Council halts late fees on water bills, talks police rezoning

FAYETTEVILLE — The City Council on Tuesday halted late fees or cutting off utility service for people experiencing hardship during the pandemic, and a discussion about the zoning for a planned police headquarters went late in the night.

The council agreed 8-0 to halt cutting off utility service or implementing late fees for residents who cannot make payments because of reasons related to the covid-19 pandemic. The move covers water and sewer service and recycling and trash, which appear together on a resident’s bill. Security deposits also would be waived for new customers who don’t have the money.

The measure will be in effect until Gov. Asa Hutchinson rescinds his emergency declaration related to the pandemic. At that point, the city staff will work with customers to try to recoup overdue payments over time.

Mayor Lioneld Jordan implemented the same move in March at the onset of the pandemic under emergency powers granted to him by the City Council. Those powers have since expired, prompting the measure before the council.

Chief Financial Officer Paul Becker said the water and sewer fund has sufficient money to cover the potential revenue loss.

Council members supported the item without discussion. Jordan said he saw the move as a small way to help people who need assistance during the pandemic.

An item before the council to rezone land at Porter Road and Deane Street to an institutional zone, which typically is a zone intended for government buildings, also was on the agenda. The city bought the 12 acres from the University of Arkansas System’s Division of Agriculture for $2.59 million earlier this year for the police campus and new fire station.

The site will include the main police station, indoor firing range, garages and storage buildings. The project stems from a $37 million bond issue voters approved a year ago to replace the current police station at Rock Street downtown.

City Council members were shown concepts this summer of a proposed layout of the site. Some members expressed concerns over how the site would address the street and design for an overhaul of the intersection.

The next step following rezoning is site design, Development Services Director Garner Stoll said. Staff sought rezoning first, which would set standards for building setbacks, grading requirements and other elements related to the design.

Police Chief Mike Reynolds said police buildings have unique needs pertaining to security, which the institutional zoning would allow without variances to code.

Discussion went past 9:30 p.m. About 20 members of the public spoke to the council, with support and opposition split. Residents who supported the rezoning asked the council to get the development process moving. Those opposed expressed concerns with the effect of the zoning and subsequent police headquarters to nearby neighborhoods. Public engagement over the project and the rezoning item also was brought up several times.

The council also passed a nonbinding resolution encouraging landlords to work with tenants adversely affected during the pandemic. Council Member Kyle Smith introduced a measure weeks ago to prohibit landlords from enacting late fees, but pulled the item after City Attorney Kit Williams advised the council such a move likely was illegal.

In other business, the council held an item for two weeks dealing with applying hate crimes language to misdemeanor offenses. The measure as drafted used language in state code for civil procedures dealing with hate offenses. Arkansas doesn’t have hate crime legislation in criminal code.

Council Member Teresa Turk sponsored the item, pointing out Arkansas is one of three states without hate crime legislation. Williams said adopting the measure would allow the city prosecutor to present evidence pertaining to a hate crime while prosecuting a misdemeanor. The maximum penalties associated with the misdemeanor offenses wouldn’t change, he said.