Blevins City Council

BLEVINS – The Blevins City Council was called to order by the Mayor on October 7th at 7:00 pm. All board members were present with the exception of Councilman Cassidy. An opening prayer was offered by Barbara Patterson. The previous meeting minutes were read by Vickie Gray and accepted. The financial report was presented and the council approved the report. There was one $60.00 water adjustment that discussed and accepted.

The mayor recognized Jonathan (JJ) Bonner for his community spirit for the donation of his time and dozer work. This was to repair the bank erosion surrounding one of the city’s manholes adjacent to his property, near the Hillarosa stage area. The city council extends its gratitude.

The mayor clarified the City’s working relationship of Donny Lane as a contractor. The mayor had conflated “working for” with “doing work for” the city. “I had incorrectly stated that Mr. Lane was an employee of the city. To correct and clarify, Mr. Lane is a contractor doing work for the city. This misstatement wasn’t’ done with any aforethought of malice or any deliberate attempt to deceive. Appreciation was extended for Mr. Lanes clean-up of the truck and putting on the City of Blevins signs.”

The mayor apologized to the council and the citizens of Blevins for any concerns that may have arisen as a result of his misunderstanding and resultant statements. As a result, the mayor will be consulting our insurance provider to determine if a “contractor” can be covered under the automotive insurance policy while doing work for the city.

Ordinance 10-2025-1 was voted on and passed. This supersedes 9-2025-1 which had the correct verbiage but the incorrect dollar values in the table. The mayor apologized for his oversight of this pertinent detail. “Thanks to Jon Howell for pointing this out in a prior meeting and to Terri Steed for catching this before the billing went out. ‘The new ordinance has been posted in multiple locations in town.
The city is in need of a new Water Meter Reader. Shelby, the current meter reader has agreed to complete one more month of meter reading with the councils’ thanks. For those interested, call the city hall at 870-874-2312 and leave a voicemail.

The city’s application for a federal grant to remediate the wastewater facility is in progress, with successfully getting the UEI renewal application submitted. “Thanks to Kenny Hill for his invaluable assistance in this process.”

The sewer right of way maintenance progress was discussed. Erosion is still occurring, and different material will be required to prevent further erosion This is an ongoing process and repair methods are to be determined. Manhole location marking along the right of way have begun and the method of identification is being evaluated as to its effectiveness and durability vs cost of materials.
A new water meter is needed for the school. Two bids were considered for the
installation of the new meter and the bid by Campbell Walker Speciality LLC was voted on and accepted. The meter is tentatively scheduled for replacement during the school Thanksgiving break. The mayor will be consulting with the school superintendent for any concerns or conflicts in the temporary water supply disruption to the school.

A new City Of Blevins Work Order System was discussed and accepted by the council. This is for the protection of the city as well as the contractor so there is no
misunderstand as to the scope of work or the final cost that is to be incurred. It will also ensure that the work was successfully completed.

Several work orders were issued for: Priority replacement of the culverts at S East
Street and 2nd Street. The existing galvanized metal culverts have collapsed, causing water back up into the properties adjacent to this intersection. Work is scheduled and should be completed before the next expected rains if the weather forecast is correct.

Manhole repairs are scheduled for one across from the elementary school on Hwy. 29, and one across from Jordan Tire will get posts surrounding it to prevent damage from being run over. Work on Elm Street, clogged drainage culverts will be done. Future work will be required to repair road damage caused by erosion.

The mayor reminded everyone of the upcoming 5K Run/Walk for the Blevins Science Club this Saturday, October 11th. Sign In ends at 8:50 am and the race begins at 9:00 am. Also, the Blevins Fire Department will be hosting their 3rd Annual Fall Festival at the Fire Station, 207 College Street, on Saturday October 18th from 4:00 pm to 9:00 pm. Join in for Fun, Food and Community. See you there.

A motion was accepted to adjourn the meeting. Until further notice, Blevins City Council meets on the first Tuesday of every month. The next City Council Meeting will be November 4th at 7:00 pm.

John Moore
Mayor