In 30 seconds
- All six council members were present.
- Part-time certified police pay was raised from about $13 to $17 an hour, 6-0; the chief said overtime is now capped with nobody scheduled for it, and his goal is at least six part-time officers within the budgeted 25.
- Event permits were approved 6-0, including a September 19 Cherry Street food-truck festival with alcohol sales — four days after the vote.
- The council approved $94,550 in Crawford Plumbing invoices, 6-0, for about 108 leak repairs dating to the 2023 water crisis — work performed for months without invoices being submitted, under what the city says is a verbal contract. A memorandum-of-understanding requirement for all contractors was proposed in response.
- The Progressive Tractor invoice, $7,633.57 for mini-excavator repair, passed 6-0; the city has been renting a replacement machine for months while the repair sat.
- Water superintendent Saeed Rose reported a Labor Day weekend main break on Plaza, a leak blitz that cut open leaks from about 70 to 30 in a week, and a West Helena plant running as low as 1,000 gallons per minute; a special water-focused council meeting was set for Tuesday, September 29, with consent-order updates on its agenda.
- The $12,500 Woodworth Core hotel market study got no vote: general-fund money found no support, and Council Member Etherly — who sits on both bodies — offered to put it on the next A&P Commission agenda instead.
- The annual millage ordinance (18-2026) passed 6-0 at the same rates as last year; the agenda's per-diem-to-receipts reimbursement ordinance was never taken up.
- From the floor: the September 26 candidate forum at Phillips Community College — sheriff at 1 PM, city council and treasurer at 2 PM, mayor at 4 PM, broadcast live.
Recap
The Meeting & Attendance
All six council members attended: Council Member Maxine Miller, Council Member Monica Davis, Council Member Joe St. Columbia, Council Member Adrian Messina, Council Member Don Etherly, and Council Member Dr. Kyle Miller . Mayor Joseph Whitfield chaired; City Clerk Sandi Ramsey called the rolls. The previous minutes were approved on a 4-0 roll call — they were emailed to members earlier in the week and were not in the public packet .
Police Part-Time Pay: $13 to $17
Police Chief Quanderius Sanders asked to raise part-time certified officer pay to $17 an hour — above the city's full-time uncertified rate and $2 under full-time certified . Part-timers are certified officers limited to under 40 hours a week, with about 200 hours of training; the current rate is roughly $12-13, and the chief has one part-time officer now with a goal of at least six, all inside the budgeted force of 25 . Reading from a statement of revenue and expenditures he asked the treasurer to prepare, the chief put the department at $1,119,538.64 spent of a $2,047,724 budget through August — 54% of budget at 66% of the year, overtime included . He also said overtime is now effectively capped: nobody is scheduled for it and everybody is working 40-hour weeks . That claim is worth remembering — the 2023 legislative audit flagged $300,179 of over-budget police overtime. The measure passed 6-0 .
Event Permits
The council approved event permits 6-0 . The applications in the packet : the First Annual Cherry Street Pop-Up Food Truck Festival on Saturday, September 19 — four days after the vote — with alcohol sales, street closing, and security checked, and a handwritten attendance figure that reads as either 280 or 780 ; a Hernando Street family reunion October 8-10 running to midnight each night ; and the Central High School homecoming parade October 9 . A fourth event, an Autumn by the River dinner downtown, was described from the dais but has no application among the posted pages . Open question the packet leaves: alcohol sales on a closed public street need state ABC authorization, and nothing posted shows whose job that check is.
Crawford Plumbing: $94,550 on a Verbal Contract
The council approved $94,550 in long-tabled Crawford Plumbing invoices, 6-0 . Water Superintendent Saeed Rose told the council Crawford has worked since the 2023 water crisis and kept fixing leaks — about 108 documented sites — for months without submitting invoices; the city halted his work until the bills were addressed . The invoice itself is not in the posted packet, though it is named on the agenda. Rose said he would quote City Attorney Andre Valley: the arrangement with Crawford is a verbal contractual agreement, with a three-year statute of limitations . City Treasurer Derrick Turner responded with a process fix: a memorandum of understanding for every contractor — 'I don't care if it's $100 or $100,000' — setting invoice deadlines and documentation requirements, which he planned to take to the mayor the next day . Council Member Maxine Miller closed the item on a note that echoes beyond it: 'This is a local business. So we should take care of our local businesses' . The charitable reading is real — nobody disputes the leaks were fixed, and the invoices are described as extremely detailed. The process reading is also real: roughly $94,550 of public work accumulated with no written contract, no invoices, and no posted exhibit at the meeting that approved payment.
Progressive Tractor: $7,633.57
The council approved the Progressive Tractor & Implement invoice, $7,633.57, 6-0 . The city's Case CX36B mini-excavator — used for leak repair — has been at the Jonesboro shop for three or four months; the local Case dealer only services agricultural equipment . Rose noted the cost of the delay directly: once a check is cut the city can 'go pick up our machine and stop renting the one we've been renting for a few months now' from Brown's Equipment Rental . The invoice is marked PROFORMA — a quote-form bill — and the city declined the work-light repair as not worth the cost .
The Water Report: a Main Break, a Leak Blitz, and September 29
Rose's department update was the meeting's most substantive stretch. A main break on Plaza over Labor Day weekend forced what he called the yearly blitz: about 40 leaks fixed in a week, bringing open leaks from about 70 down to 30 . His frame for the stakes: roughly half the system is in jeopardy from water loss, with West Helena's wells maxed out while Helena runs two to three of its four . The West Helena plant has fluctuated between 1,400 and 1,100 gallons per minute on good days — against stretches idling near 1,000, which he described as barely keeping the plant alive . The line-replacement program has physically started on Cook Street and Georgia . Rose asked for a dedicated water meeting covering projects, consent-order updates, and system needs ; the council settled on Tuesday, September 29 . He also described adjusting a Springdale-area church's bill after finding a leak pattern in the audit history .
The Hotel Market Study: No Vote, and a Path Toward A&P
Item 4A was the $12,500 Woodworth Core Group proposal for a downtown hotel market study . Mayor Whitfield presented it: the idea traces to a conversation he and the chief of staff had with a Marriott representative about what it takes to get a hotel downtown ; the proposal is dated May 29 and resurfaced after he spoke with the firm's Jill Bidwell the week before the meeting . His case: visitor 'leakage' to Tunica, Memphis, and Pine Bluff, opportunity-zone nominations for both census tracts, Amendment 3 on the November ballot, and a city that cannot save its way out of $4.5 million of debt . Phase I costs $9,500 and delivers conclusions verbally; the written report is $3,000 more .
The council did not buy it — at least not from the general fund. Council Member Monica Davis: 'We do have a need... for new hotels in our area. But as far as $12,000 at this point in time, I don't feel it' . Council Member Maxine Miller counted the city's existing lodging and asked for exactly the data a study would buy: 'would it be something we need to do to maybe discuss with the other hotels? What is their occupancy?... what are their peaks?' — adding that the city should not take 'what little opportunity they do have to make revenue' . Council Member Dr. Kyle Miller made the demand case from experience with Phillips County and Delta Prep conferences: 'once the Edwardian fills up there's not really much else that you can really recommend,' with visitors sent to Clarksdale or Forrest City . Harvey Williams, owner of Delta Dirt Distillery, spoke from the floor in favor: his Labor Day class-reunion traffic stayed in Forrest City and Mississippi, and returning visitors from Dallas, Atlanta, and Chicago will want 'a chain hotel whether it's Hampton or Holiday Inn Express or some other hotel that has a level that meets their needs' .
Council Member Don Etherly resolved the fund question: 'this is a tourism proposal... That's what A&P does. And I sit on both. Given a choice between spending [A&P] funds on this and spending general funds on this from the city... I'm not torn at all. I have no desire to spend $12,000 from general fund on a study' . He offered to put the proposal on the next A&P Commission agenda — with no promise of support: 'I can't guarantee you that you'll have seven people in there who are for it' . No vote was taken. The mayor read the room as consensus 'to think about alternative ways to fund this,' and kept a return path open: 'even if this does go to another body... at some point it comes back to this table' .
