During their regular monthly meeting Tuesday evening, the Blytheville City Council unanimously approved three ordinances, including setting a special election to be held on May 9 for the purpose of asking voters to approve a new one-half percent Public Sales Tax and to allow the city to issue bonds for the purpose of renovating the old national guard armory into a new justice center.
The new Public Safety Tax would sunset in 10 years, but will only become law if Blytheville citizens vote to approve the tax.
Ordinance No. 1814 approves the new sales and use tax and designates it for city improvements and public safety purposes which include police, firefighting, code enforcement and animal control. However, according to Mayor James Sanders, the tax will primarily be used to increase salaries in order to make Blytheville more competitive in financial compensation, where the city struggles, particularly in the area of fire and police.
"These enhancement in salaries will allow the major issues we have been seeing in retaining and recruiting qualified police officers and firefighters [to be fixed]. These funds will allow us to invest in additional resources... that are needed to better [the city] and reduce the crime that plague our communities," Sanders said.
The city council suspended the rules so that all three legally mandated readings of the ordinances before voting could occur in one meeting. Councilman R.L. Jones moved that "rules be suspended" twice and upon the conclusion of that parliamentary process, Councilman Stan Parks made a motion to adopt, which was also seconded by Jones. With the tax passed by the council, they then repeated the process for Ordinance No. 1815, which set a special election for voters to approve or reject the tax. This time, Jones moved to adopt and Parks seconded the motion. With no further discussion, the council voted unanimously to pass the ordinance. The final ordinance, Ordinance No. 1816, calls for a special election for citizens to vote for or against the city of Blytheville issuing bonds since, according to the ordinance, "the city is in need of renovation, expansion, and equipping of the old National Guard Armory for use as a Justice Center and any necessary parking, landscaping, drainage, lighting, street and utility improvements," which is collectively referred to as the "Justice Center Improvements".
The bonds will be used to aid in those improvements should citizens vote in favor. Jones moved for adoption and Parks once again seconded. The council also, once again, voted unanimously to approve the ordinance.
Therefore, voters will go to the polls on May 9 to approve or reject the new Public Safety Tax and to vote for a second ballot question of whether or not to allow the city to issue bonds for the improvement of the former National Guard armory.
The council also unanimously reappointed Ronnie Fondren to the Blytheville Housing Authority Board and appointed Danny Beck to the Blytheville Golf Course Facility course. The council then reelected Jones as the Council's President Pro Tempore. After thanking the council, as is also customary each year, Jones briefly discussed wanting to potentially modify council procedures in the future. After the meeting, Councilwoman Barbara Brothers told the CN, "As far as the tax...we need it. We desperately need it...if people knew the actual financial despair the city was in when Sanders took office...he has dug us out of a financial burden hole...we desperately need this. Our officers are working well below the Municipal League [average]."
Newsroom editor Tom Henry contributed to this article.