Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Mayor Smith Campaigning For Funds

Cities in Clark County getting their share of the countywide tax will become a campaign, Gurdon Mayor Rick Smith said.

Talking to the Gurdon City Council during its regular meeting Monday, May 8, Smith told of making a presentation to the Arkadelphia Board of Directors concerning the tax situation.

The board approved a resolution similar to one Gurdon's council passed in April.

Arkadelphia and Gurdon, Smith said, represent 57 percent of the county's population.

Should this issue be placed on the November General Election ballot and pass, he said, it would then be up to the council to determine how the money would be spent.

The council would have to approve an ordinance stating how these funds would be used before the election so people would know where the money would be going.

This is similar to what was done in 1998 when Gurdon voters approved a half-cent sales tax increase for the emergency warning sirens, to create an animal control department and help the Gurdon Police Department.

Smith said the city is in need of money to help improve streets, and the Gurdon Fire Department will need a new truck in another five to seven years.

In addition, the Rose Hedge Cemetery fund is in need of financial assistance.

Smith voiced concerns about the cemetery fund, saying it started Y2K with $14,000 in the budget and is dwindling. This is because fewer people are paying their dues and there have been no donations to date.

Meanwhile, expenses continue to rise and the city has to dip into the balance annually to keep the cemetery maintained.

Bills are sent to relatives of those buried there, but many aren't paying for the upkeep of the grave sites.

"We've been able to maintain it," Smith said, "without using any other tax money. None is allocated for it."

Smith met with the cemetery committee to start looking for alternative methods of raising money to keep the cemetery maintained.

In addition, he said, the city employees could use a retirement plan.

The ordinance to be presented to the council will tell specifically where the tax revenues will be spent.

But, he said, if the Clark County Quorum Court refuses to put this measure on the November ballot, another method of getting the money will have to be found.

In other business, the council discussed the old Gurdon High School buildings.

Smith pointed out the property and buildings belong to the Gurdon school district and it can do whatever it want with them.

It doesn't belong to the city and the city isn't involve, he said, though numerous calls have been received at city hall because of the proposed sale of the facility. "The Gurdon School Board will make the final decision."

There is one problem, he said, with the district's selling the property to M&M Inc., and this is the streets surrounding it have a 25,000 pound load limit for trucks.

An empty rig, Smith told the panel, weighs between 14 and 15 tons. If the buyer puts in a business they will need a regular supply hauled there and it would be up to the council to amend this ordinance.

Amending the ordinance, he said, would be the city's only involvement, and this would solely be up to the council.

At this time, there is no zoning restrictions in the area.

Smith said discussion has been held for the city to get the property. "I think it would be a better benefit to the people."

Getting the facility would give the city several options, he said, including turning it into a location for cardboard recycling and storage.

With the buildings and land, he continued, the city could get a baler and bundle cardboard into bales to make it easier to ship.

Then a route could be established to pick up commercial cardboard and keep it out of the landfill.

Cardboard is currently selling for $85 per ton, and costs the city $92.50 per ton to bury. The gross savings would be $177.50 per ton if the city had the proper facilities for storage and bundling.

Also, Smith said, part of the grounds could be used to construct a dog pound. This would eliminate having to take stray dogs to Arkadelphia.

"No formal discussion has been held," he said. "I expect this to be discussed at the next Gurdon School Board meeting."

Mike McKenzie, who wants to buy the property, has a good business, Smith said, adding he doesn't want this to become a tug-of-war.

The mayor also pointed out there were no representatives from the school board of M&M Inc. to discuss the issue.

Since the recent fire destroyed the old home economics building, Smith said, the school board needs to look at the situation from a different perspective.

McKenzie offered $25,000 for the entire facility, while the district will get about $80,000 from its insurance company because of the fire damage.

The city, Smith said, will have to look at condemning the old home ec building as it was gutted by the fire.

Councilman Johnny McGuirt said there has been considerable vandalism at the old GHS since the middle school moved to Highway 67.

The council approved bids on a new hand-held radio system for the Gurdon Police Department.

The city advertised bids and sent out two bid packets, but got only one bid in return, it being from Bates Communication of Mount Ida.

The city has done business with this company in the past and approved buying one mobile unit and six hand-held units for a total of $5,448.33.

The package includes six extra batteries and six clip-on speaker mikes.

The city will look at installing an emergency siren on Highway 67 by the lift station.

This siren would then cover the area recently annexed into the city limits along with Gurdon High School and Cabe Middle School.

McGuirt said the two sirens the city now has can't be heard at the schools, and the city insinuated a siren would be installed for the school and annexed area before.

Smith agreed, adding this project would have to be let out for bid, but the company the city bought the other two from has a smaller unit it could get for this area.

The smaller unit would cost about $10,000, and could possibly be heard as far away as Beirne, Smith said.

The city could use part of the $101,000 it has in a contingency fund for the siren.

Smith said the Office of Emergency Services is supposed to provide sirens for use inside school buildings.

This, he added, would work like another unit and the city and schools need to take advantage of this.