County budget on target, working on various projects

County budget on target, working on various projects

Treasurer: ‘ We are holding our own and doing fine’

news@theeveningtimes.com

Crittenden County’s sales tax collections inched upwards in June, but were still down from last year’s totals at this time.

Still, county officials say things are picking up and that the county is still on track to finish the year with a surplus.

County Treasurer Charlie Suiter told the Quorum Court that sales tax collections are down 1.7 percent.

“Our sales tax is finally starting to creep back up again,” Suiter said. “We’re getting closer to where we were at this time last year.

So everything is looking strong financially. We are extremely stable. I’m really pleased and I don’t foresee anything bad down the road. I think we are holding our own and doing fine.”

In other business:

• The county agreed to assist Edmondson with repairing its garbage truck.

Justice Vickie Robertson reported that the truck’s bushings on the dump bed need to be replaced.

The estimate for the repairs was $1,780.

The Finance Committee recommended that Edmondson pay $500 of that amount and that the county would pay the remaining $1,280.

The money was transferred out of the public service fund.

• Justice Joe Marotti reported that he had been elected the new chairman of the buildings committee to replace Justice Ronnie Sturch who stepped down in July to become the county’s 911 Center Director.

Marotti said the committee is getting bids on repair work for the front porch on the county office building, renovating the hallways, and to renovate the office across from the county clerk’s office in the courthouse.

“We’re working on some of the projects that Ronnie initiated,” Marotti said.

“Next time we meet we will get some bids together and bring them to the court.”

• Justice Tyrone McWright, who sits on the clean-up committee, asked justices to submit a list along with pictures of any homes or structures in their district which are dilapidated and unihabitable which need to be torn down to Committee Chair Justice Lisa O’Neal.

• Approved a tax back program resolution for Sediver USA, Inc. which will refund taxes on construction materials costs for the company to locate its headquarters in West Memphis.

Sediver is a French company which manufacturers glass insulators for overhead power lines.

The company will employ about 75 workers at an average hourly wage of $22.50 to $25 per hour.

By Mark Randall