Disclosure, because this page is published by a campaign: Robert Cheek, whose campaign publishes Ridge & River, owns the Edwardian Inn, is an A&P commissioner, and published his own hotel-demand data on this site the afternoon of the meeting. The Edwardian was mentioned once in the discussion, in the demand context quoted above; state law places hotel operators on A&P commissions by design, and any A&P deliberation on this study will carry that disclosure on the record.
Millage, a Banking Fix, and What Never Came Up
The annual millage ordinance, 18-2026, levying property taxes at the same rates as last year, passed 6-0 on third reading . City Clerk Sandi Ramsey asked the council to amend the January 2025 banking resolution to restore district court clerk Valerie Hensbury as a signer on the bond-and-fines account — an omission fix for legislative-audit compliance, with two signatures still required; it passed . The agenda's per-diem-to-receipts reimbursement ordinance — which had no posted text — was never taken up at all. Also absent, from the agenda and the floor alike: the rear-loader truck purchase, the monthly treasurer report, and the Corps-repayment line, all expected from prior meetings. In the closing seconds someone asked 'What about the police chief's car?' — it was dropped without discussion .
From the Floor: the September 26 Candidate Forum
Elijah Mondy of Mondy Broadcasting announced the candidate forum for Saturday, September 26 at Phillips Community College: sheriff candidates at 1 PM, city council and treasurer candidates at 2 PM, mayoral candidates at 4 PM — broadcast live on radio with a YouTube stream planned . His framing: 'signs do not tell you qualification... it's like when you go get a job interview.'
The documents
Everything the council had in front of it, summarized. Page stamps open that page in the document desk.
September 15, 2026 City Council Meeting Agenda
Two-page agenda for the September 15, 2026 regular meeting. New Business lists five items: event permit approvals; an ordinance moving city travel reimbursement from per diem to receipts; Water Department business (Crawford Plumbing and Progressive Tractor invoices); the Woodworth Core Group hotel market study proposal; and the annual millage ordinance. Two agenda items had no supporting documents in the posted packet: the reimbursement ordinance (no text posted) and the Crawford Plumbing invoice (named on the agenda but absent). At the meeting itself, the reimbursement ordinance was never taken up.
| Meeting date | September 15, 2026 | |
| New Business items | 5 (events, reimbursement ordinance, water invoices, hotel study, millage) | |
| Items with no posted documents | 2 (reimbursement ordinance text; Crawford Plumbing invoice) |
Text document — see the agenda link below.
Event Permit Applications
Nine pages of event permit applications with department sign-offs. First Annual Cherry Street Pop-Up Food Truck Festival, Saturday September 19, 10:30 AM to 6 PM on Cherry Street, producer Joslyn Johnson of Jacksonville, Arkansas — alcohol sales checked, street closing, security and crowd control required, police/street/fire sign-offs dated August 24-26; expected attendance is handwritten and unclear (reads as 280 or 780). A family reunion on Hernando Street in West Helena, October 8-10, 8 AM to midnight each night, with street closing and morning-after cleanup. The Central High School homecoming parade, Friday October 9, 3:30-5 PM, from 4th and Plaza to the School Road field house, about 150 attendees. All applications carry the required three department sign-offs. A fourth event, an Autumn by the River dinner downtown, was described from the dais but is not among the posted applications.
| Food truck festival | Sat 9/19, Cherry St, alcohol sales checked | |
| Festival attendance (handwritten) | unclear — 280 or 780 | |
| Family reunion | Hernando St, Oct 8-10, to midnight nightly | |
| CHS homecoming parade | Fri Oct 9, 3:30-5 PM, ~150 attendees |
Progressive Tractor Invoice — $7,633.57 mini-excavator repair (PROFORMA, dated 8/20/26)
Service invoice SWO045934 from Progressive Tractor & Implement of Jonesboro, marked PROFORMA, for repairing the city's Case CX36B mini-excavator at their shop: leaking dipper cylinder, broken air-conditioning line and dryer, worn key switch, broken door handle, failed gas strut, clogged grease fittings, and a full service. Total $7,633.57 — labor $4,743.40, parts $2,189.18, miscellaneous $105.32, tax $595.67. The work-light problem was diagnosed (a grounded harness wire) and the city declined that repair as not worth the cost. Terms: cash on delivery, 12% per year on late payment. Labor is 62% of the bill at a shop 130 miles away; the machine had been in the shop for months while the city rented a replacement.
| Invoice total | $7,633.57 | |
| Labor | $4,743.40 (62% of total) | |
| Invoice status | PROFORMA — a quote-form bill | |
| Declined repair | work-light harness (city said not worth the cost) |
Woodworth Core Group Proposal — Downtown Hotel Market Study (dated May 29, 2026)
Six-page proposal letter from Jill L. Bidwell of Woodworth Core Group LLC, Atlanta, addressed to Mayor Whitfield and dated May 29, 2026 — three and a half months before it reached an agenda. Phase I, $9,500: market study, occupancy and rate estimates, facilities recommendation, five-year cash-flow estimates, with conclusions delivered verbally plus a brief letter. Phase II, $3,000: the 35-40 page written report, which the city has 30 days after the verbal conclusions to order. Additional charges: a data fee of $400 minimum (capped at $800 without permission) and travel at cost. A $7,500 retainer — 60% of the $12,500 quoted total — is due at signing. The stated objective is attracting a developer to construct a new downtown hotel; identifying a national brand affiliation is in scope, and no site is identified. If the firm forms an initial opinion that demand is insufficient, it suspends the study and bills hourly. The underlying data remain the firm's property. Georgia law governs; disputes go to arbitration.
| Phase I (verbal conclusions + letter) | $9,500 | |
| Phase II (written 35-40 pp report) | $3,000 | |
| Retainer due at signing | $7,500 (60% of quoted total) | |
| Proposal date vs agenda date | May 29 vs September 15 — 3.5 months | |
| Walk-away clause | suspends + bills hourly if demand looks insufficient |
Transcript
Auto-generated from the meeting video's captions and lightly cleaned for readability — wording is kept as spoken, not corrected, except that caption-garbled names of city officials are normalized against the roster. Speaker names follow the attribution work in our governance record; a ° marks a name our reviewers have not yet verified. Every timestamp plays the city's video from that moment. Watch the full meeting ↗
0:10
Unidentified Recording in progress. Our father named will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses as we tres against us. Leiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the reps nation indivisibley and justice for all. Madam Cler, will you call the role please?
1:54
Roll call Roll call (attendance) — present: Maxine Miller, Adrian Messina, Joe St. Columbia, Monica Davis. Not recorded present: Dr. Kyle Miller, Don Etherly (captions incomplete; attendance unverified).
2:05
Mayor Joseph Whitfield Perfect. So we do have a quorum. Um first I want to u first our first order of business today will be approval of the minutes. Um the clerk did send out the minutes via email earlier this week and um if there are no if there's no discussion, we'll entertain a motion to approve those minutes. They're not in the packet, but they were sent out via email.
2:30
Unidentified I make a motion that we approve the minutes.
2:32
Unidentified I'll second the motion.
2:34
Roll call Roll-call vote — Monica Davis: yes; Don Etherly: yes; Maxine Miller: yes.
2:46
Mayor Joseph Whitfield Motion passes. Thank you. So, we are ready to go and get into our order of our new business um items. The first item today is we have the chief here for the police department. Um this is our first item of business. He wanted to discuss uh matters as it related to part-time pay for um official for officers that would be considered part-time. So, to the chief.
3:08
Police Chief Quanderius Sanders Good evening. just trying to be competitive and look at different strategies for recruiting officers. And I was looking at the part-time pay as we discussed in the last meeting and I just want to make a proposal raising the pay to $17 an hour for part-time. Um is right above what we pay our full-time uncertified officers and is $2 less than what we pay our certified full-time officers. I know we talked about it in the last meeting and I was asked to why why I hadn't asked so I'm here asking now.
