Letter to the Editor

Fellow Taxpayers:

By the time you read this, another City Council meeting will have taken place and our citizens will have an additional $200,000 debt voted on and no doubt approved (three to one), for six new police cars. Add to this the $10,000 to equip and decorate each car. That's a lot of dollars we will be borrowing.

Pea Ridge currently has a larger police force that the city of Lowell. We have one officer, (14 total), per 365 citizens, Lowell has one officer, (11 total), per 900 plus citizens, and Springdale with one officer, (121 total) per 3,938 citizens. Add to this two more budgeted police cars this year brings our police vehicle fleet tally to 25 vehicles for a 14-officer force. The plan is already in place to hire additional officers. My question is how much larger do we need to make our police force and are they and the vehicles being utilized efficiently or just providing "nice offices" to drive to and from work?

This being said, when do we equip the remainder of all city employees with their own vehicles, too? Many times I have seen our Street Department and Water Department personnel on the job all hours of the day and night. Where do we draw the line?

Our Police Department has many professional officers whom I respect beyond a doubt, and I want them to be adequately equipped. They are the "Good Guys" hands down. From a citizen's standpoint, I will always respect and hold them in the highest regard. They put everything on the line for us and I trust them totally. But as a councilman representing this city and the spending of taxpayers' money, unlike others who state: " I will keep an eye on your budget spending," my job is to keep their departmental "feet to the fire" for justification and adherence to the budget that was voted on by we the City Council. For that reason I voted against the loan for these vehicles. Again, I am the lone dissenter. I feel it is unnecessary spending.

Between these and another new ambulance for our still "volunteer" Fire Department, we have incurred nearly a half million dollars more city debt in addition to their respective annual budgets -- all for more new vehicles. Our priorities are way out of line, and by the looks of this trend, there is no end in sight.

Please contact your city officials with your input and opinion. This is still OUR city.

Bob Cottingham, city councilman

Pea Ridge, Ark.

Editorial on 07/19/2017