Public Hearing scheduled before Tuesday council meeting

Alexander Mayor Crystal Herrmann has scheduled a public hearing to be held before Tuesday's city council meeting. The public hearing will be tomorrow (Tuesday), February 20, 5:30 PM at the Alexander Municipal Complex (City Hall), located at 15605 Alexander Road, Alexander, AR.

According to the public hearing notice the purpose of the hearing is, 

"[I]dentifying and prioritizing the community needs of the City of Alexander, determining whether an application for Arkansas Community and Economic Development Program (ACEDP) funds should be developed and if so, for what community need."

"Also, comments on proposed project activities will be discussed, especially those with possible impacts on the community, should the project receive funding," the notice states.

"ACEDP funds are federal assistance [funds] received by the State of Arkansas and administered by the Arkansas Economic Development Commission," the notice explains. "These funds will be made available to cities and counties according to need and can be used for housing rehabilitation, community facilities, or economic development, but must address one of the following objectives:

1. Provide benefit to low and moderate income families,

2. Aid in the prevention of slum and blight, or

3. Meet other community needs, which pose a serious, immediate threat to the health or welfare of the community where no other funding is available to meet such needs."

"All residents of the City of Alexander are encouraged to attend the hearing and participate in the community development process," the notice states. "The City of Alexander will provide technical assistance in developing proposals by groups representing low and moderate-income persons."

Following the public hearing the city council will hold its February meeting. Meeting time is set for 6:00 PM at the same location as the public hearing; Alexander Municipal Complex (City Hall), located at 15605 Alexander Road, Alexander, AR.

Items on the agenda include;

New Business

1. Entering into an exclusive franchise agreement with Pafford.

2. A Resolution amending the 2023 Budget.

3. An Ordinance repealing Ord. for LOPFI plan.

4. Planning Commission referral for Commercial property.

5. Planning Commission bylaw approval.

6. Removal of Planning Commission chairman.

7. An Ordinance governing the naming of convention of Resolutions and Ordinances.

8. An Ordinance repealing Ord. 2016-16-8-1, Titled "An Ordinance establishing the City Council, meetings, presiding officer, order of business, order at the meeting and procedures for City Council.

9. A resolution setting the procedural rules for the City Council (Organization of City Council)

The public is invited to attend both the public hearing and council meeting.

Alexander City Council forms Committee to investigate grievance

The Alexander City Council has formed a special committee to investigate a grievance complaint submitted by a former city employee. The job of the committee is to determine if the grievance is legitimate.

During a special meeting, held Thursday, February 15, prior to the council going into executive session, City Attorney Chris Madison explained the grievance process based on the city's current employee manual. According to Madison the next step is to determine, "If there is a grievanceable issue."

Madison said the first step is to decide who will investigate the grievance. The two choices are to either have someone outside the council to investigate the complaint, or appoint council members to a subcommittee.

"So the first issue that council you will have to decide is whether you want to appoint someone, an individual, to be the fact finder," Madison said. "Alternatively, I believe that you can form a subcommittee of yourselves to do the fact finding and issue a report."

At no time during the meeting was the specifics of the grievance discussed. However, Madison did say the mayor (Chrystal Herrmann) cannot investigate the grievance, which is one of the options, because, "As you're aware, the mayor is implicated in the grievance."

Madison also eliminated himself investigating the grievance.

"I cannot do it," he said. "And the reason being is that if this were to result in litigation down the road, I can't be directly involved in the grievance process and then also defend the city if there's a lawsuit on the back of the case."

To clarify what the council is being asked to do at the special meeting Council Member Joy Gray said, "So just to recap, so there's no confusion because there's always confusion. We are not here to determine whether or not the grievance is valid, whether or not the termination is valid. All we're doing today is deciding do we want three council members to investigate this? Or, do we want an individual from outside of the city government to investigate this? That's all we're doing today. Or, you could have one council member decide also."

