MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING
OF THE OZARK CITY COUNCIL
March 14th, 2022
Ozark City Council Meeting Room

The Regular Meeting was called to order by Mayor Roxie Hall and upon roll call, a quorum was declared to exist for the meeting. Present were Alderpersons Rex Anderson, Rusty Cagle, Brandy Flanary, Will Heffington, Charlie Meeker, and Randy Melton. Also present were Mayor Hall, City Attorney Kevin Barham, City Clerk Susan Stevens, and City Treasurer/Deputy City Clerk Marla Ward. Special guests were members of the Ozark High School Beta Club. Jameson Hall gave the Invocation, and the Beta Club led the Pledge of Allegiance.

A motion was made by Rex Anderson to approve the February Minutes and was seconded by Randy Melton. Upon a roll call, all Alderpersons voted aye and the Minutes were approved. A motion was made by Randy Melton to approve the Financial Reports and seconded by Charlie Meeker. Upon a roll call, all Alderpersons voted aye and the Reports were approved.

Included in the Police Department report is a statement that per the Arkansas State Police, Mr. Eveld has a state license to sell used vehicles and a city business permit. Alderman Randy Melton stated that he receives complaints about the appearance of the lot every day and asked if there was possibly a fence requirement. City Attorney Barham answered that there is a fencing requirement for junk yards, but not for car lots. Mr. Melton then asked if an Ordinance could be drawn up stating requirements for business properties to look visibly nice. Mr. Barham again stated no, because it would come down to the old statement of” beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.” He also stated that an Ordinance of this type could negatively affect other businesses in town. There are lots of activities planned at the Community Center for the upcoming Spring Break. They will be listed on our Facebook page. The Fire/Police Committee meeting was held February 28th, led by Chairman Charlie Meeker. There was discussion on changing the open position for a fireman to be changed to a City Building Inspector. Employment ads will be revised and posted. Purchase of a forestry service tanker is being researched. There are several Training Days coming up. Fire Chief Nick Trotter then spoke about Pleasant View Fire Department being without a fire truck since their current truck is non functional. He stated that Ozark has an old fire truck we are not using and asked that we look into a possible deal with Pleasant View to either give, sell, or lease this truck to them. The Pleasant View Fire Chief was in attendance and stated that at present they have no ability to fight a structure fire and are dependent on help coming from Ozark and Mulberry. The only reason to ever ask for it back would be in the event of a catastrophic event such as a tornado or a major fire downtown, etc. City Attorney Kevin Barham stated that an Interlocal Governmental Agreement with a nominal lease should be drawn up that also states that Pleasant View will be responsible for liability insurance on the vehicle. A motion was made by Randy Melton to enable Mayor Hall draw up the agreement between Ozark and Pleasant View, seconded by Brandy Flanary. Upon a roll call vote. All Alderpersons voted aye and the motion was passed. It was then noted that the front desk position at the Police Department is still open. The Departmental need of new radios and changing the positions of some officers was also discussed.

Under Old Business, a motion was made for the 3rd reading of Ordinance 2022-3 regarding signage by Rex Anderson and seconded by Randy Melton. Upon a roll call vote, all alderpersons voted aye and City Attorney Barham read the Ordinance. A motion to approve was made by Randy Melton and seconded by Brandy Flanary. Upon a roll call vote, all alderpersons voted aye and Ordinance 2022- 3 was approved. No Emergency Clause was enacted.

Mr. Bob Wright of Crews & Associates presented a handout regarding the Water & Sewer Bond Issue. Ordinance 2022-7 drawn up by Attorney Michelle Williams deals with payoff and refinancing interest rates. There are no penalties for refinancing and payments will not be raised so there will be no cost to taxpayers. A motion to read Ordinance 2022-7 was made by Rex Anderson and seconded by Charlie Meeker. Upon a roll call vote, all alderpersons voted aye and Mr. Barham read the Ordinance. A motion to dispense with the 2nd & 3rd readings and proceed by title only was made by Randy Melton and seconded by Brandy Flanary. Upon a roll call vote, all alderpersons voted aye and Mr. Barham read the Ordinance title. A motion to approve was made by Rex Anderson and seconded by Randy Melton. Upon a roll call vote, all alderpersons voted aye and Ordinance 2022-7 was approved. A motion was made by Charlie Meeker to enact the emergency clause and seconded by Will Heffington. Upon a roll call vote, all alderpersons voted aye and the emergency clause was approved.

Under New business, Spring Clean-Up will be April 4- 9. There will be a one-time-only
curbside pick-up. CARDS will pick up all bagged trash in carts and any extra. The Street
Department will be providing the curbside service. Flyers are being posted and distributed to the
public detailing what is and is not allowed. Residents are asked to put their curbside items out the
day before their scheduled pickup. Residents may also take one load to the Transfer Station free
of charge with a current City of Ozark water bill.

There was no public input.

Announcements: Sarah Rodriguez from the Chamber of Commerce presented a handout
with a statement of support for the River Bridge Lighting Project. We are seeking financial aid
through bridge repair fund monies and both matching and non-matching government grants.
LED lighting provides the most economical solution and can allow color change options for
seasonal/holiday changes. It was noted that the River Bridge is a large revenue generator for the
tourist industry of Ozark.

The Run for the Fallen will be on March 18 starting at the Community Center. Breakfast
will be provided beginning at 7:45am with the run kicking off at 8: 00 proceeding to Little Rock.

Reed Mountain Park update. The YWAM( Youth With A Mission) will be painting
pavilions and benches. A new water line is to be run to reopen the restrooms on the bluff side
only, with security camera’ s to be installed.

The census numbers for the City of Ozark are down, showing a population of 3, 542.
Signs reflecting this change have been ordered from the state offices, but will possibly be
January before they are delivered.

Update on Putt-Putt mini-golf project: Nabholz Construction provided the sheetrock and
labor for cordoning off the area. Lighting donors are needed as well as individual sponsors for
each box set-up.

Nick Trotter stated that a new tornado siren will be installed on 29th Street. There had
been a problem with the auto- opening of the safe room. It was discovered that the system had
gotten set on” test mode”. It was reset and problem solved. It was noted that this was a school
project and not a city one.

The old city pool has been filled in for use as a pickle- ball court.

Reminder that Yard Sales being held must have a permit. There is no charge, but it is a
requirement.

A motion to adjourn was made by Randy Melton, seconded by Charlie Meeker. Upon a
roll call vote, all alderpersons voted aye and the meeting was adjourned.

Minutes for the Ozark City Council Meeting held Monday, March 14, 2022 were
approved and passed this 11th day of April, 2022.

Roxie all, Mayor

Susan Stevens, City Clerk