3:45
Unidentified Can I ask you a question?
3:47
Unidentified Yes, sir.
3:48
Unidentified Chief, so the part-time people would be certified officers.
3:53
Unidentified Yes, they'll be part-time certified.
3:56
Unidentified Is there a difference between
3:59
Unidentified Yes. So, our part-time officers, they can't work over 39 hours. No, I mean is there a difference in the certification?
4:06
Unidentified Yes.
4:07
Unidentified Okay.
4:08
Unidentified So, for a part-time officer,
4:11
Unidentified I think they do about 200 hours of training
4:14
Unidentified and they're limited to less than 40 hours of working time a week. Our full-time officers can work as much as we want and they they have to actually the ones that go off to the training for the 14 weeks. So,
4:25
Unidentified so that's why you're not asking for the 19. You're counting.
4:28
Unidentified Correct.
4:29
Unidentified Okay, I got you. Okay.
4:31
Unidentified What are they making now? I believe it's $12 ranging. It's $12.
4:38
Unidentified 12 or $13.
4:39
Unidentified 12. I think I have one part-time right now. He's been there for 40 years. He made $13.
4:46
Unidentified This this will keep us competitive to where you can do something with with the employees.
4:54
Unidentified Yes, sir.
4:55
Unidentified You feel like that's a solution to the problem you've been having?
4:58
Unidentified Yes, sir. I got a few officers interested already in in part-time. Yeah,
5:02
Unidentified it bas it basically came down to the dollar amount.
5:05
Unidentified So, I think this will make us very competitive. Some uncertified officers, too. If we were to move on this motion tonight, uh Marvel is hosting the part-time practicals. That's the one week that part- timerrs have to go off. Uh it would save the city money. Yeah.
5:21
Unidentified Instead of sending them off having to pay for lodging and meals and everything, they would already be here. Like Mar obviously Marvel is a neighboring city. Let me ask you another question. Would it would the officers that you hired, the part-time officers, would they be part of the 25 that you that we have budget like a full staff or would that be in addition to?
5:51
Unidentified No, that would be a part of that.
5:53
Unidentified So, they would come out of the 25.
5:55
Police Chief Quanderius Sanders Yes. Yeah, we we need the support and keep our police department moving and I'm I'm for it. While we thinking about it, uh I asked the treasurer to repair to prepare a report for me. It's our statement of revenue and expenditures. Uh I we're budgeted for 2 million 47,724. That's what we're budgeted for for the year. Currently we have used 1,19,53864 and that's through a August. So we'll say roughly 66% of the year we've only used the math. We've used 54% of our budget. So, I don't think this would affect us a whole lot. And that's given that's with the overtime and everything.
7:12
Unidentified So, I know I think I know where Councilman St. Columbia stands, but is there are there any other questions as it relates to this? Um,
7:20
Mayor Joseph Whitfield° you may want to bring Mr. E up to speed about the amount that you that you were requesting. I don't think he was here when you
7:28
Mayor Joseph Whitfield° Councilman Etherly, I'm just requesting a part-time pay be raised to $17 an hour.
7:33
Mayor Joseph Whitfield° Oh, I got it.
7:35
Mayor Joseph Whitfield° When he said we talked about it last year, that's what I suggested that
7:40
Mayor Joseph Whitfield° 17.
7:40
Mayor Joseph Whitfield° Well, not the amount, but that we bring in more part time. Okay. So, I mean, I'm not opposed to it. It cuts out over time. And so if we do get the part-time officers, are are you going to and I know you will. Are you going to make sure that we do cap as much of the overtime as is possible?
8:06
Police Chief Quanderius Sanders So as we currently sit in scheduling, there's no nobody's scheduled for overtime. We're working 12 hour shifts. Uh currently everybody's working 40 hours a week right now. So overtime's pretty much capped,
8:25
Police Chief Quanderius Sanders I believe. And I I think the plan say
8:28
Police Chief Quanderius Sanders y 12.
8:30
Police Chief Quanderius Sanders No, currently we're working 40 hours a week. So we're staying within Well, we're staying under overtime.
8:37
Unidentified Did you say y'all working 12 hours?
8:39
Unidentified No.
8:42
Unidentified You working 8 hours?
8:43
Unidentified Yes, ma'am.
8:44
Unidentified I said 12. I think you said
8:46
Unidentified excuse me then. Excuse me. Excuse me.
8:54
Unidentified There's there's no material for Dr. Miller. Um but are there are there any other thoughts? I I believe that the proposal is put together in a way that the chief believes um additional part-time officers is going to allow there to be some additional manpower relief, thus some flexibility with the schedule um in a way that we don't have to I mean being that we just capped overtime, this allows for some some breathing room in terms of um personnels to be able to take off and just there being able to be a a sustainable schedule. It would it would give the department a big relief. Currently, as we as we discussed, our currently our current scheduling only allows two officers to be at work at a time. I'm asking for this to get these part-time to help fill in the gaps.
9:46
Police Chief Quanderius Sanders° What's your goal?
9:48
Police Chief Quanderius Sanders° The 25. I will the 25 off this budget
9:52
Police Chief Quanderius Sanders° part time
9:53
Police Chief Quanderius Sanders° at least six. Okay.
9:56
Police Chief Quanderius Sanders° Right now we have one.
9:58
Unidentified Yes. Is there any other discussion on on the matter? Any any other pressing questions or comments? Do we feel comfortable um entertaining a motion to approve? Um this would be increasing overtime pay for part-time police department officers from uh 12 from approximately $13 to $17.
10:37
Mayor Joseph Whitfield You said overtime. You mean increase in hours?
10:40
Mayor Joseph Whitfield Hourly. Correct. Thank you. We all had long days today. Sorry.
10:45
Mayor Joseph Whitfield Um so we have a motion. Is there a second for that? We have a second. Mr. Messina, the second mad clerk, you call the roll, please.
10:53
Roll call Roll-call vote — Don Etherly: yes; Monica Davis: yes; Dr. Kyle Miller: yes; Adrian Messina: yes; Joe St. Columbia: yes.
11:03
Unidentified Motion passes. Thank Thank you, Chief.
11:05
Unidentified Thank you all.
11:06
Unidentified Yes.
11:10
Mayor Joseph Whitfield Moving on to our next order of business. Um these are the first 12 pages in your packet or first 12 to 15 pages in your packet. Uh we have event permit requests that are all approved by each department. They have provided the necessary information and as I said all the department has approved the events um respectively are first annual Cherry Street Pop-Up Food Truck Festival. um that would occur on Cherry Street. Um family reunion that requires some partial road blockage which is the second event in your packet. Central home uh Central High School homecoming parade to be um to be conducted in the next week and a half and then autumn by the river dinner which will be an event located downtown Helena that will also um require some road closures but um as stated all um events have been approved by department heads and logistics have been um stated. So, barring any questions from this group, um we'll entertain a motion to approve these events.
12:17
Mayor Joseph Whitfield Is there a second?
12:19
Mayor Joseph Whitfield Thank you, Councilwoman Miller.
12:22
Mayor Joseph Whitfield Madam Cler, if you call the RO, please.
12:24
Roll call Roll-call vote — Adrian Messina: yes; Monica Davis: yes; Don Etherly: yes; Maxine Miller: yes; Dr. Kyle Miller: yes. Clerk's count: 6 yes (1 further vote the captions did not attribute).
12:33
Unidentified Motion passes. Thank you. Moving right along, we have two items for the water department. Both of these were items that were tabled. Um we have the invoices from uh Crawford Plumbing that we tabled about three or four meetings ago and also progressive tractor invoice that was tabled from our very last meeting. We are going to hear from uh Mr. Rose to go ahead and explain. Um I know that for the proper funding I believe wants to know about the history of the work and uh the invoices that were sent in for this particular account or for this particular individual and then as well progressive track to understand the nature of that invoice.
13:14
Mayor Joseph Whitfield Yeah.
