While the cost
overrun is actually $56,416.70 Mayor Paul Mitchell and Street
Department Superintendent David Durham believe some of Cranford
Construction’s cost can be reduced by the city doing some of the
work and providing some of the needed materials. Mitchell said the
high bids are mostly due to the section of A.C. Wallace, between the
railroad tracks and the park, not having any existing asphalt.
Mitchell said when
engineers arrived in the city to look at the streets to be paved,
before submitting the bids, he and Durham weren’t available to
explain how much preparation work the city would be doing.
“They
(contractors) assumed they had to do it all,” Mitchell said.
Mitchell explained
this is the only section of A.C. Wallace that does not have an
asphalt surface, which is why it made the list. He explained because
it’s only rock it will require a base layer to be laid before
paving.
“We can reduce
some of the cost by doing that work ourselves,” Mitchell said.
Alexander
was approved in January, 2019 for the $250,000.00 grant as part of
the State Aid City Streets program. Cities are allowed access to this
program as part of a temporary gasoline tax extension passed by
voters in November, 2011. Revenue from the tax is being used to
upgrade interstate and state highways along with city and county
streets and roads.
Streets
on the list for re-paving besides the short section of A.C. Wallace
are E. 4th Street, Jason Drive, Kent Drive, Alton Drive,
Regency Drive, and Lindsey Drive. Mitchell expects paving to begin in
two to three months.
Approval
of the project was announced in January, 2019. At the time Arkansas
Department of Transportation engineers estimated the cost of the
1.79-mile project at $257,550.00. The bids weren’t published until
the end of 2019.
This is
the second time the city received funding from this grant program.
The first set of streets were paved in November, 2015.
In
other action at the January 27 meeting;
The
city council approved the final budget for 2019. Total revenue to the
General Fund is reported at $1,691,750.00. Total expenses were
$1,652,745.00 leaving a surplus of $39,005.00. These are rounded off
totals. Expenses in the General Fund include transferring revenue
generated by two-cents of the city’s three-cent sales tax to other
departments. The total generated by the three-cent sales tax was
$1,355,100.00.
Breaking
down the individual departments; revenue to the police department in
2019 totaled $504,812.00. Expenses were $496,118.57 leaving a surplus
of $8,693.43. Revenue to the fire department totaled $723,453.02.
Expenses totaled $714,285.50 leaving a surplus of $9,167.52. Revenue
to the parks department totaled $295,944.00. Expenses were
$126,243.00 leaving a surplus of $169,701.00. All three departments
share two of the three-cents in city sales tax revenue as required
when the first two cents were approved by voters.
Revenue
to the street department in 2019 totaled $314,032.00, most of which
comes from the city’s share of the state’s fuel tax. In 2019 that
was $208,001.00. Expenses totaled $274,261.00 leaving a surplus of
$39,771.00.
Council
members then approved the proposed budget for 2020. Estimated revenue
to the general fund is $1,840,131.77 with expenses estimated to be
$1,515,203.45. Revenue to the police department is estimated at
$604,048.55 with estimated expenses totaling $594,040.23. Estimated
revenue for the fire department is $758,136.21 with estimated
expenses at $626,702.00. Revenue for the parks department is
estimated at $302,397.91 and expenses are estimated at $126,111.23.
Street department revenue is estimated at $339,471.08 and expenses
are estimated at $330,189.00.
Council
members also approved spending a $25,000 gift donated to the city’s
police department by an area resident who wished to remain anonymous.
Police Chief Robert Burnett told council members how the anonymous
individual stopped by city hall and asked for a list of items the
department needs.
Burnett
said the list includes replacing the department’s outdated
close-range tasers, updating the department’s computer software,
officer training, and a full-bodied canine practice suit. After
showing him the list Burnett said the anonymous donor told him he
would pay for all of it and later returned with a $25,000 check.
“The
tasers are so outdated they aren’t made any more and we had to buy
replacement batteries from a pawn shop in New York,” Burnett said.
Council
member Juanita Wilson suggested the city send the donor a card with
everyone’s signature thanking him for the donation.
Due
to the President’s Day Holiday the next meeting of the Alexander
City Council will be February 24 at 6:00 PM in the courtroom at city
hall. The public is invited to attend.