Territorial jurisdiction decrease proposed

GARFIELD -- With a half dozen people in the audience, three of whom were Planning Commission members, no one spoke publicly during the brief public hearing preceding the City Council meeting.

The meeting was announced publicly in a social media post by alderman Susie Morrison on June 30 stating:

"PUBLIC NOTICE OF HEARING:

"This is to inform the citizens of Garfield, that there will be a Public Hearing, to be held at Garfield City Hall's Meeting Room at 5:30 pm on July the 11th; prior to the City Council meeting at 6:00 pm.

"This meeting will be to discuss the proposed changes to the City of Garfield's Planning Commissions; Planning/Zoning boundaries."

Beginning the public hearing, Mayor Gary Blackburn said Ordinance 140, setting Garfield's planning area boundary, would decrease the territorial jurisdiction from five miles to 1 as required by "Arkansas code annotated." Blackburn said the planning area boundary is posted at Garfield City Hall, the Benton County Clerk's Office and at Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission in Springdale.

"It needs to be updated, i.e. at Council meeting," Blackburn said. "We will be talking about plans to do just that."

Blackburn said there is not an emergency clause on the ordinance so it will be read at three different council meetings before being approved.

General News on 07/19/2017