13:16
Water Superintendent Saeed Rose It was approximately 94,000. 94,000. I'll double check to make sure it might could be 96. I think it's 94. Okay. So, Mr. Crawford has done um quite a bit of work for us since um 2023 initial water crisis when we have to start bringing in contractors to help us stay afloat. Um now as of I believe it was beginning of 2025 possibly uh forgive me I'm a little exhausted from the day but um around October or November last year it was brought to my attention that um it's been months since he submitted an invoice and uh he was continuing to work even without submitting the invoice and uh that really came to my attention um later on down the line. Um but I do know he continued to fix leaks and I believe with the invoice in your packet should be a list of about 108 leaks um that he fixed. And so he kept record of every leak site that he was at and um and what he did at that particular site. And so, um, we did stop or halt his, uh, contractual work until this was on the table and we got some of these invoices paid. Um, but this work was complete. And and I know um just in certain uh point of information, I know councilwoman Davis just asked what was the total. The total for these invoices is $94,550.
15:20
Water Superintendent Saeed Rose Crawford $94,550.
15:26
Roll call Roll-call vote — Monica Davis: yes; Dr. Kyle Miller: yes; Don Etherly: yes; Joe St. Columbia: yes; Adrian Messina: yes; Maxine Miller: yes. Clerk's count: 6 yes.
15:45
Water Superintendent Saeed Rose Motion passes. Thank you.
15:46
Unidentified I do have one question.
15:53
Unidentified Since some of these invoices are um maybe a year Is that what we're going to do moving forward as far as the timeline or do we have to have a timeline or should we have a timeline
16:06
Unidentified for how long to wait before approving invoices?
16:09
Water Superintendent Saeed Rose° So um
16:10
Water Superintendent Saeed Rose° or submitting them at least.
16:11
Water Superintendent Saeed Rose° Yeah. So my um and that's why I brought this invoice originally to the body because we had a loan we had a list of these invoices that were here accumulating I think even not I think but before I was even pointing to this position. Um I don't think it would be prudent for us to move forward with invoices that are sub um that are submitted in mass altogether at once because it's hard to verify work and I and I don't want to speak on this particular approval process as to question the integrity of individual's work. Um some of this work was done again like before I got here but I think it's just good practice that if we are working with a contractor um I've expressed this with uh Mr. roads as well as other department heads. Um we we will not move on to a new project with any contractor until we've taken care until they've been paid for what the last assignment would have been. So um accounts need to be current before moving on. That's that's my take on
17:07
Water Superintendent Saeed Rose Yeah, this this is actually um the first case that I've experienced with um no invoices being submitted. It's usually the other way around when we don't uh pay our contract in a timely manner. They're like, "Hey, we're not going to continue to work until we get our invoices caught up." And so, um, and I think I'll be okay quoting, um, Mr. Andre Valley, our city attorney, when I asked him about this. He said our, I believe the, uh, verbal contractual agreement, uh, which is pretty much, uh, was been made with Crawford and Quarterbomb Plumbing. It's a three-year statute of limitation on there, but that's not saying that we're going to um you know, we want to wait for invoices to build up like this. You know, I think a periodic at least a two or three week turnaround on invoices um at minimum is is you know, how we usually operate.
18:00
City Treasurer Derrick Turner Miss Davis, I we actually talked about this. I was meaning to talk to the mayor tomorrow about it. Uh but I so we talked to someone who can give us a sample of a memorandum of understanding that we should probably do for all contractors letting them know that you have to submit your invoice by a certain day
18:24
Council Member Joe St. Columbia° and uh then we can proceed from there and then have all other uh requirements of having maybe pictures taken blah blah blah before and after. But I meant to talk to him tomorrow about it. Someone's going to send me a a sample of a memorandum of understanding and it would be my suggestion to the mayor to do this for every contract. I don't care if it's $100 or $100,000 should understand that you have so much time to get your invoice in.
18:51
Unidentified Now, and this the case of Mr. Crawford, we know that Mr. Crawford was, you know, we saw him all over town during this time. So, we know he was out there doing it. So, and I was going to ask why. I meant to call him and ask him Why? But you know, he's he's busy
19:07
Unidentified and so but I'm glad we took took care of that. But like I said uh a second ago, I plan on getting with the mayor tomorrow after well after I get the sample and discuss it with him, see how he wanted to proceed and then talk with Andre to make sure everything was appropriate.
19:24
Unidentified Thank you, Mr.
19:25
Unidentified No problem. Also too, actually look at the invoices, they're extremely detailed. I can use the invoices to see exactly what he did. So,
19:34
Unidentified you know, so it's obviously it's obvious he did the work. Um,
19:39
Unidentified you know, so it's just Yeah, we can get the invoices in more time than that. That'd be awesome. But yes,
19:46
Unidentified you know, and Kyle, everybody ain't got it like that. He can he probably can sit on 510,000. I don't know. Well, uh, after speaking with Crawford, um, I think his passion and commitment to our water system is, um, is has been exemplified through his work and his action. And he's literally like, hey,
20:06
Mayor Joseph Whitfield° this affects me as well. And so, I think the work has been, um, a lot more important to him than the actual uh, money. But at the end of the day, it's like, hey, get your invoices in. We don't want to
20:16
Mayor Joseph Whitfield° get you uh you know caught up in and
20:19
Mayor Joseph Whitfield° you know maybe is living like that but just to know that he's a local plumber committed to uh to helping us out by any means necessary. For sure. Yes sir.
20:27
Council Member Maxine Miller And at the end of the day we're always talking about bringing business to our town.
20:32
Mayor Joseph Whitfield° This is a local business. So we should take care of our local businesses. Any any other further discussion on uh coffin invoices? If there is none um then we'll we can flip the page to 3B and this is um our another contract from the water department um progressive tractor and Mr. Rose, they were one of the same.
21:00
Water Superintendent Saeed Rose Yeah, this is um PTI. This is actually a vendor uh for case equipment and this was a repair to the mini excavator that we use uh frequently I want to say for leak repair that's been in the repair shop for maybe uh maybe three or four months now. Um but PTI is located in Jonesboro and they specialize in industrial equipment repair. And so um our local Case Elrich um is agriculture. So they only do they'll do work for us. Uh but they only do work on um agriculture equipment. So we kind of slip in there sometimes, but when there's a lot more rehaul that we needed to do on our mini excavation, uh we have to send it to Jonesboro. And so this is basically showing the completion of that work. And as soon as we're able to get this improved and a check cut, we can actually go pick up our machine and stop written the one we've been written for a few months now for browse equipment rental.
22:09
Mayor Joseph Whitfield° Any questions or discussion? should be on the back page. Move to approve this attractive.
22:41
Unidentified Madam clerk, will you call the role, please? page 36.
22:54
Unidentified Next page. Just turn one page.
22:56
Unidentified Next page.
22:59
Unidentified Page 36, I think, is what's at the top.
23:02
Unidentified 36.
23:03
Roll call Roll-call vote — Don Etherly: yes; Monica Davis: yes; Dr. Kyle Miller: yes.
23:24
Unidentified Motion passes. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Rose. Thank you.
23:27
Unidentified Um, I do want to give you the floor if there's any other thing department that you want to share.
23:32
Water Superintendent Saeed Rose I probably could take a two hours to uh share uh things that's happening. I I would want to um basically suggest that possibly we um hold a water meeting just to talk about various things that's happening, projects, updates on our consent orders and um current system needs. I I think just kind of a focus for water and sewer would be appropriate to uh to at least you know get appropriate time to cover
24:03
Mayor Joseph Whitfield Yes, sir. you know, the various things we can cover, but I am open for any questions if there was anything you all particularly may have wanted to ask. Um, especially I know I wasn't able to be here the last couple of city council meetings. So, I'm open to uh answer any pressing questions that may still be on the table.
24:29
Water Superintendent Saeed Rose° I have a couple of questions. You know, it's the question I think I called you with the other day.
24:34
Water Superintendent Saeed Rose° How is everything coming on Springdale?
