Rezone requests sent to City Council

PEA RIDGE -- City officials have a busy agenda next week.

The questions city officials are proposing to present to voters are first, seeking a $5.8 million bond for street repairs and projects and secondly, a 1-cent city sales tax to repay the bond and to fund Police and Fire department needs.

An ordinance calling for the levy of a 1% sales tax, an ordinance calling for a special election asking the city's voters to approve such a tax and a third ordinance calling for a special election to issue bonds are on the Tuesday City Council agenda.

The city sales tax has been discussed comprehensively since February with Kevin Faught of Stephens Public Finance advising city officials. The motion to prepare an ordinance was approved by a 2-1 margin at the April meeting with one council member, Steve Guthrie, absent and one, Ginger Larsen, voting against it.

City officials have discussed various options of allocating the revenue from the sales tax with the latest that a portion of the sales tax would be dedicated to repay bond debt service and the portion not needed for bond debt service to be split between three city departments -- 45% to the Police Department, 45% to the Police Department and the remaining 10% to the Street Department. According to Faught, once the bonds are paid, the new tax revenue would be split evening between the three departments.

The bond issue is a request for up to $5.8 million in bonds for street projects including any curb and gutter and drainage improvements, utility adjustments and related sidewalks, according to Faught.

The city's current 1-cent sales tax was approved in 1984 and revenue were dedicated to several city departments. Discussion at both previous City Council meetings and Committee of the Whole meetings including not dedicating the revenue and "handcuffing" future city leaders with prescribed portions for departments. Some city leaders have said the public feedback they have received is that voters will be against a tax that is not dedicated to pay for emergency services.

Four ordinances authorizing rezoning of land are also on the agenda. All were approved at the May 4 Planning Commission meeting.

A city resident, Barbara France, is on the agenda to request a moratorium on zoning requests until the zoning ordinance has been updated. France has spoken in opposition to the rezoning requests presented over the past couple of months for land off Greer Street and Lee Town Road. The first request was for R3, a high-density zone allowing apartments. The most recent request was for R2 single family, but the current zoning ordinance allows duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes in that zone.

City planners updated the zoning ordinance and presented it to Mayor Jackie Crabtree last year, but covid-19 restrictions in 2020 hampering city meetings stalled any further work on that ordinance, according to city officials.

Items on the agenda include:

• Fire Chief Jack Wassman, promotions

• Ordinance 711 to waive competitive bidding for Stryker Power Load Cot System

• Ordinance 710 permit sale of alcohol by the drink

• Ordinance 712 Rezone from R-1 to C-2, Webb

• Ordinance 713 Rezone from A-1 to C-3, Discover Church

• Ordinance 714 Rezone from A-1 to R-2SF, Miller

• Ordinance 715 Rezone from A-1 to R-2SF, Wilkerson

• Ordinance 707 for the levy of a 1% sales and use tax

• Ordinance 708 calling a special election for 1% sales and use tax

• Ordinance 709 for 2021 calling a special election for issuing bonds

• Barbara France, moratorium on zoning request until zoning ordinance updated