Lonny Chapman appointed to fill council vacancy

Former council member Lonny Chapman is the newest member to occupy the Ward-4 Seat-1 position on the Alexander City Council. He was approved in a four to one vote after some questioning by Ward-2 Council Member Joy Gray. Gray was the lone “No” vote.

The usual five "Yes" votes were not necessary. Under state law, when voting to fill a vacancy on a city council, the majority is based on the number of positions, not including the vacant seat. In Alexander’s case that is a majority of seven.

Mayor Paul Mitchell (Left) reads oath 
to Lonny Chapman.

Gray questioned a vote Chapman made during his previous stint on the council. At the time Gray was not a council member but had an interest in the vote since it involved the subdivision where she lives, St. Joseph Glen.

The vote in August 2015 involved a resolution accepting a state grant to pave several streets in Alexander. Two of those streets are Autumn Cove and the southeast end of Magnolia Glen where it intersects with Autumn Cove. Although part of Phase-7, the last to be built in the St. Joseph Glen development, these two streets have always had problems and were worse than the other streets in St. Joseph Glen.

The issue involved future maintenance of Autumn Cove and that section of Magnolia Glen. The resolution, provided by the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department (now known as the Arkansas Transportation Department), requires the city to maintain all streets paved under the state grant program. The problem is the two ordinances, which allowed for the construction of phases one through six and Phase-7, do not turn over responsibility of street maintenance to the city. At the developers request all utility maintenance, including streets, were left to the developers.

After much debate over the issue of the city’s future responsibility for two streets that are not part of the street system, council members Stephanie Beck, Dan Church, Louis Hobbs, and Melissa Ratliff voted “Yes” on the resolution. Voting “No” were Andrea Bearden, Lonny Chapman and Andy Mullins. Jeff Watson was absent which counted as a “No” vote. With the vote tied four to four City Recorder Sharon Bankhead, who was filling in as acting mayor because Mayor Paul Mitchell was in the hospital, voted yes to break the tie.

Gray asked Chapman why he voted against the 2015 resolution. Chapman said his vote was based on the issue concerning the two streets not being part of the street system.

In September 2015 the council passed an ordinance amending the original ordinance, passed in 2008, that established the "Alexander Municipal Property Owner's Multipurpose Improvement District 86." The amended version gave control of the two streets to the city. A new resolution accepting the grant was then passed to correct an error. In both instances Chapman voted “Yes.”

The original ordinance was a legal requirement by the state in order to form an improvement district around the proposed Phase-7 of St. Joseph’s Glen prior to construction. A single improvement district was established by ordinance in 2003 around phases one through six. Unfortunately, the law does not allow for the expansion of an improvement district.

The Ward-4 Seat-1 position became vacant when council member Melissa Ratliff resigned in February to work full-time in city hall. Chapman formerly held the Ward-4, Seat-2 position but lost re-election in 2016 to Jeffery Watson, who still holds that position.

The July 15 city council meeting will be held at 6 PM in the courtroom at city hall. The public is invited to attend.