The Waldron City Council met in special session on Tuesday night, August 22, at 6 p.m., Waldron City Hall. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss an ordinance providing for the levy of 0.25% sales and use tax for maintenance and operation and to call for special election for a 0.50% sales and use tax for park and recreation improvements.
Members of the council present were Dawna Young, Josh Lovett, Jeff Gilbert, Chad Owens, Mark Ashford and Doyle Dickens. Also present, Mayor David Millard, and Clerk/Treasurer Brad Dick.
Ryan Bowman with Friday, Eldredge & Clark, LLP in Little Rock addressed the council. Bowman is an attorney with a firm specializing in bond counsel.
Bowman presented the council with three proposed ordinances. In ordinance one, the 0.25% sales and use tax would be a permanent tax to be used to pay principal and interest on any bonds approved by the voters with the excess that is not needed to pay on the debt service on the bonds to come back to the city to be used for parks and recreational purposes.
The second proposed ordinance called for an election on November 14, on that levy of 0.25% sales and use tax.
The third ordinance called an election on the issuance of bonds in a maximum amount of $4.7 million dollars for the park projects it also levies a 0.5% sales and use tax that can only be used to pay debt service on a bond issue. When the bonds are paid in full, that half cent sales tax goes away.
“Both questions must be passed for you to accomplish what you want as a council,” stressed Bowman. “This would be an issue to call for a special election, and the city would be responsible for that election.”
Several members of the community were present and expressed their views on the proposed ordinances.
“We want to bathrooms in our existing park,” shared Mayor David Millard. We are also looking at a splash pad and improvement on things like walking trails…The actual goal is to improve our town and to get things that other towns are getting to attract people.”
After an exchange of views and information from the audience, Clerk/Treasurer Brad Dick emphasized that this meeting was only to see if the council wished to move these questions forward to the voters.
In the end, the motion to move forward with the proposed ordinances failed. Bowman expressed that time was of the essence if the council decided to place a proposal on the November ballot, and that anything later would have to be put off until the March primary.
With no further action and no other items of business, the motion was made to adjourn the special meeting.
In a statement, Mayor David Millard emphasized the importance of parks and recreation, noting they strengthen local economies and create job opportunities, increase community engagement and reduce crime, provide for a place for children and families to connect with nature, increase tourism and generate sales activity, enhance property values, increase municipal revenue, bring homebuyers and workers and attract retirees.
“I plan to continue to work towards progress in the city,” concluded Millard.
