Booneville City Council

Held the 4th Monday of each month. Can be viewed live on Facebook @StacyHolbertCityCouncil 

September 26, 2022

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Booneville City Council Meeting was held on Monday, Sept. 26th.

- City Clerk Gayleene West read the final resolution accepting the grant for the sidewalks from the bridge on Main St. to Walmart. Landmark Engineering will begin this project as soon as the current sidewalk project between the Boys and Girls Club and the City Park is complete.

-Booneville Police Chief Ben Villarreal reported that to date there have been 500 arrests, 455 reports filed, 70 accidents, and 333 unlocks. Two new officers have been hired. Please welcome Jackson Sory and Dalton Lewis to the Booneville PD.

Chief Ben again thanked the community for supporting National Night Out. Over 400 people attended the event. Let’s double that next year!

Fundraising for Shop With A Cop is underway. On November 15th, the Police Department is again hosting is much enjoyed Chili Lunch. You can pick up your chili lunch at the police station, or arrange to have one of our wonderful officers or volunteers deliver it to you!

Chief Ben still has not committed to hosting the Dodgeball Tourney that was so much fun last year. If you are interested in participating, please let him know!

- The City Council passed an ordinance to provide AirVac services to city employees and their families. The cost for this service is $1,625 annually renewed.

- Shawn Hall again presented to the City Council asking for the city to approve a prior bid to charge the dead hydrant at the old Comb factory. The Council accepted and approved a previous bid of $25,000 to assist with this expense.

- The Mayor called for a special committee to review and evaluate the possibility for pay raises for all city employees. Chief Ben Villarreal shared that the Police Department has lost 18 qualified officers across 11 years due to a high turnover caused by low wages and almost no retirement fund. The last raise city employees received was in 2013.

- The Council approved to spend $1,500 on audio recording equipment to meet the recording mandates as set forth by the Freedom of Information Act.

- An update was made on the abatement status of the old hospital building that sits adjacent to the current hospital. The property has been up for sale or lease for several years, without seeing any substantial interest. The city will move forward with seeking bids to have the property demolished and the land sold or developed.

August 22, 2022

– An update on the Oliver properties was provided. I'm sure many of you have noticed the work taking place on the old house at the corner of Broadway and Venable. Renovations are underway to bring new life into the old home.

- A review of the 2022 budget was conducted. With the inflated cost of diesel, the city's sanitation fuel costs are nearly 100% with four months still to go. As the city Council did not approve a fee increase earlier this year, how this will be resolved remains to be seen.

- There is enough overhead in the salary budget to increase the city's pay schedules for city employees and the BNPD, which would make Booneville more competitive and attractive to new employees. Last year the surplus was offered to our officers as a bonus, but after taxes they took home just $3,700 out of the $5,000 given. Chief Ben Villarreal is reviewing a Step Program to raise salaries for the Booneville Police Department employees to bring us current with other counties in the River Valley.

March 28, 2022

– Due to the increases in fuel it now costs over $800 in diesel a month for city trash pick-up. The Council is looking at options in addition to and including a rise in trash fees. If you have a voice please attend the City Council meeting scheduled for April 25.

– There has been some confusion on building inspection protocol for city-wide construction and county construction tied to the city’s infrastructure. If you need an inspection on new or renovated construction please call City Hall at 479-675-3811 to arrange for payment and to schedule the inspection.

– The City of Booneville has initiated a Parks & Recreations Grant application in partnership with Western Arkansas Planning and Development District. Residents are encouraged to post any recommendations regarding potential outdoor parks and recreational needs for our community. For those who wish to respond, you may email cityofbnvl@gmail.com. You may also mail or hand-deliver written comments to City Hall, 497 E. Main Street, Booneville, AR 72927.

– Recommendation was made to create an additional committee for Booneville Parks and Recreation to oversee the development and construction of future park projects. Tabled until April.

– City of Booneville received approval of the ACDEP Economic Development Grant to extend city sidewalks from Booneville Creek to Walmart. The city appointed Western Arkansas Planning and Development District to administer and provide oversight to the project.

– The City Council approved the ABC permit for Penjamos to open and operate a private club inside Booneville City limits.

– The City Council approved the insurance bid from The River Company to provide insurance to the city for all property and assets.

February 28, 2022

- SplashPad Committee reported that they met with the Financial Oversight Committee to discuss the splash pad project. They want reassurance that the splash pad project will go forward regardless of approval and receival of the grant from Arkansas History, Parks and Tourism.

- The city has a meeting scheduled with Tracee McKenna from Western Arkansas Planning and Development District on March 18, 2022, to discuss the sidewalk grant and the parks and tourism grant.

- The City Council approved the amended budget for 2021. The $90,000 over budget for the police department was questioned. These were funds previously approved and used to purchase three new vehicles.

- Council approved payment of a $2,100 fine levied against the Booneville Water Department from the Arkansas Dept. of Energy and Environment due to sanitary sewer overflow. Booneville submitted a correction action plan in 2017. Booneville failed to meet the requirements of the correction plan. The city is working with AEE to ensure that the city does come into compliance and avoids further fines.

- City Council Woman Stacy Holbert made a motion to move forward with the 50/50 match economic development grant for city park improvement with the Arkansas Department of History, Parks and Tourism for the amount of $400,000.

- City Council made a motion to entertain a rise to current trash fees to $17. Tabled until March meeting.

- EMS is requesting a lump sum payment from municipalities in Logan County to continue to provide first responder services inside city limits. This has been tabled for further investigation.