Mayor Ottis Otwell at the Thursday, May 21st Emmet City Council meeting began the session with an explanation regarding a missing receipt tied to the city’s 2024 audit, telling council members and visitors that the issue involved a plaque purchased recognizing work on Fireman’s Park by Joanne Muldrow.

A video of the meeting, with an interview of Mayor Otwell afterward, is available below this article.

Otwell said the city had received notice from the Arkansas Legislative Joint Auditing Committee that one receipt remained missing from the audit paperwork and that the matter had to be resolved before the end of the month to avoid possible problems with state funding.

“We got it on short notice,” Otwell said. “We have been trying to conclude our 2024 audit of the books. After diligently searching everywhere, we finally found out from the auditor that it was a receipt, one receipt for an expenditure missing.”

Otwell explained that the receipt involved plaques that had been purchased, including one honoring Muldrow. City Recorder/Treasurer Rosalind McBride told the council that three plaques had been purchased.

Otwell said the council and city officials held a special called meeting earlier this month to address the issue and the council agreed the expenditure had been legitimate despite the missing paperwork.

“We were all in unison that it had been proven beyond a doubt it was just an error after so many thousand transactions that occurred,” Otwell said.

He said McBride prepared a letter explaining the situation to state auditors and that Deputy Auditor Joseph Archer later informed the city the letter had been accepted.

“He immediately said that he appreciated the promptness with which we responded, that the letter was sufficient,” Otwell said.

The council also approved a phased increase of $5 now and an option for an additional $5 increase later in monthly city trash pickup fees. Otwell told the council the city needed additional revenue to maintain reserve funds for eventual truck replacement and rising maintenance costs.

“We’ve got to do it,” Otwell said. “If we don’t, we’re going to face a catastrophe one day without enough of a reserve fund.”

Council members discussed possible increases ranging from $3 to $10 monthly before settling on an initial $5 increase with the possibility of another increase later.

Council member Sherri Dowings suggested easing residents into the higher rate. “I think we should do it in increments,” Dowings said, “instead of all at once.”

Council members also approved changes to names authorized on the city’s bank accounts at Bank of Delight and approved adding Sherri Dowings to the Snell Cemetery Board, replacing the late Dale Booker.

The council then returned to old business concerning a proposed $600 payment requested by Joanne Muldrow for assistance preparing a Great Strides grant application tied to a proposed walking park project.

Discussion centered on whether the city should pay the grant-writing expense up front or only after receiving funding.  Councilman Maurice Grant suggested allowing the grant application to proceed while delaying payment unless the grant succeeded. Emmet Vision Association member Deanna Allen explained that grant writers generally require payment in advance.

“No one is going to write the grant and put in their work and effort [without payment]” Allen said. “You have to pay for her to write the grant.”

McBride said officials with Southwest Arkansas Planning and Development had informed her some grant-writing costs could be built into grant awards for smaller communities.  Council members eventually decided to table the matter, despite discussion that delaying action would likely postpone the grant application for another year because of the approaching deadline, which falls on May 30^th.  The grant would have helped fund improvements to Fireman’s Park’s Walking Trail.

The council next discussed proposed memorial placards recognizing former Mayor Dale Booker. Otwell said he wanted a memorial placard placed beneath Booker’s photograph in the city office as well as possibly the storm shelter.

“The man accomplished something that had never been accomplished before, being voted in as many years as he was as mayor of this town,” Otwell said. “I think his memory deserves a little bit of the extra expenditure that we put on it.”

McBride reminded Otwell the council had previously approved the project but awaited a report as to its cost.

Council members also suggested notifying residents through mailed letters explaining the reasons for the increase.

Discussion later turned to city election procedures and ward representation after Maurice Grant asked about voting arrangements involving residents in the town, part of which is in Hempstead County, with the largest section in Nevada County.

City Recorder and Treasurer Rosalind McBride explained that Emmet currently operates under an at-large election system in which council members must live in their respective wards, but all city voters may vote for every council seat. McBride said the city had never formally acted to change the existing arrangement.

“If you are currently at large and wish to continue to be at large, there’s nothing that you have to do,” McBride confirmed.

Allen then delivered a report on activities by the EVA community organization, highlighting successful recent fundraisers including a yard sale and Ladies Night Out event. She said proceeds of an upcoming sale of raffle tickets for a prize between $1,500 and $2,000 cash would help fund the city’s July 3 Independence Day celebration featuring fireworks, music and children’s activities. She also updated the council on improvements to the community message board.

Otwell followed Allen’s report with remarks reflecting on EVA’s history and its role in decorating the town and organizing community activities over the years. He named past members and noted he had been a member himself.

He made clear that EVA had always operated as a non-political organization separate from city government.  “If EVA does something, it should be EVA and EVA alone.”

Dee Clark next presented the May report on the Emmet Farmers Market (of which she is manager), thanking city workers for quickly clearing a fallen tree so vendors could continue using the pavilion.

Clark reported the market, in the Fireman’s Park Pavilion that Thursday morning, had included 10 vendors, five of them new this year, and averages between 20 and 25 customers weekly. She said farmers routinely report stronger sales in Emmet than at the market in Hope.

The council also approved plans to improve access into Fireman’s Park by extending a road across an existing culvert. Otwell said the additional entrance would improve access for events such as the city’s July celebration and help food vendors navigate into the park more easily.

The council approved moving forward with the project.

Near the close of the meeting, a speaker informed the council that 14 volunteer firefighters and first responders had recently completed CPR training.

After adjourning the regular session, the council entered executive session. Following that closed-door meeting, Otwell briefly addressed those remaining.

“I am here to inform you that our executive meeting concerning personnel and salaries was a joyful meeting,” Otwell said. “Everybody was in agreement about the outcome, and I know that we represented the people, taxpayers, very well.”