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Council approves revised budgets |
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Thursday, 17 July 2008 |
General, street, animal control funds updated
Benton City Council has approved a revised budget for the city’s general fund, street fund and animal control fund.
The action occurred Monday night in a council meeting following a recommendation from Alderman Doug Stracener, chairman of the council’s standing Finance Committee.
The budget changes were approved through an ordinance, which Stracener said was a first-time occurrence for the council.
The Finance Committee recommended the revisions, which show $8 million for personnel, $2,150 million for operations and maintenance and $363,352 for capital items in the General Fund, Stracener noted.
The new budget for the Street Fund lists $725,000 for personnel, $550,000 for operations and maintenance, and $728,265 for capital items.
The Animal Control Fund lists $282,611 for personnel and $40,344 for operations and maintenance. It does not allocate any funds for capital items.
In Stracener’s summary, he noted that capital expenditures and special projects for the fiscal year will include the following:
• A new vehicle for the mayor’s use. This will cost $25,000, the summary notes.
Mayor Rick Holland requested the vehicle in 2007 and it was approved for purchase, but it will not be delivered until this year, making the actual expenditure for 2008 instead of 2007. With respect to the budget, year to year, there is no increase in the capital expenditure for the mayor’s office, the summary notes.
•For the police department, $112,321 is budgeted for the lease/purchase of 10 new police cars.
•For the fire department, the budget reflects the second installment due for a new 50-foot fire truck to replace a 1988 50-foot truck currently in use by the department. The total cost of the truck is $427,516. Under a lease/purchase agreement, the city will be making four payments of $106,879.
•For the community development department, two aging vehicles currently in use by department personnel are being replaced. The city will purchase, by state bid, two Ford Ranger pickups at $11,408 each.
•For the Street Fund, the budget includes the purchase of two new vehicles. One will replace a 1999 Dodge half-ton pickup at a cost of $16,500; the second replaces a 1999 street sweeper currently in use by the department. It will cost $155,00.
•For special projects, the budget includes $556,765. Areas slated for improvements are Hurricane Phase 2 and 3 repairs, $70,000; Denise Drive culvert repairs, $95,000; East Lakeview drainage, $60; Timbermist subdivision street repairs, $11,650; Jackman Street, $50,000; Jill and Coats roads, $40,000; Fairfield Road repairs, $69,200; and North and Spring streets, $136,915.
•For the Street Improvement Fund (quarter-cent sales tax revenue), many capital items already are approved and under way. The budget includes $100,00-0 for various sidewalk projects throughout the city. |
 |  |  |  |  | Just being with family and eating good food is the best part!!- Liz McGee Quantz (Haskell, AR)
The Mabelvale United Methodist Church in Mabelvale, AR will
be hosting a fall carnival on Sunday evening October 26th from 5 to 7pm in the
Fellowship Hall. Kids will love it, parents will too! - Roger Poole (Bryant, AR)
I make an awesome Pina Colda Cake. You buy a boxed yellow
cake mix and mix it and bake it per the instructions on the box. After you bake the
cake allow it to cool for about 15 minutes. Use the end of a wooden spoon to poke
medium size holes all in the cake. Take a can of Eagle Brand Milk and Cream of
Coconut and alternate pouring them into the holes. Place the cake in the fridge for
about one hour, remove and put Cool Whip on top, as much or as little as you like.
The cake is better if you let it sit all night in the fridge before eatting. It is
wonderful!!! - Kelly Chase (Alexander, AK)
My favorite memories of Thanksgiving were when we lived in
Tulsa, Ok. There were always folks that didn't have a place to go for the holiday-
so they wound up at our house along with most of my husband's family from Benton.
The house was packed. The Thanksgiving meal was wonderful. But the celebration
didn't end there. At night, all weekend, there were pallets spread throughout the
house and the good eats seemed to never end. And on Friday morning (after
Thanksgiving) all the females were up before dawn and Christmas shopping by 8:00
a.m. Those are memories that I will cherish forever. - Billie Loe (Texas)
I always get to make the turkey for our Thanksgiving. So
you can add more butter or flour for consistency. Wash your turkey, pat dry, take
another stick of butter and rub all over turkey. Then take with your hands and smear
the batter a little thick, all over the turkey. Once all of the turkey has the
batter on it, I will melt the another bar of butter and put it in the bottom of the
pan of my turkey. It will make a wonderful gravy to use on your turkey when done.
So, then get enough aluminum foil to make a "tent" over your turkey. Put in oven and
bake @ 375 all night. It will be so moist, the crispies are great and the gravy
makes it better. Now the flip side to this is, it will be so tender it will fall apart.
So, I do not serve as a whole turkey. I go ahead and slice up, pour some grave
over some of the sliced up turkey for those who like it and then slice up some
turkey without gravy. You will have many compliments on this. Happy Thanksgiving
and Enjoy! - Liz Johnson (Benton) We prepare a traditional Thanksgiving dinner that morning.
Then we pack it all up and travel to deer camp in South Arkansas. We serve dinner to
all those who don't have family with which to share. We'll spend the afternoon
playin' dominos, pitchin' horseshoes and just visitin'. It's a wonderful time. - Pat Stuckey (Bismarck) We invite all the family in and cook the traditional feast.
Everyone gets silly when they get full. That is entertaining. - Jim Perry (Benton) Frozen pizza - Greg Marsh (Medicine Hat) The whole family gets together and we have dinner and noon
visit for a while then go home to take naps and get ready for black friday sales! - Terrie Schulz (Benton)
My childhood memories are of the sumptuous dinners my
grandfather, Byron Yarbrough, Sr. would prepare. Family members came from all over
Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas to our home of South East Street. It was a wondeful
time I really didn't learn to appreciate until he and my grandmother passed away.
Later, my cousin Eleen Murray brought the tradition back and family members gathered
at their home near Lake Norrell. Today, it's the memories of
Thanksgivings past that I treasure. It was because of these gatherings that I came
to realize the importance of family. - David Hughes (Herndon, VA)
My favorite time of remembering Thanksgiving is when all of
my family would get together and enjoy the most wonderful feast I have ever tasted.
My mom would make at least 2 to 3 different stuffings, actually her and my sister
Tammy Parker(Schultz) would make everything. I am not quite the chef my mom and
sister are. I live now and have lived for most of my life away from home in
different states so I have tasted many other dishes. None can compare to my
mom's(Pat Brumley). But most of all it is the family being altogether and just
laughing and having fun. My husband experienced this tradition for the first time in
1999 and still to this day can not stop talking about it. His traditions were not
the same. He couldn't believe the amount of food, fun, and family we had for the
holidays. I didn't understand it because I am used to it always being that way. I am
very lucky to have the family I have. My ex-step dad (David Hughes) still treats me
and my sister like his own so I have extended family to share the holidays with too. Even if it
is just a phone call, prayer, or written. I sure so miss Benton. I was raised
there and even though I am in Hoosier state since 2001 I let everybody know I am
proud to be a Razorback. I will never be anything else. God bless everyone in
Benton and someday I hope to see you soon. - Debbie Brooks (Schultz) (Columbus, IN) |
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Razorbacks