"There is a lawfully lodged grievance under our policy," Madison said. "And the only decision you have to make tonight is ... who is going to be on this committee to then go in and look at the facts of the grievance?"

After coming out of an executive session a motion was approved to appoint council members Joy Gray, Juanita Wilson and Angela Griffin to the committee. According to Madison the committee has 20 days, weekends included, to present a report to the council. The council then has five days to take action.

During several points in his presentation Madison noted that the employee manual has several issues that will require rewriting.

Next meeting

The next meeting of the Alexander City Council is Tuesday, February 20 at 6:00 PM in the courtroom at the Alexander Municipal Complex. The public is invited to attend.

Special Council Meeting this Thursday

The Alexander City Council will have a Special Meeting Thursday, February 15. The only item on the agenda is listed as, "Grievance complaint discussion." It is expected council members will go into Executive Session.

Under state law council members are limited to only dealing with those items listed on the Special Meeting agenda. No other city business may be added.

The meeting is scheduled for 6:00 PM in the courtroom at the Alexander Municipal Complex. The public is invited to attend.

Alexander Planning Commission Special Meeting Tuesday

The City of Alexander Planning Commission will hold a Special Meeting Tuesday, February 13. The meeting was originally called by Commission Chairman Michael Huck to make up for regular meetings in December and January, which couldn't be held due to the lack of a quorum. The agenda will now include a request to establish an auto sales and tree removal service in the city.

Under New Business the agenda includes approval of the 2024 By-Laws; the, "Nomination and Election of Officers;" and the review and approval of a business permit and building construction plan for Reyes Tree Service and Reyes Auto Sales.

The Special Meeting will be held Tuesday, February 13 at 6:30 PM in the courtroom at the Alexander Municipal Complex. The public is invited to attend.

Alexander City Council discusses Legislative Audit report for 2022

The Alexander City Council received the annual Legislative Audit report for the calendar year 2022. The audit is conducted annually by the State. The audit for 2022 was performed in 2023.

"We evaluated the City’s compliance with certain state laws concerning general and district court accounting, budgeting, purchasing, and investing and depositing of public funds," the cover letter states. "During our evaluation, noncompliance with state law and accepted accounting practices was noted in the offices of the Mayor, Treasurer, and District Court Clerk."

"We have the legislative audit review from the (year) 2022 that has now been completed," Mayor Crystal Herrmann said during the council's January 22 meeting. "Legislative audit said actually one of the dings on this audit is not bringing this to the very next council meeting once it's presented."

The audit listed the following issues as in "Noncompliance."

Mayor

"1. The Mayor was overpaid $1,620, and his wages were not taxed from January through September 2022; therefore, $30,780 of his salary was not reported on his IRS Form W-2. The Mayor’s term ended in December 2022.

"2. The governing body (Alexander City Council" did not review the prior year report and accompanying comments at the first regularly scheduled meeting following receipt of the report, in noncompliance with Ark. Code Ann. § 10-4-418."

Treasurer

"Accounting procedures for municipalities are set forth in Ark. Code Ann. §§ 14-59-101 - 14-59-119. The City was not in compliance with these codes and other accounting procedures as follows:"

• "Receipts were not deposited in a timely manner."
• "Prenumbered receipts were not issued for all funds received."
• "Cash receipts and disbursements journals were not properly posted and reconciled with bank deposits
• and withdrawals."
• "Cash receipts and disbursements journals and monthly bank reconciliations were not prepared for the Debt Service Fund."
• "Monthly bank reconciliations were prepared but were not accurate."
• "The annual financial statements were not published by April 1 of the following year." (2023)
• "A detailed fixed asset listing was not maintained to include additions, deletions, and a control total."
• "Monthly financial reports were not always submitted to the council."

District Court Clerk

"Balances remaining in the bank were not identified with receipts issued for cases not yet adjudicated and payments made on all unpaid individual time accounts, as required by Ark. Code Ann. § 16-10-209. A similar finding was noted in the previous report."

"So I think just for the record, everybody's clear that this was for the year 2022," Council Member Joy Gray said. "So this was not last year."

