Prescott in red, hot weather needed to balance things out
By Staff, 07/16/19 9:48 AMPRESCOTT – At this time the City of Prescott is operating in the red.
This is what the Prescott City Council was told at the July meeting Monday night.
Councilman Ivory Curry asked when the budget committee will meet because things seem to be out of balance financially.
Prescott Mayor Terry Oliver said the committee doesn’t usually meet till the fall and end of the year.
Carl Dalrymple, the city’s accountant, said the city’s running a deficit right now and needs to tighten its belt. He added the committee needs to meet as soon as possible, and the department heads should probably be at the meeting as well. Normally, he continued, things pick up when the area gets hot weather, but this hasn’t happened this summer. Dalrymple told the panel it will need to amend the budget at the August meeting.
Oliver said he didn’t see what Curry was seeing and in his nine years in office things have always been like this in the summer.
Dalrymple said the problem areas can be found by looking at the line item budget line by line, adding things will average out of the temperature rises.
Mary Godwin, executive director of the Prescott-Nevada County Economic Development Office, said the South Arkansas Regional Health Center is looking to set up an office in Prescott at the Youth Center. It will rent out two rooms upstairs and offer mental health counseling, two days a week. The rooms will be rented for $500 a month with the city picking up the tab for the utilities. The council approved a resolution approving the lease, which could start next month.
The council also approved a resolution for a water grant. Godwin reminded the council this had been brought up at a meeting earlier this year, saying the Arkansas Economic Development Commission (AEDC) for the first time has approved funding the rehabilitation of water and sewer systems. In the past, she said, the AEDC only approved funding for new systems. Prescott will be reimbursed for $200,000.
She said Prescott has a lot of problems with its water and sewer lines as some date back to 1911. Perry Nelson, water superintendent, said the work will be on Hwy. 67 from the P&NW rail line to Vine Street, and from West Walnut from Third to Greenlawn. Lines, he said will be moved, especially along Hwy. 67, but the project will have to be let for bid.
Godwin said the drainage project is going well and in around three weeks the crews will be finished working along E. 2nd and moving to Mockingbird Lane.
Jamie Hillery, executive director of the Prescott-Nevada County Chamber of Commerce told the council the 2019 Christmas ornament is ready, with more than 30 already being sold. The ornament features a picture of the water tower. She presented it to Nelson for the work he does for the city.
She also asked the council to consider meeting with business owners in the community, giving them a chance to talk about issues important to them. The council took a roundabout way to say no, suggesting, instead, the owners come to the council meetings with their issues and comments.
Hillery suggested doing a survey to see what the concerns are and agreeing to bring the results back to the council.
Robby Franks, the city’s code enforcement officer, said no houses have been torn down yet because of the rain. Once the weather moderates, he told the council, he’ll start knocking them down.
On the topic of inoperable vehicles in yards, he said, letters have been sent and those who don’t do something about the vehicles within the allotted time limit will be sent a citation. Franks said citations will be mailed out.
He also told the council he’s written and mailed 20-25 letters in the last month and has been getting some response from property owners. He said people are cleaning their property up now. Franks added there’s been a problem in the alley behind the old Izzy’s restaurant because people were using the trash bins. The bins, he said, have been emptied and overturned and will be removed soon.
Franks was asked to provide a written monthly report to the council detailing his activities.
City Attorney Glenn Vasser informed the panel starting at its August meeting all meetings will have to be tape recorded. This is a new state law, he pointed out, adding members of the council will need to state their names when commenting and speak clearly for the recorder. Under the new law, he said, the tapes must be of good enough quality to be rerecorded and available to any interested party. He suggested written minutes also be kept of council meetings.
