After Mayor Don Still brought the meeting to order, Wilson said the invocation. Following the pledge of allegiance and the approval of the minutes from the first November regular meeting, Wilson presented the 2024 budget proposal, copies of which were given to directors two weeks ago.
The city’s proposed budget for 2024 totals $18,527.557. In Budget Notes, Wilson and the staff attribute the large size to capital projects including a wastewater dredging and overflow project ($3.4 million), an American Rescue Plan Act funded ultraviolet disinfection project ($650,000), a Federal Aviation Administration-funded Runway Safety Project ($1.4 million) and a landfill remediation project mandated by the Arkansas Department of Environment Quality that the city will have to fully pay for ($500,000).
The budget also includes a five percent cost of living adjustment for full-time employees, 2.5 percent for permanent part-time employees. The city will have to pay the same cost for Arkansas Public Employees Retirement System as in 2023, but the contribution to Arkansas Local Police and Fire Retirement System rose to 24 percent from 23.5 percent.
Wilson said in the coming year the board will need to consider increases for wastewater and sewer rates to keep up the same level of service and to help fund the wastewater dredging and overflow project as well as the landfill remediation project.
About an hour passed as Wilson and then City Finance Director Cindy Clark went through about 40 pages of printouts consisting of the breakdown of spending and revenues for the respective departments as directors asked for further explanation of particular spending or revenue lines. A few corrections were made and pledges given to provide additional information as it emerges. Among some new expenses will be an upgraded cybersecurity system for the city’s networks and the replacement of many computers with newer refurbished ones. The budget was not passed in this meeting but Wilson said it will need to be passed by January.
In the next item, there was discussion of a request by Jonathan Crossley, Superintendent of Hope Public Schools, to change an animal control ordinance to allow Hope High School to keep an assortment of livestock animals within the city limits for use in the school’s agricultural education program. Directors opted to table voting on this until after hearing from residents living around the area of Fourteenth Street and the Strong Addition that might be affected by this decision.
The city approved the rezoning of a lot on Commerce Street requested by its owner, from I-1 Heavy Industrial to C-2 Highway Commercial. The city’s Planning and Zoning Commission had voted to recommend this change.
In the City Manager’s Report, Wilson reported the Sixth Street project is now finished. He suggested the board of directors could vote on providing a $1,000 bonus for full-time city employees and $500 for permanent part-time employees. ARPA funds were available, Wilson to cover the cost. The directors voted in favor of the motion by Director Trevor Coffee to award bonuses and will vote again in the next meeting to pass resolution confirming the bonuses.
Wilson broke the news that during meetings with FAA local managers, he’d learned that the city needed to get explicit permission from the FAA before closing the Hope Municipal Airport for recreational activities lest the discretionary funds the FAA provides to the airport be removed as penalty. Wilson said if a promotion of aviation was provided as part of the events, the FAA might be more disposed to approve a partial close of the airport. This may affect the city’s options for planning its activities related to the April 8th total eclipse, he said.
Director Reginald Easter asked GIS/Airport Manager Darrell Allan about the progress of lumber being harvested from airport land. Allan said of Weyerhauser’s work there, “They’re doing more than they thought they would going to be able to do,” referring to the amount of timber the company is harvesting. Wilson said the amount the airport would receive from Weyerhauser had not been added to the 2024 budget. Director Montgomery asked if the city could borrow those funds from the airport to help pay for the landfill remediation project. Wilson said it could be done as long as the city paid a current market amount of interest.
Director Kiffinea Talley asked about in-town deer hunting. Wilson said permits to do so are provided at City Hall. Hunters seeking the permit will need permission from landowners before hunting on private property. The ordinances governing in-town hunting can be seen on the city’s website.
After Wilson’s report, Hope-Hempstead County Economic Development Executive Director Anna Powell announced that a Dollar General will be using the location that had originally been used by Stage. She said she had received many calls asking what business was going to be locating there.
Powell also said Hope Baking Company and the Arkansas Economic Development Commission would be making an announcement December 11th at the bakery and that a press release will go into greater detail later.