24:37
Water Superintendent Saeed Rose° Oh, okay. Uh, faith outreach, we did, um, as soon as we got off the phone, I've u contacted my office staff and we did do an adjustment to their to their bill. And so, um, there's further investigation that needed to be made, but I believe that, um, there's definitely a leak that's impacting the bill because we looked at the out of history. We saw after, uh, May actually in April um it was pretty much let's say a normal bill or consistent usage over a 12-mon average and u May it it went up and it's been up since and so we pretty much just adjusted everything back to um to the lowest usage or the average usage in April and hopefully within the next two weeks two three weeks let's give oursel a little room uh we'll have a crew over there actually addressing both of those leaks that's on the property and across the street from the property
25:29
Water Superintendent Saeed Rose° how are How are you feeling about the leaks all over town? Do you feel like you all are getting
25:33
Water Superintendent Saeed Rose um Well, we um last week uh we were really in a sense forced to address every leak in West Helena. Um we had a main break that I'm sure many was aware of through social media and and really just riding down Plaza uh right on Labor Day weekend. Um that was pretty much like the um like the climax of the summer. It happens every year and it's been consistent on landing in September. Uh but after we had that main break which we were able to um get off pretty quickly to where it didn't drop our tank levels fully. Um immediately the next day I was u getting calls from engineer and and and state officials and it was just like wait a minute somebody people know something I don't know but our our tank was actually um not fully recovering from that and that just goes to show yes we're we're maintaining uh we're doing a lot of better better on our response on our uh plant maintenance on our uh our our proactive solutions to uh what we're dealing with. But when we have a big break like that and a lot of other small leaks or you know medium-sized leaks, however you want to say it, uh we do we're we're not getting enough water into our system to recover. And that's that's really the focus is how how do we maintain if um basically 50% of our system is at jeopardy uh because of water loss or maybe even fire usage. And so, uh, it kind of back to presenting the question on what do we need to do to get another well to exercise our current wells to make sure that we have enough water coming into the West Helena plant. And this is um I'm I'm mentioning West Helena specifically because Helena, we have many issues over here, but uh water flow is not necessarily the primary issue. You know, we have four whales now. We're only using two to three of the wells here. And West Helena, we're maxing out on everything that we're using at this time. And so to answer your question about the leaks, uh we're in a slightly better situation now because we uh we literally have to do what I call our yearly blitz of leaks to uh help us recover our water levels and bring down our plant time. Um however, we still got a lot of work to do. You know, right now we went from around 70 leaks to 30 this week. And so we literally fixed almost 40 leaks uh last week um including the major line break on Sunday. And uh but we pretty much need to get our water loss down to um possibly 25 30%. Okay. And that will be pretty much us fixing the remainder of the leaks that we have identified and continuing to do um the line replacement that is officially started and um right on Cook Street in Georgia. You'll actually see work happening and um already the phases of u continuing the line replacement is is is in is in effect which is great but just making sure we cannot in any sense of fashion let our foot off the gas. We have to continue to identify and fix the leaks that we identify which is an ongoing process is part of why I'm googly eyed and tired right now because we constantly have to track every part of the system especially where we've had coming and reoccurring leaks uh to make sure it's not leaking again as soon as we fix it because as we fix the leaks we build the pressure back up in the system and the pressure is going to find a weakest point on every line and so it's a it's ongoing battle but I think we're making the right steps to get ahead um eventually. And I've brought in additional contractors. I know that's always a thing like, hey, contractors, contractors, contractors. Why are we paying the city employees? We have to have contractors right now to survive. And I'm just going to be completely honest with that. Um with the manpower that we have, they're doing the best they can to fix leaks. um including myself, but without the maximum use of contractors right now, um I probably would not even be able to stand right here and present or speak on anything because we'll be fixing leaks until the sun go down, you know. And so that is really putting us in a better situation. And um my goal is just to um to make sure we get to the point to where we can do chemical cleaning, repair to the well. Hopefully I'll have information to present to you all uh for us to go ahead and schedule that and this will pretty much put us in a situation to where we can manage and be ready for what the winter brings us.
30:25
Water Superintendent Saeed Rose° So our our new well how would you say we are as far as that? Are we more health are we healthier than we were the last time we talked?
30:33
Water Superintendent Saeed Rose Um slightly slightly. Uh we we've noticed that we've gotten a little bit more production out of our new well. Um currently that's kind of under the the orders and suggestions of the engineer and Jeff Jones Hydro. Um which you know just installation of the well is that we have to run all of our wells to run the new well. And so that's periodically like for instance when we had the main break we needed to back wash. We our tank wasn't completely low, but it was going in that direction last week. And so turn, of course, we turned on all wells to push as much water into the system as possible as we was fixing leaks. And so we noticed every time we shut the new well off, especially if it's over a couple of a few weeks, um or at least not using it as much just possibly for backwashing it, then turning it off. We seem to get more production out of it that well. And so my plant operator notified me this morning that we've been fluctuating between 1,400 to,00 gallons per minute um at our plant which is not where we need to be but that's better than us idling at around 1,000 um gallons per minute uh which is like barely keeping our plant alive. And that's usually the range that we're running in. And so more relief we're able to give these whales, better they will produce ultimately. Um but the intermediate solution is doing a chemical cleaning um or screen cleaning and um actually seeing if that will help clear up what what may be halting the production out of that particular well and addressing one of our more um used wells which is well eight right now. Now, I think that'll be our highest production around, let's just say, 400 to 600 uh gallons per minute coming from that individual well. And so, that's pretty much the, you know, the future we're looking at is addressing what we have first. Um, we get more production out of the new well, that's great. That's going to be a breath of fresh air and um and I I think it calls for a celebration. But if not to say we won't go that way, but if that doesn't happen, I think our contingency plan is to definitely just make sure we're keeping our hands on the leagues and keeping them all the way down. Um I mean I it's not really possible to say we're going to have zero leaks. There's always going to be something we're not seeing, but to keep us My goal is always to keep us under 10. keep us of the 10 visible leaks and that will help us battle whatever comes with the weather with power going out you know etc. So that's but that's a full full-time effort overtime full-time effort to stay in that range. Do we have a date that we can set for a warrant?
33:32
Unidentified Um, we don't. I mean, yeah, I'm sure we could have a I was just literally was just writing next meeting or a special meeting. The next week and a half is going to be pretty packed, but um there's several things that I'm just making note of that I think could populate that meeting. We can have a special call meeting. I know that um next week is going to be pretty busy for me, but um if this body wanted to meet again this week, we can. And part of this as was stated depends on it needing to be a good day um with the with the water infrastructure. So but I I am available to meet this week and I can schedule through email a time if that's if that works for us.
34:10
Mayor Joseph Whitfield° There's five Tuesdays in this month
34:13
Mayor Joseph Whitfield° September.
34:16
Mayor Joseph Whitfield° So
34:19
Mayor Joseph Whitfield° well the 29th is is will feel like the 1st of October. But it won't be. And I'm just saying there's five Tuesdays in the month. So that's an open. I don't know if that's just, you know, check your calendar. It might be a possibility.
34:34
Mayor Joseph Whitfield° Could we do the 22nd or the 29th?
34:44
Council Member Don Etherly 29th for this body. The 29th. That's the last Tuesday of this month. My preference is 29th, but I'm
34:54
Mayor Joseph Whitfield° 29th.
34:55
Mayor Joseph Whitfield° Yeah.
34:57
Mayor Joseph Whitfield° 29th.
35:05
Mayor Joseph Whitfield° Let's do.
