Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Council Forced To Look At Retirement Issue

Gurdon's City Council was questioned as to why the city has no retirement plan for city workers.

This was done by Betty Torgeson at the recent council meeting. She had first broached this subject at the November council meeting, returning this month to hammer home a few more items.

She polled the council members individually at the meeting to get their feeling about this issue.

"I've been told the city is sound financially," Torgeson said, "and would get $4,000 or $5,000 more from the new annexation."

These funds would be in the form of state turnback money based on population.

Councilman Philip Giles asked if the cost of a retirement program was known and informed it wasn't.

Johnny McGuirt, also on the panel, said he favored a retirement plan, but only if the city could afford it. But, he added, much has to be done before such a plan could be put into effect.

Gurdon Mayor Rick Smith said an election would have to be held to approve forming a retirement program, adding there is no need for a special election as it will take months to determine whether the city could even afford one or not.

"This wouldn't be an election for a new tax," he said, "just changing the use of the money we have."

Additionally, Smith said the city would need to hire professionals to set such a program up. "This is very specialized."

Tambra Smith, city recorder/treasurer said the Gurdon Police Department would have to have a different retirement plan than other city workers, and this would mean the city would need two separate retirement programs.

There are a lot of laws applying dealing with the IRS, and a professional financial advisor will be needed to help get it set up, the mayor said.

By and large, the council favored establishing a retirement plan for city employees, but all hedged their statements saying it will have to be checked into to see if it is economically possible.

Smith suggested waiting until January when the city has a working budget in place. Then, he continued, the budget can be examined to see if the funds are available for a financial advisor.

It would be good, he said, if such a plan could be made retroactive to cover current employees from the time they began working for the city and get them vested in the program.

In other business, the council was presented a 28-page budget worksheet.

Basically, at this time, the budget is the same as for 1999, Smith told the council. The budget committee will work on the document and have it ready for approval by the January meeting.

Adjustments were made in the 99 budgets because some of the anticipated revenues and expenditures were different from reality, as happens annually with budgets.

Smith said from now on all expenditures will be done through ordinances so the budget can be adjusted on a month-to-month basis instead of waiting until December.

This, he said, comes from a recommendation made by the auditors.

Also, he said, future budgets, starting with the 2000 one, will be handled on a line-item process.

Harold Hurst, manager of the Gurdon Water and Sewer Department, updated the council on the progress of the Greenville Water Project.

He said the lines are in place and ready for testing. Once pressure tested and sterilized the residents in the area can begin using city water.

The new customers will be notified by letters, at which time the warranty on the work will begin.

Gurdon Police Chief David Childres was given permission and funds to send two part-time officers to training school at Ouachita Technical College in Malvern.

He said it's hard to find schools for part-time officers, but they must be educated by law and be supervised by a full-time officer, or at least be in close contact with a full-time officer.

Childres said with the part-time officers on hand, there is no need to hire another full-time one right now.

Jim Caldwell, street department superintendent, said there have been complaints about the size of hedges at 5th and Miller.

It is not know, he said, if these hedges are on the city's right of way or not. If they aren't, the owner can be contacted to see if they will cut them.

Otherwise, the city will remove the hedges.

These bushes, he said, are in a bad spot and create a dangerous situation as people can't see because of them.

Annie Hubbard was reappointed to the Gurdon Housing Authority by the council. She received a certificate of reappointment, but needed the council's blessing to make it official.

Under solid waste Smith told of history being made as Gurdon sent its first load of recyclable material to the recycling center in Hot Springs.

In all, nearly a ton of such materials were kept out of the landfill, thereby saving the city $92.50.

Almost 1,200 pounds of newsprint, along with some cardboard and aluminum, were taken to Hot Springs.

The trailer, normally open from 8 a.m. until noon Saturdays, will not be operational the next two Saturdays, as they are Christmas and New Year's Day.

Help is needed in the manning of the trailer, which is being done singlehandedly by former mayor Darrell Potratz.

Smith said anyone wanting to volunteer can call City Hall or Potratz.

The money made from the sale of the recyclables is going back into the program.

It is hoped, Smith said, the program will grow to where the city can handle commercial cardboard and have a building to store it until it's sold.

With luck, he continued, it will grow to a point a countywide pickup can be done for cardboard.

Those new residents living in the recently annexed areas will have their garbage picked up by the city provider as of Jan. 1, when the annexation officially goes into effect.

While the county's rates are cheaper, Smith said, the city does offer a senior citizen discount.

Residents will have their garbage bill tacked on to their water bill, instead of having it sent separately.