Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

City passes policies on racial profiling and payouts

The Gurdon City Council met Monday and passed a written policy on racial profiling, and a new policy on purchasing procedure.

Mayor Clayton Franklin said of the profiling rules, "We have had an understood policy against racial profiling in Gurdon for some time, but this puts it in writing so it will be easier for Marshal Don Childres to enforce the thing.

"We put this to a vote and passed a written policy on racial profiling now because the last meeting of the Arkansas Legislature mandated the towns and cities of Arkansas get something in writing on this issue."

The new law, paraphrased, says no member of the citys employ shall engage in racial profiling for routine occurrences, such as traffic stops, drug searches etc., "unless the officer is going by a specific description of a specific suspect with probable cause involved."

The new racial profiling ordinance has a disciplinary section, but also provides for training from Marshal Childres to the city employees so they will understand the definition of profiling.

Mayor Franklin said, "Don will make sure everybody knows what constitutes a violation before if and when any punishment for going against the racial profiling law is instituted."

Purchasing policy

As to the changes in city purchasing policy, Mayor Franklin said from now on there would be consistency of all checks paid out being shown to the City Council.

"Another change will be that any purchase requiring payment must have a pre-authorized signature from a city employee," Franklin said. "For example, tickets must be signed at the store for such things as city gas, unless you are going to an automated machine. In that case, just bring us a receipt.

"From now on, City Council will have to approve all gifts to employees of the city. In addition, our vacation policy will change.

"With the new procedure policy, employees will no longer be able to sell vacation days back to the City of Gurdon. We will have a use it or lose it rule. If you dont take the vacation days within the designated time frame, you will lose them."

n new business, the mayor warned City Council members they will be asked to vote on a networking ordinance, concerning emergency services, in the near future.

"It is another thing they passed in the last Arkansas legislative session," he said. "For example, the ordinance will have to include provision for helping any city in the state experiencing a disaster, such as an earthquake in Blytheville. If that happened, our 14 trained fire fighters would have to be willing to go help. Just as if we had a wildfire here, their fire fighters would be required to come and help us.

"Again, it is getting understood courtesy into law. There will be more on this later."

Franklin said funding for mutual emergency aid, among Arkansas cities, may filter down from the federal Homeland Security division.

Moreover, new Gurdon businessman J.W. Ward addressed the City Council and asked to fill the vacant spot.

Treasurer and Recorder Tambra Childres said his Maple Street address makes that impossible, as that Ward is already represented. The open City Council position is in Ward 3.

Ward said, "I just want to become as involved as I can with filling up empty downtown Gurdon buildings with viable businesses.

"I would love to be involved with the grant writing process, or whatever it takes to bring this town back to a more lively downtown business community."

Ward will open a multi-faceted business in March where the old Bills Dollar Store used to be on Main Street.

The new business is to include a series of flea market vendor booths, a main stage for musical entertainment, a coffee shop and more.

Whelen water

In old business, Mayor Franklin said Gurdon has filled with water the tanks and lines for the 105 residents to hook-up along the Kansas Road project out of Whelen Springs.

"We have the water meters in our shed, and are willing to place them and turn on the water, but we are waiting on Mayor Terry LeMay of Whelen Springs to get a proper authority from the Arkansas Health Department to direct Gurdon employees in these placements," Franklin said.

"The law says the meters must be so far from sewer tanks etc. and we are not taking the responsibility for their proper location placement. As soon as LeMay gets us a worker to go with us from the proper state agency (probably the Arkansas Health Department), we can get those meters in and that water flowing."