Council approves town budget
New position budgeted
GARFIELD — A city budget of $265,400 was approved by three of the four aldermen Tuesday, Jan. 17. Mayor Gary Blackburn said the city will transfer $22,000 from one of the savings accounts to balance the budget which shows $240,000 in income.
“The revenue obviously has to balance to the expenses,” Blackburn said.
The 2017 budget includes a raise for the city recorder-treasurer who also is the water clerk, hiring an office assistant and purchasing a generator ($9,000), a side arm mower for the tractor ($8,000) and line detection equipment for the Water Department for $9,000. The budget reflects $16,500 for equipment.
The elected recorder-treasurer will be paid $14,108 from the general expenses and $9,350 from the Water Department for a total salary of $23,458, according to the 2017 budget.
The mayor did not request a raise for his salary. Alderman Terry Warren said he had contemplated increasing his salary because of the additional work foisted on the mayor over the last year when he was the only person working in the office.
“Rather than raise the mayor’s salary (and he didn’t ask for it) I would like to see us do something for the general clerk position to give help there,” Warren told fellow council members.
The budget includes $20,000 for an office clerk to assist the recorder-treasurer and the mayor.
Alderman Katherine Shook said: “The city spent over $100,000 this past year for work that cost $40,000 the year before.”
“We’re not going to sit down here and go through the math,” Blackburn said. “It’s not appropriate. You have the total number, you had it for some time.”
Aldermen said there were several different copies of proposed budgets, each containing different information.
“We’ve run this into the ground,” Blackburn said of the discussion about the new position. “What we really need to decide is this issue of a general clerk. Arkansas is an at will employment state, we can hire then as long as we need to and let them go. Right now, Mrs. Ketcher (Keeli Ketcher, recorder-treasurer) needs some help … I’m afraid we’ll be penny wise and pound foolish. We may or not use all of that. That’s where we need to start.”
At previous meetings, Blackburn had requested an assistant for the mayor and was denied by the former council.
The former recorder-treasurer, Merlene Snoderly, resigned Dec. 31, 2014, after serving for 23 years. Teresa Vining was hired by the council in February 2015. Due to medical reasons, she has not been in the office since the summer. Ketcher was hired to fill the vacancy until the election and ran uncontested for the seat.
The recorder-treasurer must use two different computer software programs to perform the duties of the position for the city’s budget and the Water Department bills and expenses.
“Whatever you come up with, you cannot lower it. You can raise it,” Blackburn counseled the aldermen during the special meeting earlier in January.
“Are you anticipating, mayor, that she will work 40 hours?” Warren asked Blackburn.
“Some times she does, some times she doesn’t,” Blackburn said. “I don’t anticipate changing the hours at City Hall.”
“I’ve been here a lot and she’s always busy,” alderman Susie Morrison said.
The recorder-treasurer is also paid 56 cents per mile for daily trips to the bank in Pea Ridge to make deposits, Blackburn said.
“There is a learning curve,” Shook agreed, adding “hopefully this will be a part-time job again. The city isn’t growing that much.”
As for the equipment for the Water Department, Blackburn told aldermen that there were a “series of high dollar valves that we put in on sections of the water line that will allow us to segregate and identify sections.” He said he proposes beginning work on repairing the leaks in the system that are costing the city money. “Over time, we are trying to determine where our worst leaks are. That’s difficult to do without some sort of methodology for going at it.”
Warren asked: “Do anticipate this every year?”
“I really don’t know, that’s probably above my pay grade,” Blackburn responded.
Morrison made the motion to accept the budget as presented; Warren seconded the motion. Aldermen Morrison, Warren and Teeselink voted in favor of the budget; Shook voted against it.