Offer to buy eastern portion of City Park made to property owner; American Legion to move

Mayor Paul Mitchell reported to council members he has spoken to David W. Jacks and offered him $68,000.00 for his property, which makes up the eastern end of Alexander City Park. The offer is based on two independent appraisals of the property, not including the improvements made by the city. Mitchell said Jacks is considering the offer.

The city had been mowing the grass on the eastern parcel for many years. As far as anyone knew it was city property. The eastern end of the park is the location of the gazebo, water fountain, lights and other improvements.

The various construction projects were done in phases from 2015 to around 2019. After they were completed Jacks contacted Mitchell asking why the city was building on his property. Since then Mitchell, and multiple city attorneys, have been negotiating with Jacks.

American Legion will move to former Pathfinder’s building

Alexander American Legion Post 28 has been given permission by the Alexander City Council to use Building-A located in the former Pathfinder’s complex. Building-A was used by Pathfinder’s, Inc. as an office.

The organization operated homes for adults, with physical and mental health issues, in the southeast corner of the former Alexander Human Development Center (HDC). They moved out when their lease expired in August, 2022.

Voters may remember Build-A being used as a polling place when Saline County stopped using the office of the Saline County Water Works Sanitary Sewer Public Utilities Board for elections. Voting has since been moved from Building-A to the Alexander Community Center #2, which is also on the former HDC property.

Until now the American Legion Post has been using Alexander Community Center #1 (Old City Hall) located on Main Street in the Pulaski County portion of Alexander. They have been sharing the building with a church that uses it to hold services.

Mayor Mitchell said using Building-A will allow the Post to permanently display items on the walls. Council Member Harold Timmerman, who is a member of the American Legion and past Commander, said they will be erecting flag poles in front of Building-A.

Also at the December 19 council meeting:

Alexander Council approves 2023 budget

The 2023 budget, approved by the city council, estimates revenue to the General Fund at $2,899,644.00. That’s a conservative estimate compared to 2022’s final revenue total of $3,044,484.00.

For the most part, revenue for the various departments goes into the General Fund first and then is distributed to the other funds. The city’s share of the state fuel tax, however, is deposited directly into the street fund by the state. The 2023 budget estimates that amount at $238,716.00. That would bring total estimated revenue for the city in 2023 at $3,138,360.00.

Second round of ARPA bonus pay approved

At the request of Mayor Paul Mitchell, the Alexander City Council approved bonus pay for city employees who qualify under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The first time ARPA funds were used for bonus pay was December 2021.

The bonus pay will be distributed to city employees who meet the following ARPA criteria.

1) An eligible worker is anyone, “[N]ecessary to maintain the continuity of operations of essential critical infrastructures;”

2) “Including any additional sectors added by the city’s chief executive,” and

3) “An eligible worker performing eligible work which means regular in-person interaction or regular physical handling of items that were handled by others.”

ARPA criteria also specifies payments will be made to current employees only, not to exceed $1,800.00. Payments will be based on the amount of eligible hours worked at $13 an hour up to a maximum of 140 hours.

Council seat declared vacant

The Ward-1 Position-2 council seat, formerly held by Elizabeth Bland, has been declared vacant by the Alexander City Council. Mayor Mitchell told council members he has received an E-mail from Bland stating she now lives in Little Rock.

Bland did not seek re-election in the November Municipal Elections and no one submitted a petition to run for that seat. The vacancy must be made public for a minimum of 30 days.

Anyone who lives in Ward-1, and is a registered voter, may submit a resume at the Alexander Municipal Complex requesting to be considered for the appointment.

Next Meeting

Due to a holiday falling on the third Monday in January, the next meeting of the Alexander City Council is the following Monday, January 23 at 6:00 PM in the courtroom at city hall. The public is invited to attend.

Rules to follow concerning fireworks on New Year’s Eve

If you plan to shoot fireworks in the City of Alexander to celebrate the new year there are some rules you need to know. The ordinance establishing these requirements became law in June, 2019.

The use of fireworks:

“No parent, guardian, or custodian of any child under the age of majority shall knowingly permit or consent to the possession or discharge of fireworks by any child under the age of majority without proper supervision.” The ordinance also states the, “possession or discharge of fireworks” as, “prima facie evidence of the knowing permission or consent of such parent, guardian, or custodian.” In other words you’re responsible for the actions of the child whether you know what they’re doing or not. In Arkansas the age of majority is 18 years old.