"And then so it looks like under the treasurer portion, there were quite a few points about receipts," Gray continued. "How we won't continue to make these mistakes? That's my question for that."

Each individual, responsible for the noncompliance issues, must write a letter to Legislative Audit explaining what will be done to address those problems. Two of those individuals are now gone. The previous mayor, Paul Mitchell, lost his re-election bid in the November 2023 election. City Treasurer JoAn Churchill resigned in December.

"So the mayor (Crystal Herrmann) had to write a letter already, let them know the action plan on the over-payment and the IRS thing," Office Manager Jennifer Hill said. "So the (new) treasurer herself will have to come up with her own."

Alexander is now searching for an interim city treasurer to fill the void until the current term expires December 31. The only legal qualifications are that the applicant must live in the city limits of Alexander, be 18 or older and be a registered voter. Having an accounting background would be a plus. Resumes should be turned in at City Hall to either Mayor Herrmann or Office Manager Jennifer Hill.

Department Reports presented during January 22 meeting:

Salt and sand stock piles to be refilled

Street and Parks Department Superintendent David Durham was unavailable to attend the January 22 council meeting. His report was provided by Mayor Herrmann. The recent weather was at the center of the report.

"They (street crews) had a long run," Herrmann began. "They started on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday with the roads."

"We're completely out of salt and sand," she continued. "We have an order in, but it might actually take about five or seven days before we can bring any more. We're going to go ahead and do the stockpile over again because it's still early in our winter."

Police Report for 2023

Police Chief Robert Burnett provided council members with a quick rundown of the statistics for the calendar year 2023.

"(W)e had 10,164 calls for service this past year," Burnett said. "We had for citations, regular citations and warnings and warrants that we served; there was 4,297."

Wrapping up with the total dollar amount deposited into the court fund Burnett said, "The final of all the basic deposits from (the) year were added up to over 408,000 (dollars)."

Fire Department; More training and certification

"One of the goals of this year ... is to start doing additional type of training and certification for our guys," Fire Chief Ryan McCormick told council members. "We're sending two right now to the EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) school, to medical, EMS (Emergency Medical Services), and we're also starting some hazards material classes. We're trying to keep up our hazardous material response."

Mayor gives Treasurer's report

With the resignation of City Treasurer JoAn Churchill in December, Mayor Crystal Herrmann provided brief comments concerning the monthly financial report. The search for an interim treasurer has begun.

"It (financial report) was created by the office (staff)," Herrman said. "We have the financial update by reconciliation."

Hess mess, Bass Pro grant

In the Mayor's monthly report Mayor Herrmann addressed several complaints she has received concerning people dumping trash around the dumpster at the closed Hess station. Hess is located along E. 1st Street.

Hess was purchased last year by SQRL Fuel. Renovation of the building began but then stopped.

"So I know I've got a lot of calls about the HESS, the dumpster and all that," Herrmann said. "I've been working on that for a couple of months. [W]e've actually even tracked down some people that are illegally dumping."

"SQRL did purchase the HESS," Herrmann continued. "I have even red tagged the store when it got all grown up (weeds) because it was really bad. ... They sent somebody out, mowed and cleaned up and got all the trash up and everything. But they did not remove the dumpster."

Herrmann said SQRL was given two weeks otherwise they'll be tagged again and be, "[I]n that end of the courtroom."

Herrmann then moved on to the topic of another grant she is attempting to acquire.

"This past month I put in (for) a grant with Bass Pro," Herrmann said. "[T]hey have a $10,000 grant community opportunity."

Herrmann has been working with Arkansas Game and Fish in order to make the pond, at the south end of the former Alexander Human Development Center, safe for stocking it with fish. Now she's trying to find a way to finance the renovation of the pond dock and nearby restroom building without using park funds.

Next meeting

The next meeting of the Alexander City Council is Tuesday, February 20 at 6:00 PM in the courtroom at the Alexander Municipal Complex. The public is invited to attend.