Alexander council approves 2017 budget, annexation

The Alexander City Council approved a nearly $1.5 million budget for 2017 at its first regular meeting of the year Monday evening. This is the first regular meeting held by the new council after the November General Election. The deadline for passing the budget is February 1.

The new budget estimates revenue for the general fund at $1,233,170.00. There is a carryover of $185,761.00 from 2016 giving a total of $1,418,931.00. Total general fund expenses are estimated at $1,266,380.00 leaving a surplus of $152,561.00. The expenses include an estimated $950,000.00 from two one-cent sales taxes that are distributed from the general fund to the fire, police and park funds as required in referendums approved by voters in the early 2000s. That’s $950,000 not available for the general fund.

The street department, which is funded by a portion of the state fuel tax and the road tax from Pulaski and Saline counties, has estimated revenue of $246,950.00. With $444,409.00 left over from 2016 the fund has a total of $691,359.00. Total estimated expenses are $276,613.00, which leaves an estimated surplus balance of $414,746.00.

The police department receives most of its revenue from the sales tax and from bonds and fines. The estimated revenue for 2017 is $365,650.00. Adding to that a surplus of $166,606.00 from 2016 the police department budget has a total of $532,256.00. Estimated expenses for 2017 total $387,394.00 leaving $144,862.00. This includes the purchase of four new police vehicles for $100,000.00, cash.

The fire department has an estimated revenue totaling $555,346.00. Most of that is from the sales tax. At the end of 2016 there was $3,774.00 left over giving the fire department fund a total of $559,090.00. Total estimated expenses for 2017 are $457,974.30 leaving a surplus balance of $101,115.70.

Finally, the parks department, which is funded mostly through the sales tax, is estimated to have revenue in 2017 totaling $121,050.00. At the end of 2016 there was $304,064.00 left over giving the fund a total of $425,114.00. Total expenses are estimated at $203,970.00. That leaves a surplus of $221,144.00.

Also at the January 23 meeting;

An ordinance annexing approximately 3.27 acres into the city was approved by council members. The additional acreage is part of a renovation and expansion project by owners of My Ample Storage, located along Highway 5 near Alexander Road. The widening of Highway 5, between Alexander and Bryant, requires moving the front wall and some storage units. A parking area will also be included in the renovation along with the construction of an indoor storage facility. Currently, all of the storage units are accessed from outside.

This was the third public meeting for the annexation ordinance. An ordinance must be read three times at three public meetings unless two-thirds of the council votes to suspend the second or third readings. Council members voted to suspend the third reading then approved passage of the ordinance. Since all annexed land is automatically zoned residential the next step is to rezone the 3.27 acres to commercial use.

The Organization of Alexander City Council 2017 was approved. It serves as a manual which establishes rules concerning how council meetings will be conducted, the forming and staffing of committees and how to notify the public when a council or committee meeting is scheduled. The date of regular monthly council meetings, which was part of the manual in the past, is now covered by an ordinance approved in 2016.

The council voted to accept the results of the 2016 General Election held November 8 and the runoff election held November 29.

The next meeting of the Alexander City Council will be held at 6 PM Monday, February 27. The meeting will be held in the courtroom in the City Municipal Complex across from the post office. The public is invited to attend.

Helen M. Thompson Mitchell dies at 81

Helen Thompson Mitchell
June 23, 1935 - January 24, 2017

Helen M. Thompson Mitchell, age 81 of Monticello, passed away Tuesday, January 24, 2017 at Drew Memorial Hospital in Monticello. She was born June 23, 1935 in Warren, AR to the late Clyde Thompson and Pallie Oldner Thompson.

She was the widow of Mayo Mitchell, a homemaker, was a Christian and was of the Baptist faith. In addition to her parents and husband, she was also preceded in death by two sisters, Juanita Myers and Lois Taylor.

Survivors include two sons, City of Alexander Mayor Paul Mitchell and wife Genieve and Gary Mitchell of Monticello; one daughter, Alisa Mitchell of Monticello; one brother, Kenneth Thompson and wife Brenda of Magnolia; six grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.

A graveside service will be held 2:00 p.m. Friday, January 27, 2017 in Mt Zion Cemetery. Visitation will be from 6:00-8:00 p.m. Thursday evening at Stephenson-Dearman Funeral Home. Online guestbook at www.stephensondearman.com.

Information provided by Stephenson-Dearman Funeral Home.