Where and When:

The ordinance limits the discharging of fireworks, “on private property of the owner, by the owner and immediate family, when discharge is in a safe and sane manner.” “Safe and sane manner,” is defined as, “actions which do not endanger life, limb, or property of those in the area of the discharge.”

Fireworks may not, “be discharged within the boundaries of or within three hundred feet (300 ft.) of any public park owned or maintained by the city.” Also, fireworks may not be, “discharged upon any public street, alley, road, or right-of-way,” … “under or upon a motor vehicle, whether moving or not, or within three hundred feet (300 ft.) of any gas station, gas, oil, or propane storage facility, or other area which is highly flammable in nature.” Fireworks also may not be discharged if the Fire Chief has issued a burn ban due to drought or other conditions.

The ordinance allows for the discharging of fireworks from 12:00 PM (Noon) on December 31 and between 12:00 AM (Midnight) until 1:00 AM on January 1.

Clean up when finished:

The revelers are also required to clean-up the mess. The ordinance states, “Any individual, firm, partnership, corporation, or association discharging fireworks under this ordinance shall, upon such discharge, be responsible for clean-up of the discharge site, including disposal of all discharged fireworks, all non-discharged or ‘dud’ fireworks, and the associated debris from the area in a safe manner.”

Fireworks defined:

The ordinance provides a definition of fireworks. Besides the legal and technical definition, examples of what constitutes fireworks is provided. The list includes, “sky rockets, roman candles, daygo bombs, blank cartridges, toy cannons, toy canes, or toy guns in which explosives other than toy paper caps are used, the type of balloons which require fire underneath to propel them, firecracker, torpedoes, sparklers, or other fireworks of like construction, any fireworks containing any explosive or flammable compound, or any tablet or other device containing an explosive substance.”

Enforcement and penalties:

Police, fire and code enforcement officers are given the authority to enforce this ordinance. They also have the authority to, “seize, impound, remove, or cause to be removed, at the expense of the owner, all stocks of fireworks offered for sale, sold, or in the possession of any individual, firm, partnership, corporation, or association in violation of this chapter.” Penalties start at, “a fine of not less than one hundred dollars ($100) or more than five hundred dollars ($500) for a first time offense, a fine of not less than two hundred dollars ($200) or more than five hundred dollars ($500) for a second offense, and a fine of not less than three hundred dollars ($300) or more than five hundred dollars ($500) for a third or subsequent offense. Each day of a violation constitutes a separate offense.”

The ordinance also covers payment for damages and the cost of any services provided. “Any damages caused or injuries sustained as a result of any violation of this chapter shall be ordered paid as restitution as part of any conviction for any violation,” it states. Also, “The court may order the reimbursement of costs of enforcement, investigation, fire suppression services, and overtime related to a violation upon conviction.”

Alexander Mayor receives Commendation of Service plaque from Police Department

Alexander Mayor Paul Mitchell was presented a Commendation of Service plaque from Police Chief Robert Burnett during the City Council’s December 19 meeting. The award recognizes Mitchell’s 14 years of service to the city.

Police Chief Robert Burnett (L) and

Mayor Paul Mitchell.

The plaque states, “City of Alexander, Commendation of Service, awarded to Mayor Paul Mitchell, presented by Alexander Police Department, this 19th day of December 2022, for outstanding dedication & service to the City of Alexander for 14 years.

Mitchell served four years on the city council from November 2006 to December 31, 2010. He served nearly two years as mayor from January 1, 2011 to mid November 2012 when he resigned after losing a recall election. He was then elected again in the November 2014 election and will have served another eight years as mayor from January1, 2015 until December 31, 2022. Mitchell recently lost a run-off election to now Mayor-Elect Crystal Herrmann.

Alexander Council approves plan to buy new police cars, body/dash cams and officer pay increases

The Alexander City Council approved a plan to spend $638,000.00 for four new police cars, body and dash cams and raises for police officers. The plan was proposed by Police Chief Robert Burnett, at the November council meeting, as a way to use most of the remaining funds in the city’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) account. The approval by council members came at the December 19 council meeting.

