PEA RIDGE — The city will have to continue paying an additional $1.50 per meter fee to Benton/Washington County Water Association following action by the Two-Ton Water District Board continuing a fee that had originally been designed to “sunset” this December. Two-Ton supplies water to the city.
Mayor Jackie Crabtree and Water/Wastewater superintendent Ken Hayes said Pea Ridge voted against the board’s action, but itpassed anyway.
“I don’t know if there is anything legally to do,” Hayes told the council.
“My biggest problem is that they didn’t come back and tell us what is going on,” Crabtree said.
“I voted against it. Last we told them, it would sunset without any further action of the board,” Hayes said.
The city approved an ordinance passing the $1.50 meter fee to the city’s water users and that fee is to sunset this December.
The council discussed the fact that the water district will still becharging the city, but the city’s ordinance is still set to sunset next month.
“We have no legal recourse.
They’re just going to keep charging us. It just depends on what pot it comes out of,” council member Nadine Telgemeier said.
Turning to city attorney Howard Slinkard, Telgemeier said: “Howard, do we have anything as a council that we can do? Do I need to go hold a sign up? Do we need to occupy the water board?”
City attorney Howard Slinkardsaid: “Other cities are similarly situated. They’re all affected by it the same way. You’re under contract. You can’t pull out because you do not have a source of water.”
In other business, the Council approved a $25,750 bid from Sun Coast Construction to roof the new library building. The bid includes completing the work in five calendar days.
Work is progressing on renovating the new library building. A plumber donated materials and labor to repair a gas leak.
Crabtree told the council that Michael Herzberg of Town and Country Plumbing was donating his time and the needed materials to repair a sizable leak in the gas line for the library.
The council also authorized the mayor to apply for a grant for the library for $150,000 from the Arkansas Rural Development Commission.
The Mule Jump made a profit with income of $32,953.75 and expenses of $17,031.76 for a profit of $6,921.99, according to Nathan See, chairman of the Mule Jump Committee. He said 4,200 people attended the event.
“We want to thank everybody, the girls at city hall, the EMTs....” See said, adding that he would like to set the profit aside for next year’s event. He said the most expensive part of the budget was the Tshirts, but all were sold.
Crabtree also announced that See, a Street Department employee, is the new street superintendent and that the former superintendent, Larry Majors was in charge of parks.
Because of the growth in population, the city’s dues to the Arkansas Municipal League service charge and Defense Fund was increased as the fee is charged per capita.
The Arkansas Municipal League service charge is 14-cent per person and the legal defense fund is $1.80 per person. The total AML fee in 2010 was $3,887.44 and is $9,340.36 for 2011.
In other business, the council:
◊Heard a report from Fire Chief Frank Rizzio that the burn pile at Fire Station No. 2 was to be eliminated.
◊Set a Committee of the Whole meeting to discuss budgets for 4 p.m. Monday, Nov. 7.
◊See announced that Lee Town Road was to be striped.
News, Pages 1 on 11/02/2011