Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

City Workers To Get Raise

Gurdon's Water and Sewer Commission will soon receive a letter from the Gurdon City Council.

The council, in its regular monthly meeting Monday night, decided to address the water commission's decision to charge for meter checks in those instances where a meter is in working order.

Councilman David Williams flatly said he does not like the policy, while Roy Quinney said he has heard several complaints about it.

Gurdon Mayor Rick Smith agreed with his council, saying the $15 will not cover the labor involved in checking a meter and is nothing more than a deterrent to keep people from asking to get their meters checked.

Russ Hanson said he was under the impression the water commission had to ask the council's approval before making such a decision.

The city's governing body then decided to write the water commission a letter requesting information on how many meter checks are done annually, and its reasoning behind the charge.

The council also heard letters of praise for the Gurdon Police Department, including a letter from a man stopped by an officer for not having current tags.

He wrote the officer was polite and professional during the stop, and when he was told the driver had tags but hadn't put them on the vehicle, was let off with a warning.

The GPD, Gurdon Fire Department and Gurdon Street Department were also praised by the Gurdon Chamber of Commerce for their help with the King Royal Circus when it was in town.

Smith, during the report from the street department, addressed the problem of a yield sign.

He said motorists traveling east across the tracks at Miller Street have to sit on the tracks while yielding to oncoming traffic. This, he said, is dangerous.

On the other side, there is room for two cars, but if the crossing arms are down at Main, traffic can flow South to Miller Street and cause cars to have to sit on the track when they are going West as well.

Smith said the council could make a three-way stop at First and Miller, or have the yield sign on First Street instead.

The Street Department and GPD have been asked for their assistance on correcting this potentially dangerous situation before anyone is hurt or killed.

Smith cited last week's derailment of two rail cars as one of the reasons for his concern. In that derailment, both cars lost their load of particleboard.

He said diagrams with different traffic flow designs will be presented to the council at its December meeting, and asked for any suggestions council members had in the situation.

In addressing the ambulance commission, Smith said the old ambulance is cleaned up and running, with the title having been replaced. It, along with a 1967 firetruck, have been let for bid. These bids will be opened at the December meeting.

It was a meeting for letters, as the council heard one from the cemetery commission stating its need for in increase in maintenance fees and for burial plots.

The council agreed these increases are necessary if the cemetery is to be maintained as well as it has been this year.

Smith said the commission did not buy more equipment this year, using the money, instead, to pay salaries for upkeep.

The council approved the commission's request to sell burial plots for $100, from $50, and increase maintenance fees from $10 to $20 annually.

The letters continued with the council hearing one from Pete Rudolph concerning the encroachment of a concrete slab on city utility easements. This slab is at the Sonic restaurant.

Rudolph wrote there would be no problem if the city needs to remove the slab to get to the utilities, and asked for as much advance notice as possible before it is removed so he could get the work done. The council agreed.

A woman who fell at City Hall while working the polls during the Sept. school election will not get her medical bills paid by the city.

The council agonized over this decision before refusing to pick up the tab.

Smith said the fall occurred when she stepped on a floor which had just been mopped. He told the council she has no insurance and the medical bills sent to the city so far total $569, not counting the ambulance bill for transportation to Baptist Medical Center in Arkadelphia for more than $600.

He said the city has no liability insurance on city hall.

City attorney Eric Hughes informed the council by law the city is not liable for the bills. He said should she decide to sue, these cases are hard to prove and the plaintiff must show negligence on the city's part.

This, he said, can't be done because the janitor had a "wet floor" sign up in the area being mopped.

"I feel bad she has no insurance," Tammy Pledger, council member, said. "But I don't want to open this can of worms."

She then moved to deny paying the bills. The council voted 5-1 not to pay, with Edna Cooper casting the lone no vote.

Smith said the Hoo Hoo Museum, which belongs to the city, is up for a facelift by the Hoo Hoos, who have asked the city if they can annex the facility and make it larger.

He said the Hoo Hoos want to extend the front of the building closer to the street, and expand the outbuilding to where the front of the museum currently is. "This would enhance its beauty and value," he said, adding the Hoo Hoo organization will pay for everything.

The council passed a motion to allow the renovations and annexation.

Smith then turned to the topic of the telephone problem in city hall.

He said Southwestern Bell Telephone has been working on a proposal to get eight lines with room for expansion to the city. This is a keyed system with intercom capabilities, the council was told.

However, it also comes with a price tag of $5,600.

The phones currently in use at city hall were purchased at Radio Shack after Smith was told they would do what the city needed. They don't. Smith is asking the company for the city's money back.

"We need new phones," he said. "People are getting cut off, and that scares me with emergency services."

Funding for the new phones will be addressed in the city's budget.