Emmet City Council – Hope Prescott

The Emmet City Council met at City Hall on Thursday (9-19). All the council members were present. After the prayer and the pledge, the minutes from the previous month were approved.

Mayor Dale Brooker brought up the water rates and said the city is on a five-year plan. To break even in costs and to be in compliance, the rates need to be raised. A proposal was made to add $6.30 to rate after the first thousand gallons. The first thousand costs $23. This rate wouldn’t change. The total cost for the second thousand gallons would be $9.42. A council member raised the concern the increase might be too much. With children, a bill might be $50-60 but the concern of bills being in the hundreds would not be the case unless there was a water leak. With children the water usage might be 5-6,000 gallons total. One resident had a bill of $300 and paid it rather than getting it fixed.

The health department has given new rules. The line to the service meter must be replaced if it isn’t polyvinyl. Juan Aparicio just returned from the water conference in Hot Springs. One of the council members asked about copper and was told it isn’t allowed. Earlier the idea was the state was supposed to pay for the replacement costs now it seems the city has to cover it. The question was raised about older properties being grandfathered in as the cost of replacing so many pipes in the city would be prohibitive.

Mayor Brooker said the sewage ponds had to be checked and if the sludge was more than 6 inches deep they would have been drained and the sludge removed.

It was observed the city has been losing ground for 2 years with inflation. The mayor said the city reduces and cuts their expenses but then the state requires the city to make plumbing changes and makes new requirements on the sludge content of the sewage pond both of which will cost the city a lot of money.

Rosston has a 1 cent sales tax, which has helped the city tremendously. If a similar tax were passed in Emmett, it would apply to food trucks, the store and the wood mill as well as the Farmer’s Market.

There was a motion to have the water rate increase by $6.30. The motion passed.

For the sewer rate there was a motion of no change. Mayor Brooker said the city will have to turn the bookkeeping system upside down to comply with the new regulations. Water and sewer were together and the federal government wants them separated.

Mayor Brooker asked for $6,000 to be set aside out of the American Rescue Plan funds to pay for a new pump.

The status of the school, which was brought up during the last meeting, wasn’t on the agenda but needed to be. A motion passed to speak to an attorney about drawing up a formal arrangement passed. Hannah Hines had been given the opportunity to rebuild the school. She is having personal problems and may bring the issue up in the winter.

Mayor Brooker said he was running out of space to hold the old records. He doesn’t like to throw away the old records. A council member asked about digitalizing the old records, The mayor said that would cost a fair amount and when asked if it could be looked into he instead asked about a personal space to store the records suggesting the back room in the city hall as an option. A room would need be created through framing. The records are currently stored in the bathroom and closet. The expected cost would be $300-$400. A motion passed to allow the space to archive the records.

A desire was raised for improvements to the driveway going into the farmer’s market pavilion. The issue of the cost was raised which was expected to be considerable. It would require a new culvert, a couple of trees to be removed, and gravel. While the current entrance does work, the argument was raised that people come, are confused, and can’t figure out how to get to the pavilion. By opening it up, it would allow the elderly people to drive straight in and park in the grassy area.

A discussion ensued about taxes. It was noted it is up to the Farmers Market vendors to collect them. The city doesn’t get them directly, instead they are remitted to the state. It was noted not all vendors have to collect them.

Discussion came back around to a proposed sales tax. It was noted it is too late to get it on the ballot this year.

There is an Emmet Vision Association yard sale scheduled for October 6th and 7th weekend. There is also a cleanup. since the elderly are asked to help it is scheduled in cooler weather.

It was asked if the city help with clean up with removing suckers and rebar around the playset. The wood is rotted and the rebar presents a hazard. Vehicles could be brought in to pull them out. There are also crossties, which shrubs have grown up around attracting snakes. It was asked if the crossties could be removed away from the children’s play area as the creosote presents a safety hazard. The question was raised if the ties could be removed before the cleanup day. Mayor Brooker said the original intent for the ties was to provide a solid base, which would then be covered up. When asked if they could be moved, he said “yes” but seemed to prefer using them with the original intent. The cleanup day is October 19th. The last time it was held it lasted from 8am until 11am.

There will be a community trunk or treat on October 31st at the pavilion. This is seen as a safer opportunity than going to people’s houses both for those giving the candy and the children receiving it.

Preparations are being started for Christmas celebrations. The tree has always been put in the back corner of the chuck wagon. An outlet is needed to plug in the lights. There is no outlet in the chuck wagon. Mayor Brooker said there was no issue of getting an outlet.

The Chuck Wagon needs a lot of repairs. It is filled with nice hardwood floors that need to be fixed. The windowsills need to be repainted. Railings need to be put in. The flooring brace has rotted away and needs to be replaced. The back door also needs work. The Emmet Vision Association has discussed raising funds for the repairs. EVA has also expressed interest in buying it. It was noted to be sold it would have to be appraised and then auctioned.

McCaskill’s new community center was brought up having been paid for with a grant. Mayor Brooker said for the next ten years Emmet has zero chance of getting a grant because of the new “Low to Middle income” rating. He said the state could be petitioned for a new census count. The idea of annexation at the same time was raised.

Since people don’t like to reveal their income, the idea was raised about going door to door with a computer. Discussion ensued but it appears this method was not possible.

There was a motion to adjourned which passed.