Interlocal EMS agreement finalized at Special Meeting

After two regular meetings and a special meeting, called by Alexander Mayor Paul Mitchell, the Alexander City Council has approved an Interlocal Agreement that will provide uniform Emergency Medical Services (EMS) throughout Saline County in both the rural areas and municipalities. The special meeting was held Monday evening, April 26 and lasted about 15 minutes.

The agreement was approved by the use of an ordinance. Ordinances are required to have three public readings at three separate meetings. To override the required second and third readings it takes two-thirds of a city council to approve. It also takes a two-thirds vote to pass an “Emergency Clause” which allows an ordinance to take effect immediately. For Alexander that’s six council members.

The ordinance had its first reading at the March 15 council meeting when only four council members were present, allowing Mitchell to serve as the fifth member to make the needed quorum of five. At the April 19 meeting five council members did attend. The mayor, however, is not permitted to serve as the sixth vote.

Six council members were able to attend the April 26 meeting. Since Alexander was the last municipality to approve the agreement, Mitchell took the signed ordinance to the Saline County Quorum Court Tuesday.

The Interlocal Agreement will allow Alexander to join other Saline County cities and the unincorporated areas of the county to contract with one EMS provider. Other cities to be involved are Bauxite, Benton, Bryant, Haskell, Shannon Hills, and Traskwood. As stated in the ordinance the,”[P]urpose is to ensure that there is increased consistency, transparency, and accountability with the emergency medical services … provider for the citizens of Saline County.”

According to the agreement the next step is to form an EMS governing board. The board, “[W]ill be responsible for issuing a competitive solicitation for EMS services and assuring that the terms of any EMS franchise agreement are complied with,” the agreement states. The board will be made up of representatives from the county and municipalities.

UPDATE:
04/28/21
On Tuesday (April 27) Mayor Paul Mitchell attended first meeting of the EMS Governing Board. He asked whether this contract would also cover the Pulaski County portion of Alexander. The response to him was since the Pulaski County contract with MEMS covers the portion of Alexander in Pulaski County the Saline County contract will only cover the Saline County portion of Alexander.

Alexander most ethnically diverse report says; Mayor proposes renaming some streets

During his monthly report to the Alexander City Council, Planning Commission Chairman Michael Huck gave a summary of a report written by Metroplan. The Planning Studies Report is the first step in the city’s plan to develop a Master Plan, which will guide the city in future development.

After Huck completed his report Mayor Paul Mitchell spoke to council members about a plan to rename the most heavily traveled streets in the city to N. Main Street and S. Main Street. Mitchell says having multiple street names along the same route is not a good look for the city.

The Planning Studies Report provides information concerning the type of utilities, school districts, available amenities for residents, and employment opportunities in the city. The type of future development still available is also covered. The report also contains statistics detailing historical growth patterns by both population and annexation. Huck noted the report is a preliminary draft.

Because most of Alexander is in Saline County the report compares the city to the county in several categories. Huck told council members the two categories worth noting are ethnic make up and household size. All statistics in the report are based on five-years ending in 2019.

When it comes to ethnic make up Alexander is more ethnically diverse than Saline County. Alexander is 44% white to Saline County’s 87%, Alexander is 28% Hispanic to Saline County’s 5%, Alexander is 21% Black to Saline County’s 7%, Alexander is 2% Asian to Saline’s 1%, and Alexander is rated as having 5% in the category of Other. Saline County did nit have a rating for Other. As a side note the report does compare Alexander’s Hispanic population of 28% to Pulaski County’s 6%.

In the category of Household Size Alexander outdoes Saline County in only one of the ratings. The two are nearly even in the 1-person and 3-person categories. However, where Saline County has 37% 2-person households compared to Alexander’s 25%, Alexander in the category of 4 or more-person households has 32% compared to Saline County’s 21%.

Huck also noted the two recommendations made by Metroplan made in the report. Traffic counts and building permits, Huck said, are the type of information Metroplan needs to help Alexander apply for various grants and other programs that may be used to help the city.

The first recommendation is to perform traffic counts annually. Along with that is to add E. Azalea Dr. as part of the traffic count regimen in order to determine how much of Alexander’s traffic is coming from Shannon Hills.

