Alexander Farmers Market - Saturdays, May through September

Alexander Farmers Market

Alexander City Park

Saturdays, May through September, 8 AM to 1 PM.

No charge to vendors. Produce or craft based items only. No flea market goods allowed.

Call 501-837-0885 for questions or set-up information.

Directions to park: Take N. Alexander Rd (Hwy. 111), to Robert Evans Street near Dollar General. See map below.

3 ordinances get first reading

With only four members of the Alexander City Council able to attend the Monday, May 20 meeting council members were limited as to what they could do. With Mayor Paul Mitchell counting as the fifth member, giving the council a quorum, the only agenda items accomplished were the approval of the minutes from the April meeting and the first public reading of three ordinances.

Under normal circumstances, after a first reading, the required second and third readings are suspended making way for voting on the ordinance. Unfortunately, suspending the second and third readings requires a two-thirds vote of the council. In this case six members must vote for suspension of the additional readings.

The ordinances that had their first reading were the City of Alexander Subdivision Rules and Regulations, which establishes criteria and a process for developing land within the city. The second is a new set of zoning regulations to replace the current regulations established in 1982. The third authorizes the electronic transfer of funds.

While Mayor Paul Mitchell was able to be counted as the fifth member needed to make a quorum, he’s not allowed to vote on some issues. Besides not being allowed to vote on items that require a two-thirds vote, a mayor also can not vote on an appointment to the city council. In Alexander’s case that requires a minimum of five votes. The expected appointment of Lonny Chapman to the vacant Ward-4, Seat-1 position was suspended until the June meeting. The position became vacant in February when Council Member Melissa Ratliff resigned to work full time at city hall.

Present at the meeting were Joe Pollard (Ward-1), Joy Gray (Ward-2), Harold Timmerman (Ward-3), and Dan Church 
(Ward-3). Absent were Elizabeth Bland (Ward-1), Juanita Wilson (Ward-2) and Jeffery Watson (Ward-4).

The next meeting of the Alexander city council is June 17. The meeting is at 6 PM and is held in the courtroom at city hall. The public is invited to attend.

Former Alexander council member returning to fill vacancy

Former City of Alexander council member Lonny Chapman is expected to be appointed to fill the vacancy created with the resignation of Council Member Melissa Ratliff. Ratliff resigned in February.

According to the agenda for the Monday, May 20 meeting Mayor Paul Mitchell will ask council members to approve Chapman’s appointment to fill the Ward-4, Seat-1 vacancy. Chapman lost 
re-election to the Ward-4, Seat-2 position in 2016 to Jeffery Watson, who currently holds that position.

Other items on the agenda include two ordinances being proposed by the Alexander Planning Commission. One ordinance, the City of Alexander Subdivision Rules and Regulation, establishes rules for developing land within the city. The second is a new set of zoning regulations to replace the current regulations established in 1982. The planning commission held public hearings on both ordinances May 7.

The May 20 city council meeting will be held at 6 PM in the courtroom at city hall. The public is invited to attend.

Two public hearings scheduled for Tuesday evening

The City of Alexander Planning Commission will conduct two public hearings Tuesday evening, May 7. One at 6:30 PM and the other at 7:00 PM in the courtroom at city hall.

The first public hearing concerns an ordinance establishing regulations when developing land within the city. The title of the document will be know as the “City of Alexander Subdivision Rules and Regulations.”

The second public hearing will deal with the adoption of a new zoning ordinance. Current zoning regulations have been in effect since 1982 when the city had a population of 500 or less. The new zoning regulations will also include a city zoning map. City officials are reluctant to call it a new zoning map because they can’t find an existing zoning map.

Both hearings will give the public an opportunity to comment on the two sets of proposed regulations. Following the second public hearing the planning commission will call a special meeting into session to discuss and more than likely to vote on sending the ordinances on to the city council for final approval. Both of these documents have been in the works for nearly two years.