Alexander budget meeting mostly a ‘Wish List’ recitation

Aside from two or three technical questions about the proposed 2017 budget at the beginning of the budget workshop, Alexander council members were provided an overview of the budget from Mayor Paul Mitchell. The orientation consisted of two major purchase items in the police and fire department budgets, a new position in the street department and a wish list of items not in the budget.

In the police budget Mitchell pointed out a line item of $80,000, which he said will be changed to $100,000, for three police cars and one four-wheel-drive pickup truck. Mitchell said that only covers the purchase of the vehicles. Additional money will be needed to pay for items such as lights and prisoner cages. Due to an undaunted court clerk, who has been collecting past-due fines owed to the city, the police department fund is in a much-improved financial condition than in past years, allowing the city to purchase the new vehicles without a loan.

Mitchell said the best of the used cars will be kept for use by part-time or volunteer officers. The others will be sold.

The fire department has budgeted $30,000 for a new vehicle for the fire chief. Mitchell said the chief needs a vehicle more suited for daily driving.

The salary for a street department supervisor is included in the street budget. Mitchell told council members he will be presenting them with an ordinance establishing the position, which has been budgeted at $29,640.

Items on his wish list, that are not in the budget, include a tractor with a boom-mower and front bucket for the street department. The current tractor has been out of commission for about a year and he says it’s too costly to repair. Mitchell told council members he’s in the process of finding a three-phase backup generator for city hall that runs on natural gas. The plan is to be able to keep the building operating when it’s being used as an emergency command center, or if it’s ever used as a heating/cooling center.

Looking beyond 2017 Mitchell said he wants to be able to convert and operate the former firehouse three, on Evergreen Drive, as an animal shelter; but that may require additional funding from a sales tax increase approved by the voters. He wants to have all the streets paved by the end of his first term and establish an annual festival in the park.

“I’m trying to reinvent the City of Alexander,” he said.

Mitchell then moved onto the Organization of Alexander City Council 2017, providing a brief history of this much discussed document. A 2016 version was never adopted because some former council members wanted to include requirements that have nothing to do with how the council operates when holding a meeting. The major sticking-point was allowing aldermen full and total access to city hall, ‘[T]he same as the mayor.”

This new version is a leaner one due to the adoption last year of an ordinance establishing when the council will hold its monthly meetings and other related matters. Because the meeting schedule was part of the organization document, not being able to get it approved cause problems with holding legal meetings. Other sections were also removed because they are no-longer needed.

Attending the workshop were council members Elizabeth Bland, Dan Church, Joy Gray, Joe Pollard, Melissa Ratliff, Harold Timmerman, and Juanita Wilson. Jeffery Watson was absent.

The 2017 budget and the Organization of Alexander City Council 2017 are on the agenda for Monday night’s council meeting. The next meeting of the Alexander city council is Monday, January 23. The meeting will be held at 6 PM in the courtroom at the City of Alexander Municipal Complex. The public is invited to attend.

Alexander workshop agenda expanded

What started out as a workshop to allow members of the Alexander City Council to ask questions about the proposed 2017 budget has been expanded to include other topics. According to the announcement, posted by the city, the agenda now includes, “Organization of City Council, and other items.”

The workshop meeting will be Thursday, January 19, 6 PM in the courtroom at the City Municipal Complex. No voting will be done until the regular meeting scheduled for Monday, January 23.

Alexander council approves amended 2016 budget, schedules workshop for 2017 budget

(Edited to reflect that this is not the final budget - 01/10/17)

In its first meeting of the year the newly-formed Alexander City Council approved the an final amended version of the 2016 budget, scheduled a workshop meeting to discuss the proposed 2017 budget and approved a resolution establishing who is authorized to sign checks, all within 25 minutes. The short special meeting was held Thursday evening, January 5.

The budget resolution, which establishes the final amended version of the 2016 budget, also allows the city to use the same budget for 2017 until an official budget can be adopted. In a separate motion the council approved using the 2016 budget for 2017. This satisfies the state law which requires a budget be approved before February 1.

The council scheduled a budget workshop meeting for Thursday, January 19, 6 PM in the courtroom at the City Municipal Complex. Council members were given a proposed budget for 2017. The workshop will give aldermen, especially the new ones, the opportunity to have their questions answered. No voting will be done until the regular meeting scheduled for January 23.