The second recommendation is to maintain a log of building permits, which Metroplan can use to provide growth projections. Not only can the information determine what type of development is occurring but where.

After giving his report Mayor Paul Mitchell took over. Mitchell wanted permission from the council to have the Planning Commission begin researching how to change the names of some of the city’s streets.

“This is something that I’ve been wanting to do (for some time),” Mitchell said. “The thing I’ve been wanting (to do) is to change Hwy 111 to South and North Main Street.”

“This has been a thing I’ve been working on a long time, which will connect what we call North Alexander here to South Alexander; as we call it.” he said.

The renaming will actually extend beyond Hwy 111. Under the mayor’s proposal N. Main St. will begin at Hwy 5, which is currently the intersection of Hwy 5 and N. Alexander Road. N. Main St. will travel south following Hwy 111 and Alexander Rd. ending at 3^rd Street.

S. Main St. will begin at what is now the intersection of 3^rd St. and Alexander Rd. and will follow Hwy 111. Where Hwy 111 ends is also S. Alexander Road. S. Main St. will continue to follow S. Alexander Rd. and end at the city limit.

Mitchell noted this change will put city hall on N. Main St. and the main fire station on S. Main. He also expects having a “Main St.” running from one end of the city to the other will “tie N. Alexander and S. Alexander together.”

S. Main St. will also travel past the former Alexander Human Development Center, which is now owned by the city. Efforts have been made to find a developer who will turn it into a commercial center. Mitchell expects having Hwy 111 on S. Main St. will make the property more appealing.

This, however, brings up another issue. There is already a Main St. in the original part of town, which is only three blocks long. The name will probably have to be changed to avoid confusion.

Mitchell is aware there will have to be a process and this will affect the residents along the two renamed streets. There will probably have to be at least one public hearing to allow comments from residents. Also, 9-1-1 from both Pulaski and Saline counties will have to be involved in changing everyone’s 9-1-1 addresses to either N. Main or S. Main. And, of course, anyone who uses their house address as their mailing address will have to go through the process of changing those on any important monthly mail they receive.

For now the first step is to determine if there are any state requirements to follow and what requirements must be met to satisfy the 9-1-1 departments in Pulaski and Saline counties.

Public hearing for food truck announced

During his report to council members Planning Commission Chairman Michael Huck told council members a public hearing has been scheduled for a Conditional Use Permit, which will allow a food trailer to operate on a residential lot at 15404 S. Alexander Road. The hearing is set for Tuesday, May 4 at 6:30 PM in the courtroom at city hall. The property is at the corner of Alton Dr. and S. Alexander Road.

Alexander firefighter receives Life Saving Award

Firefighter Ashton Toliver, a member of the City of Alexander Fire/Rescue, was presented with a Life Saving Award for actions he took last year during a rescue call. The award was presented near the end of the Alexander City Council’s Monday, April 19 meeting.

According to Fire Chief Mark Ridgeway, who presented the award to Toliver, the incident occurred on 4^th Street October 14, 2020. Toliver issued a dose of NARCAN, which is used in suspected cases of opioid overdose.

According to the NARCAN website, “NARCAN® (naloxone HCl) Nasal Spray is the first and only FDA-approved nasal form of naloxone for the emergency treatment of a known or suspected opioid overdose. NARCAN® Nasal Spray counteracts the life-threatening effects of an opioid overdose. Since most accidental overdoses occur in a home setting, it was developed for first responders, as well as family, friends, and caregivers—with no medical training required.”

Ridgeway said the NARCAN was donated to the fire department by the state. When it’s used in a rescue the incident is reported to the state. The award is named the Naloxone Life Saving Award in reference to the chemical ingredient which makes up NARCAN.

The award reads, “University of Arkansas Criminal Justice Institute Naloxone Life Saving Award Presented in Recognition of Ashton Toliver Who Saved a Life on October 14, 2020. We Thank You For Your Distinguished Service.”

Ridgeway noted at the time of the rescue Toliver was a firefighter. Since then he has been promoted to engineer on the day shift, which means he will be responsible for the operation, maintenance as well as the driving of one of the fire trucks.

