PEA RIDGE — The totals are in and U.S. Census figures released recently revealed what Pea Ridge city officials and residents already knew - the town has grown.

Pea Ridge more than doubled in size from 2000 to 2010 - from 2,346 residents to 4,794 residents.

The numbers won’t change day to day life, because the residents have been here, and the changes have been occurring all along.

It will increase the city’s share of state turn-back.

Mayor Jackie Crabtree, who has been in office during the time of rapid growth, said the city grew about 70 percent from 2000 to 2007.

“This actually is going to be an asset. It means there is an increased residential base. Businesses will look at us more favorably,” Crabtree said, adding that he pursues any lead he receives of drawing new business to town.

Figures from the city’s building department show dramatically more building permits issued in 2004, 2005 and 2006 than in any other year in the past 15 years.

From 30 building permits issued in 1995, there was a gradual growth to a high of 306 building permits issued in 2005. That number decreased to 187 the following year and was less than half - 77 - in 2007.

Building has declined so much recently that there were less than half of the building permits issued in 2009 and 2010 with 16 and 14, respectively, than in any year previously since 1995.

The city’s Planning Commission has canceled several meetings in the last year due to a lack of business.

City sales tax has made a gradual increase from $19,183 in January 2007 to $21,136 in January 2011. The city’s share of the county tax has risen from $35,159 for January of 2007 to $37,292 for January 2011. Those numbers fluctuate month by month.

“We will get additional state turn-back,” Crabtree said. “I don’t think we’ll see a windfall. It will take time for the money to add up. “The biggest portion of the turnback goes to streets.”

Pea Ridge has grown from a city of the second class to a city of the first class, which requires wards for council positions be as evenly represented as possible.

Crabtree said he will be working with the city attorney to determine whether the city’s ward lines need to be redrawn and whether there needs to be an additional position on the council.

He said the state also provides for a first class city to elect a city attorney. Pea Ridge has always appointed one. He said because the city does not have an attorney within the city limits, he’s investigating whether the city is required to elect - or allowed to elect - the attorney.

As the city has grown, city officials have faced various issues associated with the growth.

The impact on streets and the city’s infrastructure has necessitated repair and improvement on streets as well as rehab work on water and sewer lines. A new water tower was erected, bringing the total number of water towers to three.

The City Council is facing the question of a sewer rate increase to address the additional demands on the city’s wastewater treatment plant created both by growth and additional federal regulations.

“I think the Police Department, without knowing the actual numbers, was well aware of the increased population due to the increased amount of activities,” Police Chief Tim Ledbetter said, adding that law enforcement recommendations suggest 2.2 police officers per 1,000 residents. With 10 full-time police officers, Ledbetter said his department is just barely breaking even.

He said he has seen an increase in reports in the 15 years he has been chief with 352 reports filed in 1996, to a high of 714 reports in 2007. There were 666 reports filed in 2010 and there have been 151 reports filed in the first two months of 2011.

“A lot of that is based on population,” Ledbetter said.

News, Pages 1 on 02/23/2011