Burnett decided to go with four Dodge Chargers with the V-8 engine at a cost of $34,700.00, for the vehicle. The cost of additional equipment and decals brings the total to $46,800.00. Four new police cars equals $187,200.00.

Burnett told council members any of the equipment on the current vehicles that can be transferred to the new cars will be used. The question is whether the cage mounted in the rear seat will fit in the new cars. If not, new cages will need to be purchased.

The cost of the body and dash cameras are listed in the proposal at $63,232.00. The pay raises, over a four year period, is listed at $387,568.00. The original pay raise proposal totaled $236,320.00 over four years. For cars, cameras and raises the total is $638,000.00.

Only the pay increases will come from the ARPA account. The current pay will continue to come from the police department funds and be combined with the ARPA funds every pay period.

The purpose of the four-year plan is to spend as much of the remaining portion of the ARPA funds as possible before the deadline set by the Federal Government of December 31, 2026. Any remaining funds will have to be returned.

ARPA was signed into law by President Joe Biden March 11, 2021 to provide fiscal relief funds to state and local governments aimed at mitigating the effects of the CoVid-19 pandemic. The city used ARPA funds in December 2021 to give bonuses for employees who qualified under ARPA guidelines.

The original proposal of five police vehicles plus the cost of the raises totaled $480,920.00. That left an estimated balance in the ARPA account of approximately $120,000.00. Even with reducing the number of cars purchased from five to four, then the addition of the body and dash cameras (which were not in the original proposal) and increasing the pay raises; the remainder of the ARPA funds should be eliminated by the 2026 deadline.

When Chief Burnett made his presentation at the November council meeting he said all of the police vehicles had come to the end of their three-year warranties. As it turns out two are in the last months of their warranties. At the December meeting he said one had an engine related issue that was repaired at no cost. A second is now in the shop, also with an engine related problem, and that too will be covered by the warranty.

However, the other vehicles have not been so lucky and are costing the city in repair bills. Burnett provided a repair list dated from April 20, 2021 to November 10, 2022. The total cost of repairs is $34,282.43.

This prompted Council Member Joe Pollard to ask, “Why so many miles?”

Burnett responded explaining that each vehicle runs a 12-hour shift.

Mayor Paul Mitchell expanded on that saying when police cars are sitting for any reason during a shift the engines are still running.

“It’s not the miles, it’s the hours engines run,” Burnett said.

Unfortunately, the new vehicles won’t be arriving anytime soon. Burnett said new vehicles are assembled and waiting to be sold. The only problem is they lack the computer chips to make them run.

Once the new cars arrive Burnett said the old cars will be available to the public for purchase. Unlike selling through a government clearinghouse, the vehicles will bring a higher selling price at a public sale.

Other police related business at the December 19 council meeting:

Convictions increase under new prosecutor

Council members were provided a letter from the city’s new Prosecuting Attorney R. Margaret Dobson. The letter takes a statistical look at her first five months prosecuting cases for Alexander.

“We have a higher number of convictions this year in almost every category than we had in the same time period the year before,” she said.

Dobson was hired this past summer. The prosecution comparisons are from July to November 2021, under the previous prosecutor, and July to November 2022, cases she has prosecuted.

 According to the provided chart:

Misdemeanor/Person – (2021) 2 * (2022) 2;

Misdemeanor/Domestic Violence – (2021) 0 * (2022) 45;

Misdemeanor/Property – (2021) 4 * (2022) 7;

Misdemeanor/Drug – (2021) 2 * (2022) 18;

Misdemeanor/Public Order – (2021) 1 * (2022) 6;

Misdemeanor/Other – (2021) 15 * (2022) 38;

DWI 1 – (2021) 2 * (2022) 3;

Traffic Misdemeanor – (2021) 96 * (2022) 141;

Traffic Violation – (2021) 261 * (2022) 240;

Local Ordinance – (2021) 1 * (2022) 3;

Violation/Other – (2021) 3 * (2022) 2;

“I do not take credit for all of this,” Dobson said in her report. “These results are a testament to the hard work and dedication of Chief Burnett and your police department, Judge Ford, and Ms. Guess” (City Court Clerk).