According to the budget approved by the council, in 2016 the general fund had will have estimated revenue totaling $1,164,465.00. There was a carryover of $137,809.56 from 2015 giving a total of $1,302,274.56. Total general fund expenses were are estimated at $1,278,253.00 leaving $24,021.56 to start 2017. The expenses include $864,450.00 in sales tax that is distributed from the general fund to the fire, police and park funds as required in two sales tax referendums approved by voters in the early 2000s.

The street department, which is funded by a portion of the state fuel tax and county road tax, is expected to received $246,950.00 in revenue in 2016. With $465,242.06 left over from 2015 the fund had a total of $712,192.06. Total expenses were $243,723.00, which leaves a balance of $468,469.06.

The parks department, which is funded mostly through the sales tax, had a total revenue of $111,769.00. At the end of 2015 there was $344,654.01 left over giving the fund a total of $456,423.01. Total expenses equaled are expected to be $142,870.00. That would leaves a starting balance for 2017 of $313,553.01.

The police department receives most of its revenue from the sales tax and from bonds and fines. In 2016 total revenue was estimated to be $347,922.85. Adding to that $171,502.81 left over from 2015 the police department budget had a total of $519,425.66. Expenses for 2016 totaled are estimated at $307,136.00 leaving $212,289.66 to carryover to 2017.

Finally, the fire department had revenue in is expected to end 2016 with revenue totaling $505,194.13. Most of that is from the sales tax. At the end of 2015 there was $118,083.08 left over giving the fire department fund a total of $623,277.21. Total expenses for 2016 were should come in at $398,471.00 leaving a balance for 2017 of $224,806.21.

The only other item on the agenda was a resolution establishing who is authorized to sign checks for the city. The list now includes Mayor Paul Mitchell, City Treasurer Kenneth Miller, City Recorder Sharon Bankhead, and council members Juanita Wilson and Dan Church.

Last council member sworn-in

Before the special meeting began Elizabeth Bland was sworn-in by Mayor 
Paul Mitchell. Bland, who is one of the two aldermen representing Ward-1, 
was unable to attend the ceremony held Sunday, January 1.

Special budget meeting scheduled for Alexander council

Three members of the Alexander City Council have scheduled a public meeting for the approval of the final version of the 2016 budget. Council members will also be asked to approve using the 2016 budget for 2017 and approve a resolution establishing who has the authority to sign city checks.

Aldermen Dan Church, Melissa Ratliff and Juanita Wilson jointly scheduled the meeting as permitted under state law. The meeting is Thursday, January 5 at 6 PM in the courtroom at the City Municipal Complex.

Alexander officials take oath of office

(Edited for grammatical syntax.)

Seven aldermen, the city treasurer and city recorder were sworn-in by City of Alexander Mayor Paul Mitchell Sunday, January 1 at the City Municipal Complex. Attending the ceremony were Joe Pollard (Ward-1/1), Joy Gray (Ward-2/1), Juanita Wilson (Ward-2/2), Harold Timmerman (Ward-3/1), Dan Church (Ward-3/2), Melissa Ratliff (Ward-4/1), and Jeffery Watson (Ward-4/2). Mitchell said Elizabeth Bland (Ward-1/2) could not attend and will be sworn in later.

Also sworn-in were Kenneth Miller as city treasurer and Sharon Bankhead as city recorder. This is the first time both were elected to their positions. Each of them had been appointed to complete the unexpired term of treasurer and recorder.

Church and Ratliff are the only council members who were re-elected. Watson was on the council serving as alderman of Ward-1 but had to resign in 2016 when he moved to Ward-4.

Taking the oath of office for City of Alexander aldermen are (L to R)
Jeffery Watson, Harold Timmerman, Joe Pollard, Joy Gray, Juanita Wilson,
Melissa Ratliff, and Dan Church.

(Photo by The Alexandrian.)

Sharon Bankhead
holding her
Certificate of 
Office after being 
sworn-in as 
city recorder.

(Photo provided 
by family.)

Kenneth Miller
taking the oath for 
city treasurer.

(Photo by 
The Alexandrian.)

After the ceremony, Mitchell gave the council members an orientation on some of the legal pitfalls to avoid when serving as an alderman. At the top of his list was council members talking to each other outside a council meeting. Under state law any conversation of city business, even between only two council members, can be considered a meeting and could result in a law suit.

He also let the new aldermen know their power only exists during a council meeting. He told them they do not have any direct authority over city employees. In the past there has been the occasional alderman who would give orders to street department staff.