Council to consider tax on all real property

The Benton City Council will have its regular monthly meeting at City Hall, 114 S. East Street, Monday evening.

The public is invited to attend. It will also be live-streamed from the city’s official Facebook page.

The council will consider an ordinance that would levy a tax on “all real and personal property in the City of Benton, Arkansas, for city general and the fireman’s pension and relief fund.

If the ordinance passes, the city would levy a tax of “2.8 mills on the dollar on real property and personal property” for the cities General Purpose fund and then a tax of “1.0 mills on the dollar on real property and personal property” for the Fireman’s Pension and Relief Fund.

The ordinance reads “This ordinance being necessary for the preservation of the peace, health and safety of the citizens of the City of Benton, Arkansas due to the need for funding to provide necessary services to the public and this ordinance shall be in full force and effect from and after its passage and approval.”

They will also consider another ordinance amend Ordinance 70 of 2021, which required the Benton Public Utility Commission to remit 5.8 percent of the gross revenues of public utilities to the city general fund.

This comes after the council voted against a utility rate increase at last month’s meeting.

If this ordinance passes, the rate that the Benton Public Utilities Commission pays to the city would be reduced. The reduction would be from 5.8 percent of gross revenues to 5.2 percent of gross revenues.

There is a resolution on the agenda that if passed, would authorize the city to enter into a settlement agreement with Brandi Wortham.

The resolution states that “Wortham filed a suit against the City of Benton, Arkansas related to several interactions she had with the Benton Police Department.”

It then states that “the city

has been defended by the Arkansas Municipal League, who recommended that the suit be settled, with the city’s contribution to the settlement be $10,000.”

According to court documents, Wortham filed a lawsuit claiming that the Benton Police Department violated her civil rights, in which the cause of action was the “failure to accommodate a deaf individual”.

In total, Wortham would receive $100,000 in the settlement, with the rest being paid by the Arkansas Municipal. League.

Other business:

•A resolution amending Resolution 87 of 2019

•A resolution amending the 2022 budget for the city

•An ordinance adopting the River Center Rules and regulations for the Benton Parks and Recreation Department

•A resolution authorizing the city to enter into a contract for the construction of the Ralph Bunche connector.

•A resolution declaring the certain property as surplus •An ordinance to further regulating nuisances in the city

•An ordinance revoking the conditional use granted for a licensed in-home daycare located at 2414 Red

Bud Cove.

•A resolution to place a certified lien against the property at 1719 Dixie Street

•An ordinance for a neighborhood traffic control program to minimize the impact of traffic in residential neighborhoods.

•An ordinance authorizing an increase for the local fire pension that consolidated into LOPFI.

•An ordinance rezoning 1925 River Street from heavy industrial to residential

•A resolution rezoning 910 North East Street from a residential single-family district to a neighborhood commercial.

•An ordinance providing for a conditional use for a multi-family building located at 417 West South Street.