The Alexander City Council has decided how much to charge city employees who are living in the cottages on the former Human Development Center (HDC) property. They are located in the southeast corner of the property along Highway 111.
Mayor Crystal Herrmann presented council members several rental comparisons. One is from the 2020 Census. Another were figures from Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The third is rent being charged for apartments in Little Rock and Alexander.
About the census average Herrmann said, “And you'll see the average Alexander City estimate of rent is $1,000. But it also has a margin plus or minus of $371.”
That sets the range from $629.00 to $1,371.00.
“I thought HUD would be another really good tool…,” Herrmann said. “On HUD, they had for our market one bedroom units, area's average around $1,116, while two bedroom units added around $50.06.
“But the low income apartments in nearby Little Rock/Alexander area show $725 to $886 per one bedroom unit,” she continued. “So we have the complexes over here” (near the railroad tracks). “Two bedroom is 900 and something dollars.”
Age was another consideration. It’s been estimated the cottages were built around 1950. Council members settled on $450 per month for a one bathroom cottage and $500 for the two bathroom cottages. Renters are currently paying $100 per month.
Auditors with the Department of Legislative Audit have expressed concerns that a low $100 per month will require the city to account for the remaining value of the rent as a fringe benefit on W2 forms. It would then be taxed by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Employees will now have two options.
1-They can continue to pay the $100 and claim the fringe benefit at the end of the year on their W2, or
What started out as a way to provide low cost security for the former HDC property and give city employees a way to live in Alexander without a major cost to them, turned into a discussion over fringe benefits and taxes. The plan was first adopted when former Mayor Paul Mitchell was in office.
In 2022 the former HDC property was being vandalized after Pathfinders, Inc. moved to a new location outside Alexander. Pathfinders provided specialized services to those with physical and mental needs. The cottages were used to house the patients.
With no one on the property at night, vandalism began to become an expensive problem. Mitchell decided it would be beneficial to allow city employees, who live outside Alexander, to live in the cottages in exchange for providing both security and keeping the grass mowed in the cottage area. At the time, no city employees lived in Alexander.
This arrangement also provides the extra advantage of having city employees nearby in case of emergencies. The cottages are occupied by either police officers or firefighters.
Renters were first required to pay only $1 per year as a token. Utilities were also provided. In an attempt to satisfy the fringe benefit issue the rent was increased to $100 per month. Renters also now pay for electricity and gas as a way to save the city those costs plus to force the renters to be more frugal. Water and sewer are included in the rent.
In other news
Mayor wants fence requirements
Current zoning only states when a six-foot privacy fence, or wall, is required; usually to separate commercial from residential areas. There are no specific standards for fencing or walls.
“We have a fence permit, but there's nothing that goes into any detail about the fences,” Herrmann said. “So there's things such as we need to stake them out, you know, make sure they're not installing on an easement or utility easement or on the neighbors property.”
“And, we have different materials going up through the city,” Herrmann continued. “We've got some people using some metal-roaching panels for fence, some people using pallets for fences. We've got some non-privacy fences, we have some chain link fences, and we have some that are not maintained. So we do want to have an ordinance that addresses maintenance of the fence, if it's half falling down, put placements.
Herrmann also wants to mandate what type of fence residents will have.
“Just several different options when it comes to fences,” she continued. “And I will be leaning on y'all to make the fence. What style would y'all like the city to be the same all the way through? I think it's a lot of decisions. I think right now what we have is basically it states no 8 foot fences in the front.”
Two New Business items adopted
The financial statement is a final version of the 2025 budget, which includes the changes adopted at the February council meeting. The police cars are both 2019 Dodge Chargers.
Citywide yard sale and Farmers Market proposed
Besides the when, Herrmann offered several options as to the how.
“It seems to be pretty successful in Shannon Hills when they do it,” Herrmann said. “So I thought it could be a really good way to help offload extra items that folks might have. I mean, we could even open up the big community center. We can open up the big parking lot. And they can have them in their personal yards. We can post where they can email in or call or come by and tell us they're address and they're going to be on the list for the citywide yard sale. Maybe do like a city map.”
Gray has been talking to the Saline County Extension Service to bring a farmers market to Alexander.
“Yes. So, I talked to the cooperative extension in Saline County,” Gray began. “They actually are the people that would work with that to be clear. I was grateful with (sic) them. I'm not trying to organize them to do the vendors to do this and do that, but if there's a group of people, like a co-op or an aggregate of folks that are producing in the spring and want to sell stuff and need a space, we have both the park and or the community center. And so, if there's people with fresh fruits, vegetables, honey, that kind of stuff, eggs, whatever that one and two, so the lady is going to reach out to her contact.”
Whether the farmers market begins this year or next Gray said her contact at the extension service agrees the area needs a third location.
“I said, if you can't use this year, maybe at least for the matter of next year,” Gray said. [B]ut she seems excited to have another space because Benton has a farmers market and the (sic) Little Rock has a farmers market. And that's kind of it.”
Council meets new officer
Tornado siren ready
Master Gardener plant sale coming to Alexander
Being in line before 8 is suggested.
“And from what I understand, you need to be there at 8 AM,” Gray said.
Next Meeting
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