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Alex Galligan
TUESDAY, June 21, 2016 / Vol. 2 Issue 23 / 75 cents
Weight limit ordinance rescinded Quorum Court will seek ‘less restrictive’ methods
Time to focus
A new contest is on the way. The Voice wants to see just how good you are with a camera. Get ready to snap photos of kids, critters, nature or whatever catches your eye. Details coming soon.
The Van Buren County Quorum Court made it official last week by repealing Ordinance 201620, which authorized the county judge to set weight limits on county roads. By unanimous vote, the justices of the peace adopted Ordinance 2016-27 to rescind the ordinance that was approved in May. The move came a week after a public meeting in which speaker after speaker expressed concern with the ordinance. They said weight limits could
endanger their livelihoods. The new ordinance states that the county will investigate less restrictive means. County Judge Roger Hooper said the signs on LoGap, Crowell Mountain and Linn Creek roads banning truck traffic have been taken down. He said he will begin committee meetings to come up with a solution to the road problem the first week of July. Also at the meeting: • Randy Murray from the sheriff’s
office reported that the detention center kitchen is completed. He also said the jail has begun selling hamburgers, fries and sodas to inmates and it seems to be working well. • Animal Control director Reta Tharp said the shelter currently has 55 dogs. The shelter has been overwhelmed by the number of phone calls. She said eight dogs were adopted last month and others have been
sent to rescue groups. Tharp said a gofundme account raised more than $2,500, and the animal control board of directors has decided to use the money on chainlink fencing for runs. • On July 19, an active shooter tabletop exercise for schools has been set, said Jeana Williams of the Office of Emergency Management. She said there will be a full-scale exercise in August.
Council talks pros, cons of 2016 Homecoming A discussion about this year’s Homecoming dominated the Shirley City Council meeting June 13. Some councilors and audience members said the venue for the children’s games was too crowded during the June 3-4 event, and said people were upset that they had to go sit in their cars to smoke. Further, they said, “tradition” was broken by moving the celebration across the street. Mayor Johnny Sowell countered the criticism, saying vendors preferred the new location and that smoking wasn’t allowed in any city parks. Regarding concerns that the location
is in a flood zone, Sowell said that area of the park hasn’t flooded since 1982. The only problems with flooding are along the river and in the lower ball field, he said. “Tradition,” the mayor said, was broken when dances were no longer allowed in the streets and were moved to an area behind the Shirley Museum. Also at the meeting, an audience member asked that no-parking signs be put up at Wild Bob’s Hair Salon because of its location near a fire hydrant and intersection. Sowell, who owns the building, said it was not his responsi-
bility and he would not put up signs. He suggested the complaint be taken to the sheriff or prosecutor and if they told him to do something, he would. On another issue, Sowell said he has met with the owner of three historic buildings the town is considering purchasing. The owner has dropped the asking price from $125,000 to $80,000, he said. The council asked Sowell to find out about insurance costs before going any further. The next meeting of the Shirley City Council will be 7 p.m. July 11 at the Shirley Community Center. The meeting is open to the public.
Sign language – Brandon Bradford helps The Voice of Van Buren County mark its 8-month anniversary by hanging its new sign on the back of the building last week. Lending Bradford a hand were his wife, Pam, and son Gabe.
Burgess offers 3-part plan to raise revenue Discussions are continuing on how to increase revenue by $40,000 per month for the Clinton Water Department. For the past several months, the department has had to seek City Council approval to take funds from its infrastructure account to pay
its bills. Manager Todd Burgess has offered the Clinton City Council his suggestions on raising the money. His plan would raise as much as $43,000 per month. He proposes: • Adding a “debt service” charge billed
to every meter served by Clinton and the wholesale systems. This would be to pay for common infrastructure that everyone benefits from equally, he said. The only place this really applies is the water treatment plant. A $3 per month “debt service” charge would
generate approximately $17,000 per month across all meters. Funds generated would accentually cover the 2014 bond payment for the current treatment process upgrade. Everyone benefits equally, everyone shares the cost equally, Burgess states.
• Raising the minimum water bills by $4. This would generate approximately $10,400 per month. • Consolidate the price per thousand gallons into one tier across all retail accounts. Meaning that the first 1,000 gallons is included in the minimum bill and all
usage above the minimum is billed at one rate for all accounts. Every $1 increase would generate approximately $7,900. A $2 per thousand increase would generate approximately $15,600. The council has not yet made any decisions.
Archey Fork Festival coming this weekend
The Archey Fork Car Show rolls in Saturday.
Clinton’s biggest bash of the year begins at 8 a.m. Saturday. The Archey Fork Festival, which began in 2000, kicks off at 8 a.m., with the Archey Fork Car Show, a Rag Ball Tournament and Popup Archery contest. The car show
raised $5,000 for local charities last year. Awards are planned this year for Best Wheels, Best Paint, Best Car by Decade, People’s Choice, Mayor’s Pick and many more. A Youth Talent program is scheduled for 10 a.m. at City Park. Plans
were canceled for a color run apparently because of low interest. In the evening the fishing derby will be held and there will be live music until time for fireworks at dark. As always, there will be carnival rides, food, crafts, competitions and more.