City reports higher revenues

EL DORADO — City revenues are up for the first few months of 2017, and while city officials are hopeful, they are are still exercising caution.

Alderman Dianne Hammond, head of the city’s Finance Committee, has advised city officials and department heads to compare this year’s numbers to those of 2015.

Revenues dropped in 2016, leading to a $1 million shortfall in the 2017 city budget.

So far this year, tax collections in each category are outpacing collections from the same time period of 2015.

Revenues are 9 percent higher for the city’s 1/4cent sales tax and the one-cent El Dorado Works tax, compared to the same time period of 2015.

The rates are 2 percent higher each for collections on the Union County-wide taxes, including the one-cent sales tax and the one-cent solid waste and capital improvement sales tax.

“It’s trending up, but it’s not solid yet,” Mayor Frank Hash said during a Finance Committee meeting on Friday.

Hammond had asked representatives from various city departments about their capital expenditure needs versus wants.

Because of the budget crunch, city officials have suspended capital spending until they have a better idea of how revenues will track for the year.

Representing the El Dorado Police Department, Capt. Michael Leveritt said the department usually replaces four to five new police cars per year. “This year, we need at least three,” he said.

As city officials looked for ways to cut the 2017 budget, they focused on Lions Club Municipal Golf Course, which experienced a revenue loss of $170,000 in 2016.

Inclement weather — extreme heat and rain — and an economic recession reportedly kept players away from Lions Club last year.

City officials have also said recently that reports of personality conflicts between some players and

former Lions Club professional Michael Hoelzer also played a role in the drop in play last year.

Hoelzer’s contract with the city expired on March 31. The El Dorado Parks and Playgrounds Commission had decided two months earlier not to renew the contract.

The commission settled on the cheaper alternative of hiring a golf course manager.

Danny Carelock, a longtime, active member of the golf course, has been selected to serve as interim manager until a permanent candidate is hired.

On Friday, Robert Edmonds, director of public works, said “play is up substantially” at Lions Club so far this year.

Revenue for March totaled $12,215, he said.

“For the entire fourth quarter (of 2016) revenues were $13,000, $14,000,” Edmonds said. “I think things are going in the right direction out there.”

Alderman Willie McGhee said he has also heard positive reports about activity at the golf course within the sat few weeks.

McGhee suggested that the city form a “community committee” to allow players and other interested parties to share ideas on how to promote the golf course and continue to boost play there.

Public works

Edmonds and Mayor Frank Hash said another city facility is getting plenty of use, telling the committee that people are renting the El Dorado Municipal Auditorium “practically every day.”

The 60-year-old facility underwent a $5.7 million renovation last year.

Hash said the city is still grappling with contractor EastHarding

Construction on issues with the air and heating units and fire alarm system and has not yet taken possession of the building from East-Harding.

“But it’s really, really popular,” Hash said of the auditorium.

The discussion led to another matter within the department of public works.

Hash and Edmonds said crews are stretched thin with core city services and work that is related to events around the city, including the auditorium.

“They’re setting up for events, they’re setting up stages, and it’s going to get more and more intense,” Hash said, referring to the El Dorado Arts and Entertainment District that is under construction in the city’s downtown.

A public works employee recently filled in to drive the city trolley bus for a group tour when the regular driver had another work-related obligation, Hash said.

The mayor also noted that city crews often work on weekends, and Edmonds said the work is coming out of the overtime budget for the public works department.

“Can’t we charge for this stuff?” Aldermen Billy Blann asked.

Hash said users pay fees that cover the cost of the services.

He and other aldermen stressed that manpower is pulled away from basic public works projects, such as street repairs.

“People need their time off is what he’s saying,” Hammond told Blann.

Blann asked if work schedules could be adjusted to allow some employees to work a Wednesday — Sunday shift.

“We can schedule them, but we’ve got to have people right now to perform street work. We may have to hire a couple of more people,” Edmonds said. “Twelve to 15 years go, it was MusicFest and a couple of other things. Now, it’s just about every weekend.”

Cemetery sexton

In other business, the city cut ties with its longtime cemetery sexton, who reportedly declined an offer from the city of $500 per quarter.

Burney Wilson, who had serves as sexton for Woodlawn Cemetery for 23 years, had requested a contract for services for $500 per month.

Wilson said the work he does on behalf of the city and local funeral homes often includes usage of his personal vehicle and cellular phone.

Hash previously said he felt the amount was too high, noting that since 2006, the most Wilson had been paid was $3,700 in 2008.

The lowest amount since that time was $1,215 in 2016.

City officials said work for the sexton has declined over the years since there are no longer any plots available for sale in Woodlawn.

Hash said he previously presented the counter-offer of $500 per quarter, and Wilson declined.

Last month, Hammond said she would speak with Wilson again about the mayor’s counter-offer, and on Friday, she said Wilson again turned it down.

Since January, Wilson has submitted invoices of $500 per month. He was paid the amount in January and in February.

The January invoice did not detail the services rendered by Wilson, Hammond said.

Services listed for February included a one-hour call that was directed to him from Hash’s office, a trip to the cemetery to mark a grave and a return trip to make sure the grave was completed.

Hash said Friday that someone else has agreed to perform the service for the city.