35:11
Mayor Joseph Whitfield So, if we can do the 29th, then I'll make sure we send correspondence and make sure you're wrapped in that, Mr. Rose. Um, any any additional comments or questions in the meantime? If not, thank you, Mr. Rose. Continue our water focus conversations if not before on um September 29th. All right, I'll make sure I get that email out to this body ASAP. Our next order of business um is uh the next page 4 A. So this is an invoice for the city of Helen West Helena um a proposal for market research of economic vitality for downtown hotel. So this is 4A in your packet. Um and the the group is Woodworth Core Core Hospitality Advisory Services. So as you can see by the date on this email, this is dated May 29th. the chief of staff and I um we had a conversation with a representative from um the Marriott to inquire about what it takes to get a hotel into a downtown area, let alone just um a new hotel into a city. Part of this um conversation, and I'm sure everybody's going to have um their own personal perspectives on this matter, but part of this conversation was looking at our current stock of hotels specifically and what we have in store um or what we have available here in the city of Helena. B the number of events that we have where we see leakage when people visit. Um are they staying here in Illinois Helena? Are they going to Tuna? Are they going to Memphis? Are they going to Pine Bluff? And so while and I'll get to that sheet later, but those are two of the factors that we consider. And then obviously um when you have people that are visiting but maybe not staying with you, you know, you're seeing a loss of uh money that's being spent in your community. So this is a proposal for showing that there is a p potential pathway forward for a hotel. What this company or what this group will come in and do is market research. Um they would look at traffic count. They would look at number of businesses. Um they would look at um other economic development plans that this city has. Uh two things in particular, one of them that I know for sure I briefed you all on via email. I did nominate both Helena and West Helena um census tracks for opportunity zones. That was done about two months ago. And so if one of those is successful, um what you see is economic development that can be made possible because of tax incentives. And that is something that Helen Helena desperately needs. Um the other item that I would add to that is um amendment three is on the ballot this year and that is also an amendment that would vote for municipalities to be able to abate taxes and create um tax district or financial economic tax districts essentially. So, there's a lot of um one of those we have to wait to hear about in terms of uh a vote being held in November. And the second, we have to know if we were approved for those census track um opportunity zones. But um in being optimistic and in being hopeful, my vision is to be able to see that we're able to control some of that um some of those ourselves. And so um what you have on the hand the single sheet of hand out the single sheet handout that says place for AI. This is top visited places. This is a visible list of where people stay when they do visit places in Helen Louisa. Um and you can look at that list and you will see um folks that stay as far out as Pine Love for Tuna Clarksdale. Um these are very real um very real leakage patterns that we see because we don't have the stock that we need to. Um I've talked to some constituents about this and um I think some of the concerns have been you know can we fix up a hotel? Um can we fix up a hotel that we currently have? And I think for most of us around the table, if we travel, um you visit a new place or new city, um there's a reason why you have options. When you you have a $100 a night hotels, $500 a night up to $1,000 a night hotels. And so approved this study. Um this is a two-phase project. Phase one would be the actual work where they're on the ground looking at what do we have as assets that would provide um an investor to say I see my ROI and I'm going to take that opportunity to invest in Helen West Helena. Um that work that they would do for that data aggregation is $9,500 and then phase two which essentially be kind of the report would be $3,000. So, you're looking at $12,500 total for um a firm to come in and do a report on the the potential for a hotel to be viable here. Um although this hotel would not be here tomorrow, it would not be here next month. This is I think the type of planning that the city needs to do to be ready for growth and to be ready for investment. Um, yes, and I and and I could be projecting, but yes, there are other issues around the city that we deal with every day. Um, however, I think this puts us in a position to be ready instead of having to get ready if we're wanting to be serious about economic investment. So, what I'm asking um, and I'll open up the floor for discussion. And what I'm asking for is consideration for this body to see this as a um a stepping stone to say we're serious about wanting to open our doors to say we're open for business. Um our downtown and I also always think about Plaza Street and West Tina. Our downtowns need investment and I don't think investing in potential new businesses takes away from existing businesses. I don't think that at all. Um, so I want to I don't want to soak out the um air from the middle of the room, but I do want to open up the floor for discussion in terms of um our thoughts on this and if this is something that we see as viable for the growth of the city. Um, it is something that would fit within the scope of what AMP does and whether or not you get to supported AMP. Of course, it has happened, but I'm saying that's something that's within the scope of what AMP does. So, that's a possibility.
41:55
Council Member Don Etherly° And it support it supported um like a vote mean like a vote.
41:59
Council Member Don Etherly Yeah. I mean, well, I guess what I'm saying language is Yeah. This is something that AMP would would the type of thing that AMP would invest in provided you get the support at the table among the body to do it. We already done our budget for this year. Uh we've basically committed to all of our projects. It doesn't mean we're not able to to do it now, but that's something that would have to be presented to the body. And of course, if it gets the votes of the body, then A and B could do something like this. So, I don't want to speak for anybody else on on the board, but yeah, that that's that's something that's within scope. question the city itself but um I was saying I was and I wasn't taking the full amount but mainly a portion because I think the city should have some skin in the game you know um you know part of the investment but you know I know we've had several discussions about this before and even um you know I mile into Nicholas and several other hotels. I know it's it's it's it's a bad it's a bad hemorrhage cuz you know we had several conferences and things at between Phillips and uh Delta Prep and you know it's very difficult you know once once uh the Edwardian fills up there's not really much else that you can really uh recommend as as far as places to stay and so we and it's really uncomfortable and you say well where's it close to hotels. Oh, well, you know, you got Clarksdale. It's 30 minutes away. Got Forest City is 45 minutes away.
43:42
Mayor Joseph Whitfield I mean, we have we have people staying as far as an hour out when they come and visit this city. And um I I think that uh $12,500 um is in our budget as it kind of got brought up on when the police chief made his um um request for uh part-time pay changes. we are under budget in uh a couple areas um for this year. I think that this is a good opportunity. Um and part of this too is also related to the conversation that we had around um our fund balance most recently. While yes, we started this year a negative fund balance and then moved it to a positive. Um the gap that I've identified is we need economic stimulation in the city. um we you're not going to save we're not going to save ourselves um out of $4.5 million of debt. We have to generate income and revenue. And I think that um this is just that step of showing that we're serious about it. We're going to be ready. We're going to embrace it. Um it's it's it is factual. It's not opinionated that we lose. We lose dollars and we lose um we lose nights where people would spend in this city because we don't have the best offerings currently. And so, and I heard you mention that we're an in that's slightly a different market as a bed and breakfast, which I think probably becomes more enhanced because it's a ne it's a more niche offering than it is a standard hotel. So, um thinking about conference centers and conference spaces, thinking about um snatching some of the five to roughly 7,000 people that drive by on 49 daily. How do we get those people to come into the city? And um I'm I'm sure if you're ever down here around noon time or evening time, those folks are coming through our downtown looking for things. And um we have to I think start to position ourselves in places in a way to offer those. So um I personally don't think 12,500 for um a study is um is terrible. The city can manage that. I think the question is do we see this as important right now? That's and that's kind of what I'm trying to engage um from this body. Do we see this as something that is valuable right now? I'm I'm a little bit torn because I do understand the need for um housing for people who are visiting on conferences and all of that. However, I think my only concern is we do have what is it two hotels here right now? Is it one or two? We have two.
46:30
Council Member Maxine Miller And then we have and I know that they're slightly different market, but we do have uh one B&B. We have several um what do they call it? Airbnbs. And I would have concern that our biggest tourist time is typically the Blues Fest. It's uh when people come for family reunions, class reunions, and I'm concerned that right now I don't know that we have the the traffic. Maybe we do, but would it be something we need to do to maybe discuss with the other hotels? You know, what is their occupancy? You know, how what are their peaks? Do they have periods where they have a lot of people or are they running at a much less capacity most of the year? because we don't want to take what little opportunity they do have to make revenue um with a new project right now, particularly one that's going to cost about $12,000 just for them to do a study. And I don't know, maybe if AM, you know, were to help and the city did half or something like that, I could see that. But given all the other things that yeah, all the other things that we have on our plate, I kind of like the idea, but I don't know that I consider it a priority right now.
