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Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive |
Soil, Water Act Of Vital ImportanceBY JOHN MILLERPublished Wednesday, October 7, 1998 in the Nevada County Picayune There has been quite a bit of hoopla about the different proposed amendments the voting public will be deciding on Nov. 3. However, there is one issue on the ballot the people probably haven't heard much about, but is vitally important to many communities around the state. Voters will be asked to pass the soil and water bond act. This is not a tax, nor is it an amendment to the state's constitution. It is, however, important as the Arkansas Soil and Water Conservation Commission needs it passed to make money available for water systems for cities and counties. Adrian Baber, a land resource specialist with the AS&WCC, said this issue has nothing to do with taxes and hopes the people understand this. Money, he said, is borrowed through bond programs on the open market and used for water and sewer projects in the state. These projects can be for irrigation, implementation of new water and sewer systems or the extending of water lines, as well as other related projects. The state, Baber said, can borrow the money necessary at lower rates than can a city or county. This is because Arkansas has a AA-plus credit rating and the funds borrowed are backed by the state. According to Baber, the AS&WCC has issued more than 200 loans and has never had a default. The bonds issues by the commission are paid back by water and sewer rates of the customers. The application process, he said, is highly scrutinized as the commission is concerned about the possibility of a default. Should a city or county default on a loan, it would be up to the state to pay it back. This could affect the state's credit rating and the entity in default would not be able to get another such loan again. Two years ago, this issue was on the ballots and was narrowly defeated. However, Baber said, the 1996 ballot was crowded with several gambling amendments along with the tax sought by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and got lost in the shuffle. At the time, little was done to publicize the matter. This year, though, the governor has appointed a blue ribbon committee to make sure the word gets out on this measure. Baber said there is nothing controversial in the issue. "We're trying to get the information out to the people so they will know what they're voting on. To our knowledge, there's been no opposition to it." This act, if passed, will authorize the commission to issue $300 million in bonds for the financing of water, sewer or solid waste projects, less any bonds sold from existing authorization for pollution abatement projects. Without approval of the Arkansas Legislature, the commission can't issue more than $60 million in loans during any fiscal biennium. At this point, Baber said, the commission is out of money for water projects, though it has about $200 million available for sewer projects. However, he said, these funds can't be commingled, or transferred from one to the other. If the issue is defeated Nov. 3, there can be no water projects funded for at least two years in the state through the commission. "For any town or community to survive or industrialize," Baber said, "they must have a good water supply. "We're trying to take some of the pressure off the aquifers in the state and insure the availability of water for future generations." According to Ann Cash, chairman for the Water for Arkansas Campaign, this act is not a tax, but is simply asking for voters approval to borrow money to be used for water and sewer infrastructure. Only those communities borrowing money from the bond program are responsible for paying their loans back. Those not borrowing from the commission have nothing to repay. To date, the commission has made more than $120 million in loans, with all being repaid. Under terms of the program, the $300 million should last the commission about 10 years, as there is a limit as to how much can be loaned out during any two-year period unless otherwise approved by the general assembly in an emergency situation. In Nevada County, Bodcaw and Prescott have received money from the commission for water projects. Bodcaw has received $2.15 million, with Prescott getting $1,340,000. Search | Nevada County Picayune by date | Gurdon Times by date |
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