Ordinances passed invalid

ROSSTON – Two ordinances passed by the Rosston City Council Wednesday evening are invalid.

The ordinances dealt with the city’s newest water project and hiring bond counsel for the project. However, neither ordinance was read prior to the vote. City Attorney Glenn Vasser said the law  requires ordinances to be read in total once and by title only two more times before they can be voted on. This didn’t happen when the ordinances were brought before the council.

Under terms of the ordinance, water rates in Rosston would go up roughly 70 cents per  1,000 gallons used, while the monthly service charge remains unchanged. The new rate would have been $6.75 per 1,000 gallons used during the month. Meter deposits would be $75, while there would be a tapping fee of $450 to connect to the city’s system and a $50 reconnection charge for those who’d been previously disconnected from it. The Eldredge and Clark Law Firm was  tabbed to be the bond counsel for the $272,000 project.

In other business, Rosston Mayor Dale Quarles brought up having a police substation in Rosston, possibly in part of the old fire station. The idea is to have a law enforcement presence in the south part of the county to reduce response time when something happens. He said later on the city could look into doing something similar to get an ambulance service substation there. To fund this, Quarles suggested a 1.5 cent sales tax.

According to Quarles, such a tax would bring in a significant amount of money, some of which could be used to pay the salary of a deputy stationed in Rosston. He told the council Rosston has never had a sales tax and he thinks it would pass easily enough. Before anything else is done, he said, more research is required on what a substation would cost. He told the panel he’s working with the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office, the Nevada County Judge and the Prescott-Nevada County Economic Development Office on this project. He mentioned a meeting with the County Judge Mark Glass and state representatives and senators.

Councilman Sally Muldrew said the council should have been involved with the meeting. Quarles said it was a discussion, not a meeting with Muldrew responding the council still should have been included.

Quarles also talked about getting a website developed for Rosston as well as going to on-line bill paying. He said the Arkansas Municipal League wants all communities to have websites, which can provide information to residents and visitors. With the website, he said, people could pay their water bills on-line and not have to come to City Hall.

Councilman Irene Tidwell talked about attending the Municipal League’s winter session, saying there were a lot of classes on sales tax and annexation and she learned a lot, especially how things can now be done that used to be illegal. She told the rest of the council Rosston’s problems are minor in comparison to some faced by other cities.

Quarles said this is an opportunity to pass a sales tax to help run the city, adding only the businesses in the community would charge sales tax, should the measure pass.