Praise from the Post Office

You could say a traffic stop is like a box of chocolates, you don’t know what you’re going to get. In this case a traffic stop made on April 25, 2022 by Alexander Police Lieutenant Jessica Burnett provided evidence for the Postal Service, “[R]egarding a potential mail theft suspect whose criminal activity is tied to an ongoing investigation with a loss nearing 4 million dollars.”

That, according to a letter sent to the Alexander Police Department by Postal Inspector Robert DeShields out of the Little Rock office.

A copy of the letter was provided to council members.

According to the letter the two suspects identified during the traffic stop were arrested in November 2022 by federal law enforcement.

After the arrests Lieutenant Burnett, “[C]onfirmed she seized the items within the vehicle from the April traffic stop, and also conducted a search warrant of the driver’s cellular phone,” the letter states.

“Through Lieutenant Burnett’s efforts and investigative prowess, she provided federal law enforcement important case evidence from a search warrant in which she conducted,” DeShields says in the his letter. “The fruits of her investigation further helped uncover information to strengthen the Government’s case.”

“Once again, the United States Postal Inspection Service appreciates the diligent work efforts by the men and women of the Alexander Police Department,” Deshields states in the final paragraph. “The initiative given by the (Police) Department is reflected in their leadership.”

Request for live-in guards tabled until next meeting

A request by Police Chief Robert Burnett, and Streets and Parks/Recreation Superintendent David Durham asked council members to allow employees from both departments to live rent-free in homes located in the former Pathfinder’s complex on, what was, the Alexander Human Development Center (HDC). In exchange for the housing the employees will, on their own time, maintain the complex grounds and patrol the entire former HDC property protecting it from vandals.

Prior to Pathfinder’s leaving, the Alexander Community Center #2 building was vandalized. During that incident one of the large windows was broken and the fire extinguishers were emptied covering most of the inside of the building.

Since Pathfinder’s left the vandalism has increased. Not only did they attack the Community Center again, this time stealing the fire extinguishers and their brackets, plus breaking another window; they have now moved on to the former Pathfinder’s homes.

Durham said they have broken windows and snapped the water lines off the toilets causing flooding. Durham provided a list of damages which totaled $9,954.89.

The vandalism has stopped since two street department employees were allowed to moved in with their families. Both lived outside the city.

It was pointed out to council members that all the city’s employees live outside Alexander. Only the elected officials live in the city.

While this solution to the vandalism problem has yet to be sanction by the council, Police Chief Robert Burnett would like to extend the offer to police officers. Burnett said this plan provides a way to have city employees, from either department, able to provide emergency response staff quicker since they will already be in Alexander.

Despite trading grounds maintenance and security patrols for living quarters, Council Member Joe Pollard asked, “Why can’t they pay a hundred dollars a month to live there? Nothing is free.”

Council Member Joy Gray tried explaining to Pollard the employees would be working to live there.

“I hope this becomes a model for other cities,” Gray said.

Gray wanted to vote on the request but it wasn’t on the agenda. Mayor Mitchell explained that to add an item to the agenda it takes a two/thirds vote of the council, which is six. There were only five members present making the quorum necessary to hold a meeting. The issue was tabled until the January council meeting.

Next Meeting

Due to a holiday falling on the third Monday in January, the next meeting of the Alexander City Council is Monday, January 23 at 6:00 PM in the courtroom at city hall. The public is invited to attend.

Alexander Planning Commission changes membership of Citizens Advisory Committee

Since 2021 the Alexander Planning Commission has been working on the writing of a new Master Development Plan for the city. The current plan dates back to 1980.

Many steps are involved in writing a plan that will guide current and future administrations in how to develop Alexander. Getting input from the general public has been accomplished through a variety of methods. A survey was taken and a public meeting was held in June of this year. One of the other methods being used is a Citizens Advisory Committee.

Since the committee was formed in December, 2021; Committee members have been attending Commission meetings providing input during various phases of the Master Development Plan writing process. The three original members are Angela Griffin, Lorinda Peoples and Gene Derline. All three live in the Meadow’s Edge Subdivision.

Griffin was elected to the city council during the November General Election, making her ineligible to serve on the Advisory Committee. Peoples has removed herself due to health reasons. Derline was removed by Planning Commission members due to his inconsistent attendance record. Griffin was the most reliable of the Committee members attending nearly, if not all, the Planning Commission meetings.

