UPDATED with new information 05/20/2023. Corrections and additions are marked.
WARNING: Opinion of the writer may appear in this article.
After only being sworn-in as the new mayor of Alexander on January 1, Mayor Crystal Herrmann has already fulfilled one of her campaign promises. She promised to go after grants not being utilized by the city. At the Monday, May 15 council meeting she presented resolutions for two grants not previously used by the city.
One grant is the Federal-aid Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) or Recreational Trails Program. The other is the FUN Park grant program.
Dispersal of the Federal funds for the TAP grant are overseen by Metroplan. The Arkansas Department of Transportation (ArDOT) handles the bidding and monitoring of construction. The FUN Park grant is provided by the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism.
The FUN Park grant funds 100-percent of a project with no matching funds provided by the city. Herrmann is proposing to use the grant to replace the playground equipment in the City Park.
The TAP program uses Federal funds to build sidewalks or trails. Herrmann is proposing a two-year plan to start-off a continual construction of new sidewalks. The first grant request will fund construction of a sidewalk from the front of City Hall traveling north to the City Park, and in front of the Dollar General Store and the post office on the opposite side of Highway 111. The second grant request will be for a sidewalk along Earl D. Miller Ln. from City Hall going southwest.
Herrmann said this project will be part of the 2024 submission process and cities that are approved won't be announced until around December, 2024.
Explaining the funding for the TAP grant Herrmann said, "It's a 20/80 (percent) grant. We would have to pass a resolution for that. We would have to provide 20% of the bid."
"I have a question about that," said Council Member Juanita Wilson. "You said 20-percent for us. They will pay back. But it's my understanding of this from several people that when you get these 80/20 grants you pay the whole thing up front and then they will reimburse you to 80-percent as they see everything finished."
"That was not my understanding on this program," said Herrmann. "It is through ArDOT, it is a TAP grant. And as far as I know, we're not having to do that on the overlays, are we?"
In an attempt to use the State's street overlay program as an example, Alexander Street Superintendent David Durham said, "No, basically the same thing, except we're paying, we're basically, where we're paying right now where we deposited the 25,000 (dollars) as the overrun cost for the city."
"The TAP is the same way," Durham continued. "All we deposit is the 20-percent of the bid, whatever the bid. (We) Have to deposit the 20-percent. ArDOT takes care of the other 80-percent with the TAP."
According to information provided by Metroplan, the bidding and management of TAP projects is overseen by ARDOT. Metroplan is responsible for the allocation of TAP funding to its member jurisdictions.
Metroplan has established funding criteria which includes, among other items, limiting cities with a population of less than 10,000 to a grant amount of $50,000 to $100,000 per grant request. Alexander's population is 3,385.
Metroplan is the designated Metropolitan Planning Organization for the Central Arkansas Region Transportation Study Area. Alexander is a Metroplan member.
Both resolutions (TAP and FUN Park), which gave the mayor the authority to begin the grant request process, passed unanimously. Unfortunately, neither of them were read out loud until after each vote; a requirement under state law.
City Recorder Sharon Bankhead read each resolution after the two voice votes. While reading the resolution for the TAP grant she found the explanation of the funding process and read it again for the Mayor.
"City of Alexander understands that Federal-aid Funds are available for this project on a reimbursable basis, requiring work to be accomplished and proof of payment prior to actual monetary reimbursement," Bankhead said.
That means Alexander must have all the money up front to pay
for the sidewalks before receiving the 80-percent refund.
With this new piece of information, council members voted to table the TAP resolution until some future time.
According to Bernadette Rhodes from Metroplan, a TAP project does not have to be funded all at once. She says the project can be broken up into smaller pieces. As each piece is completed the city pays the contractor. The receipt for that payment is submitted to ArDOT for the 80-percent reimbursement. This process continues until the entire project is completed.
Actually, the existence of the TAP grant program is not "New" information. During the past two years the Alexander Planning Commission has been in the process of writing a new Master Development Plan with the aid of Metroplan. Funding the construction of sidewalks, where none exist, was a topic of discussion.
During one of his monthly reports to the Alexander City Council last year, Planning Commission Chairman Michael Huck explained the TAP grant program. Then Mayor, Paul Mitchell, said he was aware of the program and its requirement of 100-percent funding the construction of sidewalks or trails before receiving the 80-percent refund. Considering the city's limited revenue sources and more urgent spending needs, TAP was considered a luxury that must wait.
Also at the May 15 meeting;
Accounting software still causing problems
"There are no reports and there are no bank statements because of problems with them," Churchill told council members. "I won't release them as they are. They're a mess. It's like somebody took the general fund and put it in a blender."
