Nevada County Judge Mike Otwell addressed the Emmet City Council Thursday about a 3/4-cent sales tax that will be on the May 13th ballot for the county’s citizens.  

He began by explaining some history, that 11 years ago a sales tax of one cent was passed by Nevada Countians which went toward building a jail.  The jail will be paid for next month, Otwell said.  While one-quarter cent of the tax passed then will continue, the other 3/4 cent will expire. 

The upcoming election will allow voters to decide whether that 3/4 cent tax can continue to be collected by the county after October.  Otwell listed what that tax would fund.  

“It can be used for much needed services in the county, whether it be the landfill which is definitely going to have to have some TLC on it,” he said.  For the landfill, Otwell said the cost to get it up to state-mandated standards will likely cost between $250 and $300,000.

He also said the Nevada County Courthouse has a leaky roof.

Otwell brought up an example of typical beverage purchase to illustrate that no new tax is being levied. “If you go down to the store right now, buy a Coke, if you can still get one for $1. Let's say it was $1. You'll pay $1.09. If this passes, it's still going to be $1.09.”

About 60 percent of the collections from the current tax, Otwell said, come from the I-30 truck stops and convenience stores. He said this information came from Nevada County Economic Development Director Mary Godwin. “And we’ve got a new truck stop; it's about to get started on. There's another gas station … they'll be done probably another couple months.”

Justice of the Peace Tommy Poole, who represents District 9, which includes Emmet, on the Nevada County Quorum Court said, “There’s going to be a snowball effect if we don’t [pass the sales tax]. We start getting mandated to fix the courthouse, fix the landfill. We’re going to come in now to try to pass a millage increase. People are going to turn their nose up at it and it probably won’t pass anyway.”

Emmet Mayor Dale Booker said, “Yeah, we’re going pay it one way or another.”

“If somebody is willing to pay 2/3 of your bill, why not accept it?” Otwell said, referring to the amount of the sales tax it is estimated that I-30 travelers pay.  He said he knew of elderly folk in the southern part of the county living on $810 a month. If the sales tax passes, he said he would still be able to fix their culverts and their roads whether they spend money in Nevada County or not.

Poole told the council that as their county representative he was available at any time to address their concerns. “I’m here to fight for all of you,” he said. “That’s my job.”

Otwell cited census figures and explained what they meant for Nevada County’s current tax base. “Population in Nevada County used to be better than 16,000; now it's barely over eight. We used to have a little over 135 businesses in Nevada County … So our tax revenue coming in is dwindling. Hopefully, keep pushing, get some more business out there. Hopefully we have some pretty good ones out there on I-30. If that takes place … I would love to see us say, ‘Okay, we’ve got plenty of tax money coming in. Now, let's rescind what we had to do before.’ I would love to see that day, but right now, we are not there.”

After presiding over the approval by the council of the minutes from the February meeting, Mayor Booker then brought up new business. First a draft ordinance was approved to set the date of city council meetings as convening on the same date and time as usual, third Thursdays at 7:00 p.m. at city hall. 

Next, Booker asked for approval to have an ordinance drafted to be brought back next month that would raise water tap fees from $800 to $850 for a 5/8 inch meter, with $1,100 for a one inch meter and $2,500 for a two-inch meter. He received that approval.

Next came an ordinance setting the sewer tap fee at $900, a raise from $800, also approved.

A motion to set the reconnection fee to $45, which is what reconnection costs currently, was also approved. 

Booker also asked for a $2.50 charge per resident for sanitation charge to help buy a garbage truck. This was also approved.  County residents pay that rate for garbage pickup. 

Another ordinance whose draft came from the Municipal League would allow for city employees to have a credit card in the name of the city rather than using personal credit cards.  The cards would likely be provided by the Bank of Delight and would come from one account. Cash advances on the credit card would not be allowed.

Council member Rob Clark brought up the issue of what happens if a city employee has no receipt for the credit card purchase as well as wording in the ordinance that specified only one card. 

Mayor Booker agreed with Clark to make changes so the ordinance will reflect a request for four cards and specific credit limits for each city employee’s position. Recorder/Treasurer Rosalind McBride confirmed she would change this language.  The mayor’s card would have a $2,000 limit, with the other three positions limited to $1,000. A motion to make these changes to the ordinance was unanimously passed.

The ordinances will have to be read at two more meetings before a vote to adopt can be taken.

Booker told the council that the state elections commission required that Emmet’s voting precinct have six poll workers. He asked the council for names of persons interested in taking on this role.  They must be over 18, a registered voter and live in Nevada County.  If the state shuts down the Emmet precinct, it would likely merge with the Laneburg precinct.

Deanna Allen of Emmet Vision Association said market manager of the Emmet Farmers Market would be Dee Clark.  Six members at a committee meeting agreed to set a meeting for growers to sign paperwork to assume liability.  The season will begin Thursday, May 1st, a bit earlier than last year.  The Farmers Market account has $387.18 in its account. Allen said two 10 X 12 screens will be purchased to help screen out sunlight at a cost of $30 each, plus about $5 for screws. She asked that the city reimburse for this purchase.

Vendor fees will be $50 to reserve a spot.  The EVA voted to discontinue accepting payments through the SNAP program because the rental cost for the machine, at $20 a month, was more than the reimbursement EVA received for those who paid with SNAP cards.  

“Maybe people felt like there was a stigma to it, because they have to come to the table, give us their card, we run it through the machine, and we give them coins. So when they go to the vendor, they pay with coins. So we felt like maybe people felt it was a stigma. That's why they didn't actually take part in it. Maybe if they could have paid with their card and it just looked like a credit card, it would have gone over better. But we just didn't feel like we had enough participation to go in the hole,” Allen said.

The council passed a motion to allow for city reimbursement for the purchase of the sun screens.

Numbers of members of EVA are diminishing due to move-aways and illnesses, Allen said. “We've got to have some new membership to be able to continue what we're doing. One of the things that we did vote on is we are going to do our fundraiser this year to be the 50-50 split drawing, the ticket drawing like we did two years ago. We're going to go back to that, and we will have our drawing on Friday, July the 4th.”

Allen said more parking will be available this year next to Emmet United Methodist Church to help separate traffic from where people are walking. The door on the chuck wagon also has been replaced. Signage to indicate Farmers Market Parking was also requested as well as lighting to be used during July 4th events. 

Clark requested that a dead limb be trimmed.  

JoAnn Muldrew presented a grant opportunity from the Arkansas Department of Parks Heritage and Tourism for $250,000 in no-match funding for a quarter-mile trail.  Muldrew asked for approval to apply and said there would a community meeting to hear citizen input. Mayor Booker said the city should compensate Muldrew in the event the grant application is successful. 

Several at the meeting volunteered to be poll workers, amounting to nearly ten people according to McBride’s count. 

Booker also said an ordinance will be coming in the future allowing the water superintendent to collect fees from residential customers for services. 

The meeting, having gone on for nearly an hour, adjourned.