Alexander Special Council Meeting Wednesday, Another step in acquiring grants

A Special Meeting of the Alexander City Council has been scheduled to discuss and approve two resolutions concerning grants. One is listed on the agenda as, "A Resolution designating CAPDD (Central Arkansas Planning and Development District) as grants administrator." The second is, "A Resolution adopting the policies necessary to apply for block grant funds."

According to the policies resolution, two requirements must be addressed to apply for block grant funds. One is to adopt a, "Language Assistance Plan (LAP) for Limited English Proficiency (LEP) residents." The second is to have policies in place that prohibit, "[T]he use of excessive force in the apprehension or detention of criminal violators, including those who may be engaged in non-violent civil rights demonstrations."

As stated in the resolution, "[T]he City of Alexander, Arkansas, has a Hispanic population of thirty-eight (38%), based on the 2020 Census." To deal with this issue the plan calls for accessing, "[R]esources to assist in translation services with such resources possibly being on-demand translation services, document translation into Spanish by certified translators, or use of electronic and computer-based systems to facilitate communication between City officials or agents and LEP residents." It also states the police department already has a Spanish-speaking officer.

The resolution continues to state, "[T]he City of Alexander Police Department has written policies governing the use of force by its officers, policies governing officers' efforts to manage crowds and preserving the peace during demonstrations, large gatherings, and the handling of civil disturbances, and has policies governing the processing of citizen complaints and internal affairs investigations."

The special meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, April 10 at 6:00 PM in the courtroom of the Alexander Municipal Complex (City Hall). The public is invited to attend. Because this is a special meeting, by law, council members are only permitted to discuss and take action on those items listed in the agenda.