Of the people, By the people, For the people
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Wilma Miller
TUESDAY, June 23, 2020 / Vol. 6 Issue 25 / 75 cents
Coronavirus Hundreds more test positive for Covid-19 Tank maintenance - Eagle Sandblasting and Painting, under contract to the Van Buren County Water Association, is performing a maintenance upgrade on the first water tank west of Clinton on Highway 16. VBC Water Association’s Cleo Mathes says tanks are checked regularly to determine when an upgrade is needed, and the water is tested before they’re brought back on line. The next tank to be upgraded, in a few weeks, is further west on top of Evans Mountain. (Photo by Jeff Burgess)
June 19 was the “largest growth of community cases we’ve seen in a single day” for the Covid-19 virus, according to Gov. Asa Hutchinson. State Health Department Secretary Dr. Nate Smith said there is not enough information to know where the spikes are coming from, but it seems to be related to weekend activities, such as church and large gatherings. Smith said last week that masks are underutilized. “A mask I wear protects you. A mask you wear protects me,” he said. The governor has said he won’t issue a directive on face masks. He says it’s bad policy and would be difficult to enforce. He believes Arkansans will do the right thing. He issued new guidance on wearing
face masks in public. Hutchinson said the updated guidelines for face coverings call for masks to be worn in all indoor and outdoor settings where people are exposed to non-household members and when at least 6 feet of physical distancing is not possible. He said masks should cover both the mouth and nose. “I encourage everyone to really look at some of the case studies,” Hutchinson said. “When face masks are used by a majority of the population in public settings, then it is effective in starting to reduce that transmission.” Hutchinson said the new guidance is not an official directive so there won’t be any actual civil punishment for those who choose to ignore the recommendation of the Health Depart-
ment, but he said it’s important advice that should be taken seriously. “Help us out and follow that recommendation,” he said. “It will make a difference.” Last week, Hutchinson extended by 45 days the public health emergency he originally declared in March. It was set to expire June 19. In response to the city of Fayetteville’s new ordinance requiring the use of masks in businesses, Hutchinson said he doesn’t intend to interfere, but discouraged other cities from writing their own rules. “If it becomes more
of a problem across the state with different instances of municipalities taking action, then we’ll re-examine that,” he said. “We want to have a coordinated approach, not a hodgepodge of different types of ordinances across the state.” New cases have been concentrated in Washington, Benton and Pulaski counties, followed by Sevier, Sebastian and Faulkner. Counties around Van Buren County, which currently has no active cases, include: 2 -Cleburne; 21 -White; 8 -Independence; 2 -Stone; and 81 Faulkner.
By the numbers/June 22 Arkansas • 522 new cases • 16,083 cases • 237 hospitalizations • 227 deaths
JPs OK another vote on tax for Ozark Health In a short Quorum Court meeting last week, justices of the peace gave their blessing for a special election to put the question of a halfcent sales tax to benefit Ozark Health before voters again. The issue will be decided Nov. 3, the same day as the General Election. JP Virgil Lemings asked what has changed in the three
months since it was rejected by voters, saying, “I don’t know that this is a great time to add a tax.” Why will minds have changed since March, he asked. Several, including Fairfield Bay Mayor Paul Wellenberger, said a reason it failed before was because it was tied in with the Van Buren County Library. He said people in Fairfield Bay have
their own library that they pay for and don’t want to fund Clinton’s library. Separating the issues will provide enough votes to approve the tax, he said. He also noted that the ballot question in March was confusing. This time it will be “for” or “against.” At issue is a halfcent sales tax for Ozark Health Medical Center. It is a “special” election because it’s
a special question on the ballot, it was explained at the meeting. The updated proposal also contains an end date for the tax of 2036. JP Brian Tatum said he doesn’t believe he has the right to say what people can vote on. The vote on the ordinance, which was given three readings last Thursday, was 7-1 with Lemings voting
no. JP John Bradford was absent. Also at the meeting, County Judge Dale James said the crusher is about to start up again, and Wellenberger said Fairfield Bay would like to buy all of it for projects. James said that wouldn’t be possible, but they would provide what they could for the city. An ordinance also was passed to correct
Archey Fest A scaled back version of the annual Archey Fest is this Saturday, June 27. There will be a car show downtown, tournaments in the park, a soapbox derby, and fireworks extravaganza at dark. This year will feature a local vendor fair, but there will be no carnival rides.
