Pea Ridge council suspends water disconnections

PEA RIDGE — Meeting in an abbreviated City Council meeting March 17, city officials approved an ordinance to help with the relief effort with the pandemic outbreak of covid-19 changing the Water/Wastewater Department’s policy to disconnect service for non-payment.

“With covid 19 and people having to stay home … with children home, not being paid being home, issues for shut offs for water, don’t want to shut off water just for non payment of water bills,” Mayor Jackie Crabtree told council members. He said other utilities are offering similar services. “This is just something that is the right thing to do as far as we’re concerned.”

Council members approved the final plat for Hazelton Heights Phase 1 and approved the emergency clause.

Crabtree told the council the Planning Commission had met March 16 and approved the plat.

The meeting wasn’t announced to the media, nor the public, but was asked for by the developer and discussed with Planning Commission members after the March 3 commission adjourned.

In other business, the council:

• Approved Ordinance 663 allowing the use of high-performance polypropylene pipe for storm drainage pipes

• Approved transfer of $80,000 from impact fees to pay off the loan for City Hall.

Crabtree shared an ordinance for a sales tax and said although a special meeting for the end of March had originally been considered, it is postponed indefinitely because of the shutdowns.

The meeting lasted 17 minutes.