Fire Chief Mark Ridgeway (Left), 
Firefighter/Engineer Ashton Toliver.

Interlocal Agreement gets second reading, Special meeting needed for third reading

The lack of just one council member kept the Alexander City Council from passing an Interlocal Agreement on its second appearance on the agenda. The ordinance had its first reading at the March council meeting when four council members were present, forcing Mayor Paul Mitchell to make the needed quorum of five.

At the April 19 meeting five council members did attend. According to Mitchell Council Member Dan Church injured himself when he fell Sunday. After recovering from surgery this would have been his first time back after several months. Mitchell also reported Council Member Juanita Wilson was out of town for a funeral.

The Interlocal Agreement will allow Alexander to join other Saline County cities and the unincorporated ares of the county in contracting for Emergency Medical Services (EMS) with one provider. Other cities to be involved are Bauxite, Benton, Bryant, Haskell, Shannon Hills, and Traskwood. As stated in the ordinance the,”[P]urpose is to ensure that there is increased consistency, transparency, and accountability with the emergency medical services … provider for the citizens of Saline County.”

Once the agreement is finalized an EMS governing board will be formed. The board, “[W]ill be responsible for issuing a competitive solicitation for EMS services and assuring that the terms of any EMS franchise agreement are complied with,” the agreement states.

Because only five council members attended the meeting there could only be a second public reading of the ordinance. In order to suspend the required second and third readings and declare an emergency, which allows the ordinance to become effective immediately, two-thirds of the council (six members) must be present. The mayor is allowed to be the fifth member needed for a quorum, but he is not permitted by law to be the sixth vote in this situation.

At the suggestion of the mayor, the council approved, in a voice vote, to have the second reading done by title. After reading the title Mitchell said he will contact the council members to schedule a Special Meeting when at least six members can be present. Mitchell added he is under the impression Alexander is last in approving the agreement.

Attending the April 19 meeting were council members Joe Pollard, Joy Gray, Harold Timmerman, Lonny Chapman, and Jeff Watson. Besides Church and Wilson, Council Member Elizabeth Bland was also absent.

Also at the April 19 meeting:

Street Department purchase retroactively approved

The city council approved a $10,000.00 purchase by the street department after buying a piece of equipment worth $16,000.00. What’s known as a street milling attachment fits on the front of the city’s Bobcat Skid-Steer Loader.

By ordinance the mayor is limited to $5,000.00 without council approval, but he explained there wasn’t time to call a meeting before losing this bargain. Mitchell said the city was contacted by the dealer who sold Alexander the Bobcat.

The attachment is able to grind down asphalt paving, which aids in blending the resurfacing of one street at an intersection of another street not being resurfaced. Mitchell explained how the city had to pay extra for milling as part of past resurfacing projects.

Mitchell also said the attachment, “Is already saving us money.”

He explained how the milling attachment can be used to repair pot holes without buying asphalt. The street department recently used the milling attachment, and a recently purchased tack oil trailer, to repair two holes on Brookwood Rd. between the railroad tracks and Shobe Road. The tack oil is heated on the trailer allowing it to be sprayed onto an area being patched.

Mitchell told council members after milling down the pavement the grindings were mixed with hot tacky oil to make, essentially, a batch of recycled asphalt. He added that applying tacky oil to an area before patching gives asphalt something to stick to, allowing the repair to last longer.

He noted if they had used asphalt the cost is around $90 a ton which, “doesn’t go very far.” Then there’s the cost of driving the dump truck to pick up and return with the asphalt.

Alexander has a new prosecutor/city attorney

Lana M. Fraser has been hired as the city’s new prosecuting attorney and city attorney. Fraser is from Little Rock.

According to her resume she earned both her Bachelor of Science in Education in 2000 and a Master of Science in Education in 2006 from the University of Central Arkansas, Conway. She then earned her Juris Doctorate from William H. Bowen School of Law in Little Rock.

Fraser taught at Vilonia Public Schools from 2001 to 2016. She was with the Arkansas Department of Human Services as a Services and Program Licensing Specialist from 2016 to 2018. She served as a Rule XV Law Clerk with the Pulaski County Public Defender’s Office from 2018 to 2019. Fraser was the Deputy Public Defender with the Arkansas Public Defender Commission (Pulaski Public Defender’s Office), from 2019 to 2020.

