audit have expressed
concerns that a low $100 per month will require the city to account
for the remaining value of the rent as a fringe benefit on W2 forms.
It would then be taxed by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
Employees will now have two options.
1-They can continue to pay the $100 and claim the fringe benefit at
the end of the year on their W2, or
2-They can pay the new higher monthly rate.
What started out as a way to provide low cost security for the former
HDC property and give city employees a way to live in Alexander
without a major cost to them, turned into a discussion over fringe
benefits and taxes. The plan was first adopted when former Mayor Paul
Mitchell was in office.
In 2022 the former HDC property was being vandalized after
Pathfinders, Inc. moved to a new location outside Alexander.
Pathfinders provided specialized services to those with physical and
mental needs. The cottages were used to house the patients.
With no one on the property at night, vandalism began to become an
expensive problem. Mitchell decided it would be beneficial to allow
city employees, who live outside Alexander, to live in the cottages
in exchange for providing both security and keeping the grass mowed
in the cottage area. At the time, no city employees lived in
Alexander.
This arrangement also provides the extra advantage of having city
employees nearby in case of emergencies. The cottages are occupied by
either police officers or firefighters.
Renters were first required to pay only $1 per year as a token.
Utilities were also provided. In an attempt to satisfy the fringe
benefit issue the rent was increased to $100 per month. Renters also
now pay for electricity and gas as a way to save the city those costs
plus to force the renters to be more frugal. Water and sewer are
included in the rent.
In other news
Mayor wants fence requirements
Last month it was wanting permits to build porches. At the March
council meeting Mayor Crystal Herrmann brings up the lack of
standards and permit requirement for constructing any fence. As of
now the only time a permit for a fence is needed is if the fence is
seven feet high or taller.
Current zoning only states when a six-foot privacy fence, or wall, is
required; usually to separate commercial from residential areas.
There are no specific standards for fencing or walls.
“We have a fence permit, but there's nothing that goes into any
detail about the fences,” Herrmann said. “So there's things such
as we need to stake them out, you know, make sure they're not
installing on an easement or utility easement or on the neighbors
property.”
“And, we have different materials going up through the city,”
Herrmann continued. “We've got some people using some
metal-roaching panels for fence, some people using pallets for
fences. We've got some non-privacy fences, we have some chain link
fences, and we have some that are not maintained. So we do want to
have an ordinance that addresses maintenance of the fence, if it's
half falling down, put placements.
Herrmann also wants to mandate what type of fence residents will
have.
“Just several different options when it comes to fences,” she
continued. “And I will be leaning on y'all to make the fence. What
style would y'all like the city to be the same all the way through? I
think it's a lot of decisions. I think right now what we have is
basically it states no 8 foot fences in the front.”
Two New Business items adopted
Two items under New Business were adopted by the Alexander City
Council. One is a resolution to publish the 2025 Financial Statement.
The second is an ordinance giving the police department permission to
sell two police cars.
The financial statement is a final version of the 2025 budget, which
includes the changes adopted at the February council meeting. The
police cars are both 2019 Dodge Chargers.
Citywide yard sale and Farmers Market proposed
Mayor Crystal Herrmann proposed having a citywide yard sale as a way
to allow residents to unburden themselves of excess items they no
longer need. Council Member Joy Gray has been working on bringing a
farmers market to Alexander.
Besides the when, Herrmann offered several options as to the how.
“It seems to be pretty successful in Shannon Hills when they do
it,” Herrmann said. “So I thought it could be a really good way
to help offload extra items that folks might have. I mean, we could
even open up the big community center. We can open up the big parking
lot. And they can have them in their personal yards. We can post
where they can email in or call or come by and tell us they're
address and they're going to be on the list for the citywide yard
sale. Maybe do like a city map.”
Gray has been talking to the Saline County Extension Service to bring
a farmers market to Alexander.
“Yes. So, I talked to the cooperative extension in Saline County,”
Gray began. “They actually are the people that would work with that
to be clear. I was grateful with (sic) them. I'm not trying to
organize them to do the vendors to do this and do that, but if
there's a group of people, like a co-op or an aggregate of folks that
are producing in the spring and want to sell stuff and need a space,
we have both the park and or the community center. And so, if there's
people with fresh fruits, vegetables, honey, that kind of stuff,
eggs, whatever that one and two, so the lady is going to reach out to
her contact.”
Whether the farmers market begins this year or next Gray said her
contact at the extension service agrees the area needs a third
location.
“I said, if you can't use this year, maybe at least for the
matter of next year,” Gray said. [B]ut she seems excited to have
another space because Benton has a farmers market and the (sic)
Little Rock has a farmers market. And that's kind of it.”
Council meets new officer
Police Chief Preator introduced Officer Taylor Bledsoe to council
members. Bledsoe is the newest member of the department filling one
of two vacancies. Preator said she will soon be entering the police
academy.
Tornado siren ready
The tornado siren at the firehouse is functioning again. The monthly
test was canceled due to tornado-like weather. The repairs were paid
for by the city even though the siren is owned by Saline County. The
county decided they are going to an app method of emergency warnings
rather than maintain a siren system everyone can hear.
Master Gardener plant sale coming to Alexander
Council Member Joy Gray announced the date and time for the Master
Gardener Plant Sale. It is scheduled for Saturday, April 18th,
from 8 AM to 12 PM in the Community Center #2 building at the former
Human Development Center along Hwy. 111 in South Alexander.
Being in line before 8 is suggested.
“And from what I understand, you need to be there at 8 AM,” Gray
said.
Next Meeting
The next meeting of the Alexander City Council is Monday, April 20,
at 6:00 PM in the courtroom of the Alexander Municipal Complex (City
Hall). Meetings are open to the public.