State of the City speech is tonight

Casement consideration, lot sale procedure on Council’s agenda

Mayor Veronica Smith-Creer is expected to deliver the State of the City Address during an El Dorado City Council meeting at 5:30 p.m. today in the Council Chamber of City Hall.

Local residents will hear a report on how the city has fared throughout the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, city finances, what lies ahead for city projects and issues in 2021 and other topics, Smith-Creer has said.

Per state law, the duties of the mayor include a report, or State of the City Address, to the council about the municipal affairs of the city within the first 90 days of each year and a recommendation of “such measures as may seem advisable.”

Also on the agenda is a proposed resolution to formally establish a process by which cityowned lots are sold.

The issue has been ongoing since 2019 and a recent request to purchase three city-owned lots sparked a debate among city officials during their last regular meeting on March 4 and prompted them to revisit the matter.

El Dorado resident Antonio Traylor had asked to purchase lots at 721 School St., 1309 E. Cook St. and 711 Louisiana Ave.

Council Member Dianne Hammond opened up the discussion by issuing a reminder that during meetings in late 2020, the council agreed to advertise the properties to allow prospective buyers to bid on the lots and that council members would be presented with a list of available properties, including legal descriptions, for review when such requests are made.

Smith-Creer said the council has engaged in extensive discussions about the matter and questioned the benefits of advertising the properties since city officials favored giving preference to local residents, particularly adjacent property owners, who are interested in buying the lots and are more likely to maintain the lots than an absentee owner.

The mayor also said the council had talked about incorporating a proposal that had been submitted by Robert Edmonds, director of public works, into a draft resolution to formalize the sale process but that council members had not officially settled the matter.

Council Member Willie McGhee pointed to another consideration regarding at least one of the lots that Taylor wants to purchase, saying that several homeless people previously camped out on the lot in tents.

An initial motion to table to the matter was defeated by a vote of 4 - 3, with a tie-breaking vote cast by Smith-Creer.

Hammond and Council Members Paul Choate and Vance Willamson voted in favor of the motion and council members Andre Rucks, Willie McGhee and Mike Rice voted no, presenting a tie vote in the absence of council members Billy Blann and Judy Ward — both of whom were unable to attend the meeting.

Williamson then proffered a motion to proceed with the sale, provided that City Attorney Henry Kinslow draft a resolution spelling out the process by which cityowned lots are sold.

Last week, Kinslow followed up with an email that included a draft resolution, quitclaim deed and an Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration Real Property Tax Affidavit of Compliance form for the sale of the three properties.

Also included in the email was a proposed resolution that would require the city to:

• Place a “For Sale” sign on the lot, along with a phone number for a potential buyer to call and obtain information.

• Notify the public that the lot is for sale by placing an advertisement in the Public Notice section of the newspaper and provide the date for when bids will be opened. Bids should be placed with the Department of Public Works in City Hall. The ad shall include the minimum bid and a notification that the city reserves the right to refuse any and all bids.

• Follow standard operations for the city’s bid-opening procedures.

The proposed resolution will be presented during today’s council meeting.

Greg Harrison, chairman of the El Dorado-Union County Complex board of directors, is on the council’s agenda to discuss a donation of and an easement request for land on the south side of the complex, which is located on Champagnolle Road.

PotLatch Deltic is donating land to accommodate expansion at the facility and board members have asked the city to approve an easement so that PotLatch can access other property it owns in the area.

Harrison previously said the access road would come off Champagnolle near LifeTouch Hospice, which is adjacent to the complex.

Seating capacity for the council meeting will be limited to 25 people, including city officials and employees, in the Council Chamber. Face masks are required to enter City Hall.