City plans funding request to improve streets

To make better headway in repairing city streets, the El Dorado City Council Finance Committee is proposing to tap into a one-cent city sales tax that is partially earmarked for municipal infrastructure improvements.

During a meeting Thursday, council members agreed to present a $5 million funding request to the El Dorado Works Board to augment the city’s annual budget for street improvements.

The board administers the El Dorado Works tax, a temporary tax which went into effect in 2015 and is expected to generate at least $50 million over its 10-year life.

Thirty-two percent of collections is appropriated for public works projects, including streets, water, wastewater and other projects that are associated with improving municipal property.

Council Member Judy Ward broached the topic about city streets Thursday, echoing statements that have been made by other council members who have said they frequently hear complaints from El Dorado residents about the condition of city streets.

Ward said suggested the council approach the EWB with a funding request to beef up the 2020 street budget and to develop a “solid” street improvement plan.

She said she had spoken with Robert Edmonds, director of public works, about the matter and learned that fellow Council Member and Finance Committee Chairman Vance Williamson had already made a similar suggestion to Edmonds.

“I think we should ask for $5 million, put that money in the budget for next year and divide

it equally between each ward. That would give us $1.5 million for streets in each ward,” Ward said.

The city’s has an average annual budget of $1 - $1.2 million for street improvements that cost approximately $185,000 per street.

Ward also said she had already spoken to Greg Downum, chairman of the EWB, about the proposal, which has been placed on the agenda for the next EWB meeting at 5:15 p.m. Tuesday in the second-floor conference room of City Hall.

“I think it would be a good showing on our part if as many of us attend the meeting as we can. If they approve this funding, it’s going to come to the city council for a vote,” Ward said.

Funding requests that are approved by the EWB are forwarded to the council for a final vote.

Council Member Paul Choate said he had planned to make the same request during an El Dorado City Council meeting that immediately followed the Finance Committee meeting Thursday.

“(The Freedom of Information Act) keeps us from having these cross conversations. I’ve been having the same conversations,” Choate said.

Adding the $5 million — if it is approved by the EWB — to the 2020 budget will allow time to identify the streets that are in most need of repair, Ward said.

Edmonds has said that main thoroughfares are given top priority and crews then work their way to feeder and side streets, he said.

“We look at the condition of the street and traffic volume,” he has said, explaining that streets with the least amount of traffic are placed lower on the priority list.

Twenty-two streets and a culvert replacement on 13th Street are included on the 2019 street improvement list for El Dorado.

Street improvements began in April on Cedar between West and Newton avenues and moved on to Elm between Newton and Bradley avenues. West Oak, also between Newton and Bradley, followed.

Street repairs have also been done in Ward Three so far this year.

On Thursday, Edmonds said inclement weather has affected the pace of the work and he said crews will not reach some streets on the list this year.

He told council members that the Department of Public Works is purchasing new equipment with software with censors that will be able to gauge the condition of city streets as workers drive over them.

“Each time they run over a street, it will give us an update on the condition of that street and it’ll be color-coded,” Edmonds said.

He also said several cities in Northwest Arkansas are already using the software.

Council Member Willie McGhee said he was impressed with the capabilities that come with the software, noting that he has long said city employees who are out and about each day can take note of such issues that they see around the city.

Edmonds said the equipment could possibly be installed by next week and enough data could be collected by early 2020 to begin developing a street improvement plan.

“When you get the streets done, the question will be what’s underneath there?” Edmonds said, explaining that crews often encounter issues below the roadbed.

He said later that the El Dorado Water Utilities can help prioritize streets in the 2020 street plan.

Several years ago, city officials and the EWU agreed to coordinate annual schedules for repairs amid complaints about several instances in which the EWU bore into city streets for water and wastewater repairs after the streets had been resurfaced.

“I told Judy Ward I support this. I know we’ve put a lot of street projects behind to work downtown,” McGhee said, referring to street and other infrastructure improvements the city has made to complement the development of the Murphy Arts District.

The grand opening for MAD was held in the fall of 2017.

Software improvements

The Finance Committee also agreed to approach the EWB for $34,000 to upgrade the city’s accounting software system, switching from InCode to CenterPoint Fund Accounting software.

City officials have said CenterPoint is more user-friendly and efficient.

Stacy Scroggins, of Emrich and Scroggins, said a majority of cities around the state use CenterPoint.

City Treasurer Bonnie Wyles added that state legislative auditors “do not like InCode.”

Scroggins said Emrich and Scroggins has assisted the EWU in setting up CenterPoint and EWU workers who are trained to use the software can help other departments

learn to use the system — which could help reduce costs.

He said Emrich and Scroggins is proposing to help with installation.

Scroggins quoted prices of $27,500 for setup and implementation and $22,500 for ongoing oversight.

Scroggins said he could present harder numbers once the number of users in City Hall has been confirmed, noting that the the final tally could be significantly less than $53,000.

Council members said the $34,000 would jumpstart the upgrade in the last quarter of the year and the remainder can be budgeted for 2020.

Wyles said annual fees for InCode are paid through June and Scroggins recommended that the city run parallel accounting programs as CenterPoint is installed and employees adapt to the new program.