Since August 2020, Fraser has been a Deputy Public Defender with the Arkansas Public Defender Commission (Part time position, Faulkner County Public defender’s Office). Also since August of 2020, Fraser has been practicing law on her own by forming the Law Office of Lana M. Fraser.

Mayor Paul Mitchell told council members Fraser agreed to work for the same salary as the previous prosecutor/city attorney, who resigned about three months ago. He also said Fraser is already working on the issue of some of the city park land being claimed by the original owner after the city made thousands of dollars of improvements.

Next Meeting

The next meeting of the Alexander City Council is Monday, May 17 at 6:00 PM in the courtroom at city hall. The public is invited to attend.

Third Annual American Legion Car Show in Alexander May 15

Alexander American Legion Post 28 will hold its third annual car show Saturday, May 15 from 4-8 PM at Alexander City Park. Access to the show is free to the public.

To participate in the car show the entrance fee is $20 for non-military and $15 for veterans and active duty military. Thirty-six trophies will be awarded along with a 50/50 drawing.

Food will be available for purchase including hamburgers, hot dogs, chips, soda, and bottled water.

If you have any questions call Harold Timmerman at (501) 813-4694.

Below is a map showing the location of the city park off Highway 111 near the Dollar General Store.

Second reading of Interlocal agreement on Alexander agenda

The Alexander City Council will have a second reading of an ordinance that, if approved, will allow Alexander to join other Saline County cities and the unincorporated areas of the county in contracting for Emergency Medical Services (EMS) with one provider. Because only four council members attended the March meeting there could only be one public reading of the ordinance. In order to suspend the second and third readings and declare an emergency for passage two-thirds of the council, six members, must be present. If at least six council members are present it is expected the required second and third readings will be suspended and the Emergency Clause will be approved allowing the ordinance to take effect immediately.

Also on the agenda for the April 19 meeting; the council is being asked to approve the purchase of a milling machine for the street department, council members will meet the new City Attorney/Prosecutor Lana M. Fraser and Ashton Tolliver, an engineer with the City of Alexander Fire/Rescue Department, will be presented with a Life Saver Award.

The next meeting of the Alexander City Council is Monday, April 19 at 6:00 PM in the courtroom at city hall. The public is invited to attend. Covid-19 protocols are still in place.

Alexander Planning Commission schedules public hearing for food trailer

The City of Alexander Planning Commission has scheduled a public hearing for Tuesday, May 4 at 6:30 PM in the courtroom at city hall. The hearing is to receive comments concerning a request for a Conditional Use Permit to place a food trailer on residential property at 15404 South Alexander Road. The property is at the corner of Alton Dr. and S. Alexander Road.

The request has been made by Jose Perez Arreola, who lives in his home adjacent to the property. Arreola will be offering a Mexican cuisine. The name of his business is Antojitos Querétaro, which translates to Cravings Querétaro.

The proposal was presented to commission members at their April meeting. An asphalt driveway has already been paved from S. Alexander Rd. to Alton Drive. A walkway was laid from the driveway to the food trailer.

His wife, Melissa Resendiz, said they’ve already spoken to their adjacent neighbors who seem to be in favor of the idea. While the areas behind and to the south are residential, on the north side is Hale’s Steel and across S. Alexander Road is Pueblo Auto Repair.

After the public hearing, planning commission members will decide whether to recommend approval of the conditional use to the city council. It will be up to council members to make the final decision. The date of the council meeting following the public hearing is May 17.

A food trailer on residential property and report from Metroplan on Alexander Planning Commission agenda

Two items of business appear on the Alexander Planning Commission agenda. Under Old Business commission members will discuss the Planning Development Report with Metroplan representatives. The report was written by Metroplan and is the first step in developing a Master Development Plan. Under New Business is a request by Jose Perez Arreola for a Conditional Use Permit to place a food trailer on residential property at 15404 South Alexander Road.

This month’s meeting will be held Tuesday, April 13, at 6:30 PM in the courtroom at city hall. Corona virus distancing rules will apply. The public is invited to attend.