"And I will say that the police department and the fire department do have (bank) reports that are out in the car," she continued. "If you'll see me before you go home, I'll give them to you."
Since financial statements were not available again, the council decided to table all agenda items related to spending. The following agenda items were tabled.
Approving a bid to install a fire alarm system in city hall;
Roof repair for future police department building; and
Street department generator repair approval.
Department reports
Police Chief Robert Burnett
"We are seeing some of the new cars coming in," Burnett added.
Burnett went on to describe a new state grant program that will allow the city to replace the old armored vests.
"So we're going to use that first round to help a lot of the, we've had to order new vest and vest carriers," Burnett said. "Almost everybody in the department's vest is out of service ... by two years out of service."
Street/Parks Department Superintendent David Durham
"I've been talking with engineers concerning our flash flooding issues that we've been having so much of here lately with Spruce Drive and West Azalea and the fire station (#2) in front of it," Durham said. "It's been over top in South Alexander Road in several places. And also the Brookwood locations."
"And every engineer I've talked to is telling me that we're undersized on our culverts to handle the volume of water now off of Shannon Hills completing their construction on the mountains. And with what Bryant's doing with their bypass (Bryant Parkway) and all the new construction they're doing over there with clearing. So their general consensus is we're going to have to go through and change out all of our (culverts) to oversize in these areas in order to stop the flooding."
Durham said he's going to concentrate on installing larger culverts in those areas that have the most flooding.
Fire Chief Ryan McCormick
"Hi, guys. How are you? It's a pleasure," McCormick began. "You have some really good guys that work behind some guys that work with us."
"Since our last council meeting we've had 59 mutual responses," McCormick continued. "Out of those 59, five (were) working structure fires. So they have been pretty active on those since ... I've been here. Last two weeks, we've gone to two PR (Public Relations) events, have been involved in community outreach programs."
"You will see us and see these smiling faces behind me, much more in the community," he said. "We also are working at our fire station to build some two offices downstairs so we're ADA (American with Disabilities Act) compliant, so we can get people from our offices from upstairs and downstairs."
"But, I would love to have you guys come by and visit us at some point," McCormick said. "Just kind of visit and check out what we have going on. So if you have some questions, let me know."
According to his Facebook page McCormick was the fire chief at the Collegeville Volunteer Fire Dept. He also works at Task Force 1, Inc..
Mayor Crystal Herrmann
"Training has already begun," Herrmann said. "She had a couple of classes this past week. And hopefully we'll all be working with her and Ms. Churchill (City Treasurer) to move forward with our financials and get tightened up so we can all be informed."
City Park land issue still in limbo
According to Fraser, Wilson said the property's owner, David Jacks, was served on May 6. He has until June 6 to reply otherwise the judge will make the final decision without any input from Jacks.
The city has placed $68,000.00 in escrow as payment for the property. Wilson said the judge could decide to give him all or none of the payment.
Temporary change of pay for Treasurer
Council member Angela Griffin asked how long this change would be required. Wilson's only response was, "However long it takes to train the bookkeeper."
The
overlapping discussions began to get out of hand. Police
Chief Robert Burnett stepped-in and asked the council and mayor if
they wanted to go into executive session. City Attorney
Caleb Conrad apparently agreed and suggested they
discuss this topic in Executive Session. Council members agreed so
the public was escorted out of city hall by Police Chief Robert
Burnett.
Just one problem. According to the Arkansas Municipal League's, "Guidebook for Municipal Officials of Mayor-Council Cities; Revised November 2021, "Executive sessions are permitted only for the purpose of considering employment, promotion, demotion, disciplinary action or resignation of any public officer (elected official) or employee." Oops.
After the public was allowed to return to the meeting, Mayor Herrmann explained what the motion the council is about to vote on will entail.
"We have the treasurer's pay for Miss JoAn Churchill to be $22 an hour from May 16 to June 19 to assist the new bookkeeper," Herrmann said. "And this will be just temporary. She will not have her elected official pay."
"She will get no overtime," Herrmann continued. "It will be 40 hours a week."
In a voice vote there were seven Ayes and one Nay. A roll call vote was then taken. The results were council members Joy Gray, Gina Thomas Littlejohn, Joe Pollard, Mitchell W. Smith, Tony Staton, Harold Timmerman, and Juanita Wilson voted Aye. Council member Angela Griffin voted Nay.
June 19 is the date of the next council meeting. This topic will be discussed at that meeting.
Next meeting
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