By JOE MAY | The Southern Standard

Long-time Arkadelphia fireman Andy Neel was promoted May 7, 2024, as the city’s newest fire chief.

Neel, who was serving as assistant chief, succeeds Jason Hunt, who resigned in January.

As his family and department members looked on, Neel’s wife, Heather, pinned his chief’s bars on his uniform. Addressing the board, Neel thanked directors for the “honor and privilege of serving” and said he is excited about leading the department that he has served for 26 years. He also noted that after years of being away from home every third night, he will now be able to come home each evening.

City Manager Gary Brinkley characterized Neel as “a home-grown leader who loves the department.” Mayor Scott Byrd agreed, calling Neel “very dedicated.”

The board then turned its attention to police matters, with Brinkley noting that the 2024 budget included raises for APD employees as the department’s pay scale was below that of other agencies.

“We lost a whole shift — that’s four officers — to other departments” due to low pay, the city manager said. To make up for this, he said the board agreed to raise officer salaries by $10,000 and those of dispatchers and administrators by $5,000.

Police Chief Jason “Shorty” Jackson addressed the board, saying he wanted to publicly thank the directors for the pay raises, which will enable him to better recruit and retain officers.

In other matters, Brinkley said state auditors have asked the board to formally put in writing its long-time practice of longevity pay, to wit: $100 for 10-year employees, $150 for 15-year workers, and $200 for those staying 20 years. At the motion of Assistant Mayor Roland Gosey and Director Jason Jones, the motion carried.

In other business, the board:

• Approved the HeadStart sublease of the Family Community Enrichment Center.

• Accepted a bid of $7,000 from McKenzie Construction to demolish a condemned home at 1516 Logan St. at the motion of Jones and Director Chris Porter.

• Approved a sign on the right-of-way for North Ridge Estates at the motion of Jones and Porter.

• Agreed to purchase two F-250 trucks for the water department and the street department.

• Voted at the motion of Gosey and Jones to replace the 15th Street bridge over Mill Creek due to a crumbling headwall. The cost of the replacement will be $152,492, of which $150,000 will be covered from funds provided from another source. It was said at the meeting that completion of the bridge project should happen within about 60 days.

• Held a brief executive session to discuss Brinkley’s performance. No action was announced.