The three are being replaced by Jean Kelley, Maggie Miller and Karen Jeffcoat. All live in what is commonly referred to as South Alexander. Kelley and Miller live in Ward-4 and Jeffcoat lives in Ward-3.

This second iteration of the Citizens Advisory Committee isn’t expected to last very long. Now that the second version of the draft Master Development Plan is out, the next step is to hold a public hearing to receive official input from the public. The Planning Commission and City Council must establish a date, time and place for the hearing.

Also at the December 13 meeting:

Bylaws approved for 2023

Planning Commission members approved new bylaws for 2023. The only change is the schedule for the regular meetings. In the past regular meetings were scheduled every other month beginning in February. Since state law requires one meeting be held every quarter, the new meeting schedule is based on having meetings during the first month of each quarter. In 2023 regular meetings will now be held in the months of January, April, July, and October on the second Tuesday at 6:30 PM in the courtroom at the Alexander Municipal Complex. The annual administrative meeting will still be held on the second Tuesday in December.

Officers elected

The current officers of the Alexander Planning Commission were re-elected to their current positions. In 2023 Michael Huck will continue as Chairman, Stephanie Beck will remain as Vice-Chairman and Tonya Prows will continue as Secretary.

Resolution recommended to City Council for approval

Planning Commission members voted to send a resolution to the City Council for approval. The resolution will replace an earlier resolution that gives the Little Rock Water Reclamation Authority (LRWRA) the power to enforce Little Rock’s ordinances concerning sewage disposal. The new resolution expands the definition of ordinances to be enforced and adds residences as a source of waste water. The current resolution only mentions industrial and commercial as waste water sources. LRWRA provides sewage disposal for the Pulaski County portion of Alexander and a small area of Saline County inside the city.

Billboard Ordinance

Commission members were given a draft of a billboard ordinance to study before the next meeting. The ordinance establishes the type and size of billboards that will be permitted. It also limits billboards to commercial and industrial zones. The ordinance is mostly based on Federal and State billboard requirements. As of now Alexander does not have a billboard ordinance.

Next Meeting

The next meeting of the Alexander Planning Commission is scheduled for Tuesday, January 10, 6:30 PM in the courtroom at the Alexander Municipal Complex (City Hall). The public is invited to attend.

Equipment Grants Awarded to State & Local Law Enforcement Agencies, Alexander Receives Maximum Amount

Arkansas funded grants, totaling more than $7 million dollars, were awarded December 1, 2022 to 113 local and state law enforcement agencies and correctional or detention facilities. According to a press release from the Department of Public Safety, approximately 90 percent of the total funds will be received by local police and sheriff's departments to purchase new equipment.

The City of Alexander Police Department was one of the law enforcement agencies to receive the grant. During the city council’s November meeting Police Chief Robert Burnett announced receiving the $100,000.00 grant and said it will be used to buy dash-cams.

KTHV-11 visited Alexander City Hall Friday, December 2. Watch their coverage of this on tonight’s news broadcast.

The press release went on to say grants were authorized last year through legislation adopted by Governor Asa Hutchinson and the Arkansas General Assembly. Act 786 sanctioned the Public Safety Equipment Grant Program to be administered by the Arkansas Department of Public Safety and provides for grants to be used for purchasing, “non-lethal equipment that aids in improving trust and relationships between law enforcement agencies, detention centers and corrections agencies within their communities that they serve.”

"One of the key recommendations of our Task Force to Advance the State of Law Enforcement in Arkansas was the creation of state funding for increased training and improving the safety equipment used by local law enforcement officers,” stated Governor Hutchinson. “The grants directed to local law enforcement agencies will help to further the trust between these agencies and the communities they serve, and I want to commend the Department of Public Safety and the General Assembly for bringing this program to fruition,” said the governor.

The grant applications submitted earlier this year were reviewed and graded for distribution by a committee selected from a cross-section of state and local law enforcement officers, correction and detention officers and professional laypersons.

Besides Alexander other recipients of Public Safety Equipment Grants in the area included:

• Bauxite Police Dept - $94,241.11,

• Benton Police Dept - $67,500.00,

• Haskell Police Dept - $100,000.00, and

• Saline County Sheriff's Office - $100,000.00.

Bryant, Shannon Hills and Little Rock were not listed.