Sales tax revenue
Structure fire - Friday morning, the Burnt Ridge Volunteer Fire Department assisted the Highway 110 fire department in battling a residential structure fire on Plant Church Road. Firefighters braved the heat for four hours bringing the fire under control and performing salvage operations. All residents were able to escape without injury. Firefighters were able to stop the fire spread salvaging one room with contents. Choctaw Fire Department also responded to the scene. (Photo from Burnt Ridge Volunteer Fire Department Facebook)
Changes sought in clean-up proposal The “nuisance” ordinance approved in March by the Clinton City Council, which aims to clean up the town, was the subject of a workshop last week. Councilman Jeff Pistole, who chaired the workshop, was combative with those trying to reshape the ordinance, and at one point yelled at a participant. Community activist Adam Kuipers said he has been offering suggestions about changes to the ordinance for weeks and “I’m not going to do the City Council’s work anymore.”
mistakes in the recently approved personnel policy. It was approved unanimously. Resolutions approved at the meeting included a $45,000 transfer of funds to purchase road equipment and agreeing to up to $7,500 for a 9010 matching grant that the Dennard Volunteer Fire Department would like to apply for to purchase equipment.
Councilman Jeff Pistole chaired a workshop on Clinton's clean-up ordinance. (Photo by Warren Johnson)
Pistole yelled at Kuipers that “it sounds to me like you’re not going to be happy no matter what we do.” Do you want to just leave things the way they are so you can “continue to com-
plain” on Facebook for the next year, Pistole said. Kuipers said it was disrespectful that the council showed little interest in the ordinance it approved, without a public reading, in March. Audience member John Theburg insisted that the ordinance should spell out how things will be handled, not just on a case by case basis decided by the city attorney. Theburg said the council needs to be farsighted enough to realize that in five or 10 years, there will be changes in the council and the city that
should be considered in writing the ordinance. Currently, he said, the ordinance leaves no room for “shadetree” mechanics and doesn’t differentiate in a residence and an auto dealership. Pistole said he has heard from only a few people about the ordinance. Zoning chief Tim Clark said no one has approached him to say they don’t want the “nuisance” ordinance. There is no rule that would please everybody, he said. Kuipers said there would really be no reason to talk to Clark
about it because he is the enforcer, not the one who makes policy. “If you guys think this is great, let it stand,” Kuipers said. Councilwoman Gayla Bradley said, “We want to be a safe, healthy, beautiful place to live.” She said one object of the ordinance is to “make the city more attractive to travelers.” By the end of the workshop, several changes were proposed to the ordinance and it will be sent back to City Attorney Chad Brown. A second workshop was scheduled for 6:30 p.m. July 21.
Clinton received $97,962 in revenue from its 1 percent sales tax,collected in May and reported in June. Shirley received $2,697 from its 1 percent tax, and Fairfield Bay got $32,597 from its 1.5 percent sales tax. Year ago figures were: Clinton - $91,661; Shirley - $2,876; and Fairfield Bay - $31,339. Van Buren County has two 1 percent sales taxes, one for general revenue and one dedicated to construction bonds for the hospital. The general revenue tax is divided among the county and its four incorporated towns based on population. Those figures for the same period are: Van Buren County, $269,769 (includes both taxes); Clinton, $23,963; Damascus, $2,302; Fairfield Bay, $19,847; and Shirley, $2,680. Year ago figures were: Van Buren County - $280,872; Clinton - $24,950; Damascus - $2,397; Fairfield Bay - $20,662; and Shirley $2,790. Figures are provided by the Arkansas Municipal League.