48:15
Mayor Joseph Whitfield Are there are there other um additional thoughts? And to that, I I will say um again, the a hotel wouldn't be here tomorrow. Um, if we want to get an investor, they want to know that they're going to have an RO an a good ROI, that they're going to see the opportunity. Um, we have plenty of things that we still have to activate that I think would increase our traffic through this city. Um, our culture here and our, um, our history here is a it's it's a destination and that's an attraction. Um, but we have to activate those things. I think that there are some factors for the existing hotels and this is all anecdotal. There are some factor even if I'm and I don't want to necessarily um say names of uh any establishments but there are some factors where um occupants that I've spoken to have not had desirable experiences in in those places and so opening the door for new businesses I don't think I think we have to get away from thinking you know how is this going to imp you have to pause and I do think you have to ask the question impact I don't want to say you just do things without um being prudent But if we're bringing it, there's a need I guess is what I'm trying to get at directly. There's a need for lodging in Helena, West Helena. Um that it has a direct um economic impact on the city. We sit around this table and we ask about, you know, revenue and the debt and the claims. These are the types of conversations I think we have to start having. And while the hotel won't be here tomorrow, um this allows us to put something in somebody's hands and show them that you've got an opportunity here. And ideally, again, if we get both Helena or West Helena census tracks approved for opportunity zones, amendment three passes at this table, we can start talking about incentive packages for businesses that want to move here. And you already have what you need to put in their hands. So, I mean, I'm I'm encouraging this body to think about being ready instead of getting ready. It's not
50:12
Mayor Joseph Whitfield even if a even if it's two years out from when we can seriously court um a brand hotel, we we already have that research ready and it's and it's and it's um and there have been people currently that have inquired about it but haven't been able to see where that opportunity is. And so um is this a demand right now? It is. It is. And I think that the body has to essentially um see that. But I I don't want again there are there any other discussions? I don't want to assume everybody has the same exact perspective or thoughts.
50:47
Council Member Monica Davis I see like it's a it's a great idea as far as uh the need. We do have a need I feel for um hotels in our area, new hotels in our area. But as far as $12,000 at this point in time, I don't feel it.
51:12
Unidentified Understood. I mean, I I understand. I think that um and that's
51:16
Unidentified and it is a study.
51:17
Unidentified It's a Yeah, it's a study. It's a study, but um again, it's the starting point where you want to attract the investor. We got to be able to show that. So, I don't I don't consider it just a study. It's a necessary step um to get that investor.
51:31
Council Member Adrian Messina° I didn't say just a study. I said it is a study.
51:34
Council Member Adrian Messina° Yeah.
51:34
Council Member Adrian Messina° But why is it why are you saying you're just bringing it out?
51:38
Council Member Adrian Messina° This is dated in May.
51:40
Council Member Adrian Messina° So I mold it with um other things that we've been talking about over the last couple months. Um felt I think in the time since we brought up a lot of other things, animal control, day operations with water, just that everything. So, we revisited because we had a conversation I had a conversation with Miss Bidwell, I want to say last week and um learned that the actual proposal was the same and I felt that um with a lot of the again conversations around potential tax incentives coming down the pipeline, I think it's a good time to consider this. Um I do I don't want to put you on the spot, but I do see we did you want to do a presentation, Mr. Williams?
52:23
Mayor Joseph Whitfield° No, I wouldn't. What did I do?
52:26
Mayor Joseph Whitfield° Okay. I I see he's brought something in and I
52:29
Mayor Joseph Whitfield° So, let me let me start with u telling this body that
52:34
Mayor Joseph Whitfield° and yet when you say your name is
52:37
Mayor Joseph Whitfield° Thank you.
52:38
Harvey Williams a business owner uh downtown Helena. Uh let let me start by saying you you guys have a tough job and and it's at more work. Uh you're in survival mode. Uh, and week to week, I mean, I listen to the council meetings and his water, his police, his fire. It's always something. Um, which is great. You're doing doing uh hard work to keep the city afloat and keep the city going. Um, it's also uh tough because you have to wear two hats. You have to wear the hat of sustaining this city, uh, keeping it afloat, but you also have to look to the future. And it's hard to look to the future when your mind in the muds and stuck your feet are stuck in the mud. So this um is is a proposal to help us start looking beyond the day-to-day uh and get a little bit out of survival mode and say uh you know when when someone looks to come to a city they uh just assume that the basics are taken care of. They assume that your your water situation is is is taken care of. You got a long-term solution in place to get the lines replaced. You're not going to get out of survival mode with the city on on the water until these lines are replaced. And you're this leaking is is going on. You guys have done a great job because it sounds like there's $24 million that's going to replace those lines. That'll get you out of survival mode on that. It looks like you're going to get out of the trash mode situation, get the right trucks, the right maintenance of those trucks, and then you'll be out of the survival mode on that. Um, so you're doing the right things in my opinion to get the city stable. And then once you're stable, we have to look to the future. And the future is bringing in new revenue. And new revenue doesn't come from what we already have today. It comes from something that we build into the future. And I'd like to see other investors take an interest in Helena with Helena. But the only way they're going to do that is one, the city is stable and two, there's growth opportunity here. So with this hotel stay, I mean, I I I can tell you with my business alone, we just came through a Labor Day weekend and we had class reunion after class reunion after class reunion. Um, and I talked to those groups of people and most of them if they're not staying with family, they're staying in Forest City, Arkansas or they're staying in Mississippi. So that money is bleeding out of our community. And that's money that we should be able to grow our own pie and increase our revenue for our own town and our own city. But that's only going to be possible if you guys are able to step forward and plan for the future a little bit little bit at a time to do that. And one of the things that will help us do that is a hotel. Um I've had people to say we'd like to do a two-day event, not just during King Biscuit, but during the course of the summer, but they can't do that two-day event because we they don't have anywhere to stay. And and I also get the point about we have existing hotels there their levels of hotels there are different clientele and those the hotels that we have are going to uh continue to serve the base and the target that they uh are looking at u but those who are coming in from Dallas and Atlanta and Chicago and different places that they have moved away from here and they're coming back uh they're not going to want to stay there. they're going to want to stay at a chain hotel whether it's Hampton or Holiday in Express or some other hotel that has a level that they that meets their needs. Uh so the only way we can do that is to do some sort of study that allows us allows you to make a decision and say wow we have this many thousands of people coming through here. We have this many people who are uh wanting to spend time and money in Helena West Helena, but we aren't giving them the opportunity to do that. So, I'm trying to reimagine Helena and I want you guys to reimagine what we can be as a as a city. And it's just a pictorial view of what downtown Cherry Street could look like in the future. Um, but you can't be it until you can see it in in in in some ways. Um, but to have a boutique hotel, I had I I I I talked to hotel years uh just last week and they've told me what it would take to bring a hotel to this city. But we're going to have to have a city council and a a government body who is willing to do what you talked about with the opportunity zone and help those guys bring those businesses here. Um, so that's all I wanted to share with you guys is that we can have a growing um, more prosperous, safe, clean uh, city as long as you guys continue to do the work that you're doing to make our city safe and basic things are taken care of. But we also looking to grow uh, the city and bring on new business so new money comes into the city. Thank you.
57:51
Unidentified Thank Thank you, M. That's Yeah.
57:53
Unidentified Okay.
57:53
Unidentified I just saw that you brought that in. I I assume that you want to speak about that. Um
58:01
Unidentified I I'm not in the business of making folks do things that they don't want to do.
58:05
Unidentified Yeah.
58:07
Unidentified Mr. Dr. Miller brought up
58:10
Council Member Don Etherly Mr. I was about to jump you and say this is a this is a tourism proposal.
