In tonight's Hope City Board of Directors meeting, which can be seen up to the point of the called executive session below this story, City Manager Catherine Cook announced that analysis by her office had showed the city could cover an inflation-adjustment bonus for full- and part-time city employees without causing hardship to city finances.

After some discussion, the board then passed a motion for this bonus to be combined with a Christmas bonus. When the board went into executive session later in the meeting, the board voted to make Hope Police Chief and Assistant City Manager J.R. Wilson Interim City Manager. He will take office January 1, 2023 after City Manager Cook's retirement.

In arguing for the bonus, Cook said she was guided to present the case for such bonuses based on what Hempstead county officials had done in the most recent Quorum Court meeting and what Hope Power and Light had done as well to help their workers cope with inflationary costs.

After a motion died that would have provided $2250 to full- and $1,250 for part-time employees, the board voted in favor of a motion by Director Mark Ross to provide the inflationary bonus and the Christmas bonus in one payment of $2,500 to full- and $1,500 to part-timers, to be distributed as soon as the third week in November.

Following nearly an hour of executive session, the board returned and passed a motion by Director Trevor Coffee in favor of current Hope Police Chief and Assistant City Manager J.R. Wilson taking the position of Interim City Manager when current City Manager Catherine Cook leaves office December 31 of this year.

During the City Manager's Report, Cook announced the completion of the new signage at the Pavilion Park which is powered at night by stored solar energy. Then recounted what had been done recently in the Pocket Park in East Second Street, predicting the Park would be complete by the end of the year at a cost about $100,000 less than was projected. The projection had to be winnowed down when grant fund requests did not come through.

Fixes of the irrigation system at the Hub have been made, Cook said. The Arkansas Highway Department has not yet sent an email allowing the city to proceed to accept a bid on the Streetscape project but will likely do so soon.

At the Hope Municipal Airport, Bobo and Bain has taken down shrubbery on the property that had been obstructing water flow. Cook also announced that the grant request from Arkansas Department of Aeronautics had been successful for the remarking of the runway.

Mayor Don Still said Klipsch would be installing a speaker and bluetooth sound system at The Hub for use when the artificial ice rink will be set up there for skating starting at 5:00 p.m. Thursday, November 17. The system would be set up to be waterproof as well as theftproof. He thanked Klipsch for its contribution.

https://youtu.be/keHQCagr2rAHope City Board will begin at 7:00pm.