By LESLIE R. KENT | arkadelphian.com
Caddo Valley now has a full slate of councilmen with the appointment of Steven Collins approved Tuesday night, Oct. 15, 2024, by the existing city council. Collins was the only applicant for the job and follows the appointment of Roger E. Ward who was approved last month and sworn in Tuesday night.
Collins is a 1985 graduate of Bald Knob High School and received a BS degree in Engineering technology from UCA and a MBA degree in Business from Webster University, a private university in St. Louis, according to his application. Collins was not able to attend but appeared to be well known to other council members.
His application indicated he had served three terms on the Bald Knob City Council during which he chaired the Budget Committee and the Parks and Recreation Committee and served on the Street and Police committee. In addition to four terms as a director of the White County Chapter of the American Red Cross, Collins has been a sports official in the Arkansas Activities Association for 28 years. He is currently employed as Divisional Operations Manager for All Weather Insulated Panels in Little Rock.
Mayor Joe Jackson and Recorder/Treasurer Debbie Roberson presented a plan to hire an employee to oversee the daily activities of the water, street and wastewater departments. The departments would remain separate and would each contribute to the salary and benefits package.
The plan was apparently precipitated by an application from a person they felt would be able to cover all three departments. Roberson reviewed the application of 24-year-old Braxton Lee Bailey, who studied mechanics at College of the Ouachitas and has worked as a distribution operator for the James Kimzey Regional Water System in Malvern for more than five years. Roberson gave the council a long list of Bailey’s abilities that would align with the needs of the three departments, including mechanical repair skills, heavy equipment operations and brush clearing in addition to his experience in many areas of a water distribution system. The city will continue a contract with John Shuler who is a state licensed water and wastewater operator while the city works with Bailey to get the required licenses.
Mayor Jackson said when he interviewed Bailey he was impressed that the young man wanted to settle permanently in Caddo Valley and hoped to be a long term city employee.
With aging treatment plant, Human Development Center could connect to city sewer
Jackson reported that he had received a letter from a wastewater engineer inquiring about connecting the Arkadelphia Human Development facility on Lower Dam road to the city sewer system. The center is located near the end of the Caddo Valley’s sewer line. The state facility has an aging sewer treatment plant and has never been connected to the Caddo Valley sewer system.
The engineer, Tommy Bond, president of Bond Consulting Engineers, said in the letter that the sewer treatment plant was in need of extensive repairs and renovations. Bond asked the city to review its sewer system capacity and determine whether there was enough capacity to handle the center’s wastewater and what the rates would be. Apparently the state was in a similar predicament with the old sewer plant four years ago but was deterred by Caddo Valley’s sewer rates from connecting at that time.
Jackson told the council that the city’s engineering consultant, Michael Bowlin of Michael Bolin & Associates Inc. had verified there was more than enough capacity to handle the center’s effluent. Bolin reported that the connection would add about 57,000 gallons per day leave approximately 51,000 gpd of unused capacity. Jackson said that the state understood and had agreed it would have to maintain the pump station and pay all costs related to being connected to the Caddo Valley system. The center would likely be Caddo Valley’s largest customer. The council appeared to favor the proposal but Jackson said no council action was required at this time.
Police, fire updates
Police Chief Ashley Collier’s report to the council each month details 27 categories of department activity. The September report included, in part, 32 new court cases and citations, 26 traffic warnings, 1 felony and 1 DWI arrest, 4 accident calls, 17 reports taken and 35 miscellaneous calls answered. Chief Collier requested authorization to sell two surplus police vehicles, a Chevrolet Tahoe to the Water Department for $19,300 and a Ford Expedition to the Henderson State University Police Department for $17,500. Both requests were approved.
Fire Chief Chris Sparks reported his department assisted the Baptist Health ambulance twice and other fire departments once, and responded to one vehicle accident, one vehicle fire and one incident on the Caddo River for a total of 6 calls.
Plan for 911 merger under Caddo Valley review
The Mayor updated the council on his involvement in efforts to combine the Arkadelphia and Clark County emergency response call systems (911), a move mandated by state law. Jackson said he had attended two meetings held to consider the Interlocal Cooperation Agreement that would govern the combined 911 call system. He presented the council with the latest revision of the proposed agreement which he had just received and said the city attorney, Madeline Bennington, had not finished reviewing it. Jackson told the council he was outlining his concerns with the current version in a letter that would be sent to the county judge, Arkadelphia city manager and the mayors of Gurdon and Amity.
The version now being circulated considered names Clark County as the sole Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) for the 911 system, It creates a 9-member board with three members representing the county, three representing Arkadelphia and one each from Caddo Valley, Gurdon and Amity. The combined operation would be partially paid for by a 911 service charge paid on phone bills that are distributed by the state. The deficit after the state’s 911 Fund contribution, thought to be between $400,000 and $600,000 paid by the local participating governmental entities. The latest plan proposes the deficit to be paid as follows: Clark County 50%, Arkadelphia 40%, Caddo Valley 5%, Amity 2.5% and Gurdon 2.5%. Jackson told the council he would keep them updated after responses to his letter are received. Copies of the entire agreement should be available from the Clark County Clerk’s Office, Arkadelphia City Manager Gary Brinkley and the City Halls in Caddo Valley, Gurdon and Amity.
Council buys land ahead of looming deadline to spend ARPA funds
In reviewing the city finances Clerk/Treasurer Roberson pointed out that the city’s American Recovery Plan Act (ARPA) Fund account had a balance of $44,934.76 that had to be spent before Dec. 31. She offered several options for the use of ARPA funds including the purchase of tract of land adjacent to the city park. The council voted unanimously to purchase the land for $50,000 with the ARPA funds and to pull the balance from Dewey Russell funds.
ARPA funds were provided by The American Recovery Plan Act, which was signed by President Biden on March 11, 2021. District 4 U.S Congressman Bruce Westerman, along with his fellow Arkansas Representatives voted against the American Recovery Plan Act.
An ordinance to authorize the city’s five mill tax on real and personal property in the city limits for another year was reviewed and passed by the council. Also approved was a motion to grant $300 incentive pay to all full time staff with part time staff to receive a prorated amount.
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