58:17
Council Member Don Etherly This is a this is a it's about visitors coming to town. That's what AMP does. Um, and I sit on both. Given a choice between spending funds on this and spending general funds on this from the city, Miss Miller used the term torn. I'm not torn at all. I have no desire to spend $12,000 from general fund on a study. But there is another way to skin a cat in this. I mean, there's a different body who This is what we do with AMP. We evaluate proposals like this. And so my suggestion would be to send it over to AMP and then uh we can take a look at it. I can't guarantee you that you'll have seven people in there who are for it, but it I'm saying that's kind of what does um and so um I it doesn't have to die here in this room, but I'm not I'm not forth from general fund. Uh given the challenges that we have um we just heard about water, we struggle to pick up trash. We we struggle to fix and repair streets. And I think all of these things go hand in hand. We're not going to have very many people who want to remain here and certainly who want to visit if we don't get these other things fixed. And I've been preaching foundation foundation foundation all year long. We're not about to change now, but I'm saying that's a different form. And deals with tourism and this is a tourism proposal. we've done invested in a lot of projects that are forward thinking, forwardlooking uh about investment in the tourism industry. And so I I think this is something that, you know, hey, if you want me to put it on the next agenda, I'll put it on the next agenda for amp and we can at least talk about it. Um in terms of whether or not there's some interest from that body. So,
1:00:03
Unidentified and
1:00:04
Unidentified and I'm let me say this.
1:00:06
Unidentified I agree in terms of finding new ways to develop our our economy and uh you know, things that go on in town. I just in terms of the timing, I'm not um crazy about the timing and where we are right now as far as considering it's coming from general fund. But yeah, we we this is something we can consider over there.
1:00:28
Mayor Joseph Whitfield And um thank you, Councilman Anthony. I will say that um just things to consider that um so I I will see it sounds like uh the consensus and from what's said and what's not said is to think about alternative ways to fund this. We will do that. Um there are there are several things that bringing people through Philips County that may not be front-f facing but but indeed do. Um, you have new trails that are opening that are going to bring uh 200,000 plus people to Philips County a year through uh right through Bon and Lexa, the Delta Heritage Trail all the way down to Arkansas City. You have um catfishing tournaments, you have car shows, you have class unions, yes, we have the Blues Fest. Um this is a a city that I think needs to start to think about um development. So even if this does go to another body, I do want to just um reemphasize that at some point it comes back to this table. And so my my hope is that um our mindsets are that we we we we be ready. Um I think that um that's that's my ask, but I will look for alternative ways to fund this and um we'll ask if there's any other discussion before moving on. If not, we'll move right up. We'll move right up.
1:01:52
Mayor Joseph Whitfield Come here. Come again.
1:01:55
Mayor Joseph Whitfield Oh, not not not not yet. We got one more um item. One more item. Sorry. Um our next item uh of business is number five, which is our annual millillage ordinance. This is ordinance um levying taxes on all real property and uh personal property, I'm sorry, in the city. So, this is our ordinance that we have to codify as a city council. I don't know if there's any um discussion before we do it, but
1:02:24
Mayor Joseph Whitfield no. What number is this?
1:02:25
Mayor Joseph Whitfield 18.
1:02:26
Council Member Don Etherly° 18. Move to adopt ordinance number 18 by placing it on his final reading. Reading the title only. Third and final reading. Reading the title.
1:02:36
Council Member Don Etherly° Same tax as last time last year.
1:02:38
Council Member Don Etherly° Yes, sir. Yes, sir.
1:02:40
Unidentified The one the one we have to do every year.
1:02:42
Unidentified Yes. I move that we approve ordinance.
1:02:45
Unidentified We got a second. We got a second.
1:02:47
Unidentified I'll second it.
1:02:48
Unidentified Madam clerk, will you call the role?
1:02:50
Roll call Roll-call vote — Adrian Messina: yes; Monica Davis: yes; Don Etherly: yes; Maxine Miller: yes.
1:02:55
Mayor Joseph Whitfield Mr. Dr. Miller, six. Yes. Ordinance number 18-2026 an ordinance levying taxes on the real and personal property located within the city of Helena West Helen Arkansas based upon 2025 assessment to defay general expenses of the city of Helen West Helena Arkansas for the year 2025 to pay pensions to retire police officers and firefighters and pension to the widows and minor children of deceased police officers and firefighters and for other purposes. Is there a motion to adopt?
1:03:25
Unidentified So move.
1:03:25
Unidentified Is there a second?
1:03:27
Roll call Roll-call vote — Dr. Kyle Miller: yes; Maxine Miller: yes.
1:03:39
City Clerk Sandi Ramsey Motion passes. Thank you. So, that brings us to the end of our agenda. Um, unless there's any outstanding business, I will accept. Couple things. Um, in January of 25, I when I did the banking resolution, I omitted uh putting in the ability of the senior district court clerk, Mrs. Hanssbury, to sign on the bond and fines account, which they've always done. I had it in the uh 25 resolution, but I amended it from this one. I'd like to ask that you allow me to amend the resolution that established the banking orders and add that one paragraph that says the council here authorizes district court clerk Valerie Hensbury to sign on the bond and fines account for the district court account in the southern bank court. This addition is to comply with Arkansas legislative audit rules and regulations. This is only one bank account and those checks will also require two signatures. One from Miss Hanssbury and one from someone that's already approved to sign on the checking account. So I just need you to take that change.
1:04:51
Roll call Roll-call vote — Don Etherly: yes; Maxine Miller: yes; Monica Davis: yes; Dr. Kyle Miller: yes.
1:05:03
City Clerk Sandi Ramsey Mr. St. Cl.
1:05:04
Council Member Joe St. Columbia Yes.
1:05:04
Unidentified Thank you.
1:05:05
Unidentified Motion passes. Thank you.
1:05:09
City Clerk Sandi Ramsey What about the police chief's car? Okay. You want to talk about that first?
1:05:15
Unidentified Yeah.
1:05:15
Unidentified Okay.
1:05:17
Unidentified Is there unless there's any outstanding business, is there a motion to uh adjourn?
1:05:22
Unidentified I move we adjourn.
1:05:24
Unidentified Second.
1:05:30
Mayor Joseph Whitfield° You might you mind coming to the mic and um state your name for the record? Huh? Mr.
1:05:41
Elijah Mondy Oh, he wants to say something. Does anybody know Monday and um we have coming up an election? Election is coming up and it's very important. This election is going to be probably one of the most important elections since we consolidated the cities. And a lot of people are running for office and a lot of you are incumbents are running for office and um since this is the last city council, but I want to make an announcement is that you see a lot of signs all over the city, but signs do not tell you qualification. You put signs out all day long. I can put my sign out there. It doesn't tell me about my qualification. So what we have done at KWF94.5 we are doing what we've always been doing for years having candidate debates and forum on the 26th that's a week from Saturday starting at 1:00 we're going to have the sheriff's the sheriff debate and forum with the law that are running for that after that at is it 2:00 Blender 2:00 the city council and treasurer are all going to come together and answer questions and then that will be followed by and it's at 4:00 right 4:00 all the mayor candidates are going to be there and what you do because see it's about brother talk about the vision and all the things is about leadership and we got to put leadership together that can work together and get things done. If you don't fix the leadership, you have bad leadership wherever. If you don't have good leadership, if you don't have good dynamics going on, then you're stuck in the mud. So that's why we are having this debate we want. All you that are there, we've been sending out. Who is it that we this she needs to get your address so you can be on the list of all the people that's involved and we keep updating you as they go. But now what's that again? the 26th of September. So a week from this coming Saturday and all of you that are running, you got some people that's not running, but all of you are running, we want you to be there so the citizens can interview you, audition to the citizen as to why it's like when you go get a job interview. That's all this is about. So we'll see you there. the 26th September is going to be at the college starting at 1:00 p.m. Still up and we're going to carry the debate live and and we're going to spew it all over the world and it's going to be up to Joshua and he can set it up. We also going to YouTube it. So, we're going to try to YouTube it. So, we're going to be announcing it on the radio and talking about it, but I want to see all you that I'm glad to tell you. Welcome back and we're glad we'll see you there also. Appreciate it.
1:08:57
Unidentified So, God bless you and thank you.
1:08:59
Unidentified Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Money. Meeting the journey and have a good evening everybody.
1:09:10
Unidentified Recording stop.
How this page was made: built from the city's own meeting video (YouTube ↗) and its posted meeting packet (Drive folder ↗). Dollar figures are quoted from the documents; nothing here is paraphrased from memory. Corrections: cheekforhelena@gmail.com.