Tuesday's regularly scheduled Board of Directors meeting will again feature a workshop from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. This time, the workshop will be a more detailed look at the proposed budget for the city for 2017. The budget meeting is the second of three scheduled meetings, following a broad overview of the budget on Oct. 5.
This budget workshop will take a department-by-department view of the budget, and will provide a more detailed look at where the city will be spending money in 2017. Like the Board of Directors meetings, the budget workshop is open to the public.
After the workshop, the Board of Directors will address an agenda that includes one bid acceptance, three ordinances, a single resolution and a staff report on a new city entrance sign design.
The bid acceptance is for Precision Approach Path Indicator (PAPI) lights for Cecil Smith Field. This bid is the culmination of a process that started earlier this year when the Siloam Springs Municipal Airport approached the Arkansas Department of Aeronautics for a grant to replace its PAPI lights, which stopped working in early 2016.
The only bid obtained for the project was from Broadway Electric, and was higher than the grant's limit of $120,000. The project was scoped down to reuse some existing equipment to fit the limit. After the grant, the fiscal impact to the city will only be $21,500.
The meeting agenda includes one new ordinance, in addition to two rezoning bids that are on their second readings.
The new ordinance is for a defense program with the Arkansas Municipal League. The ordinance is a request to waive the usual requirement for competitive bidding. The staff report states the Arkansas Municipal League is a co-op that provides protection for assets and lawsuits, and provides guidance to ensure legal compliance.
No other entity provides a comparable service, according to the staff report. Participation in the league will cost $52,636.50.
The resolution on the agenda is for a potential land donation to the city from Roy D. and Rebecca F. James of Rogers. The couple said in a letter that they had hoped to build on the land, but due to several factors, including expansion of the flood plain to include their property, they have decided to donate the land to the city.
In the letter, the couple said the land is valued at $28,000. The city's staff report said the city has multiple uses for the property if the donation is approved. In return for the donation, the couple asked for a tax receipt for the property.
General News on 10/16/2016