Meetings scheduled for next week

The St. Francis County Election Commission is scheduled to meet at 5 p.m., Monday, at the courthouse to discuss a pair of upcoming elections.

Early voting begins Tuesday in a city bond election in which Forrest City voters are being asked to allow the city to continue collecting a .625% tax to fund city projects. The current tax is set to expire on July 1. The election will be held on April 13.

The annual school board election is set for May 18.

There are no contested races for positions in the Forrest City School District this year. Several seats on the seven-member PalestineWheatley School Board are contested in this year’s election.

The Forrest City City Council will consider naming a replacement for former council member Dena Poteat when it meets Tuesday at city hall.

Poteat, who represented Ward 4, recently moved out of the ward she was elected to represent.

Over a year is left on Poteat’s term, which will be up for election in 2022.

The council can either elect by a majority vote a replacement to serve the unexpired term or call for a special election to fill the vacancy. If there was less than one year left on the term, the replacement could be chosen by a majority vote of the council.

Also under new business, council members will discuss the city’s millage rate and consider allowing the city to seek bids for recreation uniforms.

Council members will also hear from local landowner Ellis Bell about flooding on his farmland located on County Road 211 near the Highway 1 Bypass north of Interstate 40.

In March, Bell provided information to the mayor and council regarding the problem he has been fighting since the Bypass was built. Bell claims the problem is a result of drainage from a ditch near the city’s industrial park. He has sought a resolution to the problem for over 20 years.

The council is allowing Bell four minutes to speak on the matter.

The meeting is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.