Earle sending officials to Municipal League

Earle sending officials to Municipal League

City will foot the bill for annual governmental conference

news@theeveningtimes.com

After years of pinching pennies and requiring city officials to pay their own way to attend conferences, Earle will go ahead and cover the cost of registration and hotels this year for all elected officials to attend the Arkansas Municipal League winter meeting. Officials have paid for their own lodging and fees for the last three years due to the city’s declining finances.

Mayor Sherman Smith asked the council to consider paying to send him because of the importance of attending the meeting.

“I don’t want to preach,” Smith said. “But what we are doing, we are doing for the city. If the city can afford it, I’d like to see them do it.”

The 2018 conference will be held in Fort Smith on Jan. 10-12. The registration fee is $150 per person and about $94 a night for lodging.

Councilman Kenneth Cross asked whether the city had budgeted to send officials to the conference and whether the city’s finances have improved enough to be able to afford it. “Did we budget for that?”

Cross asked. “What has changed? Has the money changed?”

City Clerk Cynthia Conner said the city budgeted $10,000 in past years to cover the twice a year meetings, but the city did not use the money.

The 2018 budget has not been set yet.

“It wasn’t budgeted last year,” Conner said. “But we can.”

She estimates that it will cost about $4,000 to send eleven people to the conference.

Councilwoman Jimmie Barham said she believes the city should pay for Smith to attend.

“No, we haven’t had any influx or changed (in the city’s finances) in the last year,” Barham said. “But I think we should send the mayor because he is the mayor and needs to be there.”

Cross said if the city pays for one, they should pay for all because the training is equally as valuable for council members.

“I feel like if you pay for one, you should pay for all of them,” Cross said.

Councilman Tyrome Hurst said he would pay his own expenses to attend.

“If I’m going to attend, I’m going to pay my own,” Hurst said.

Councilman Robert Malone suggested that everyone pay their own way.

“I think the ones who can pay, ought to pay,” Malone said.

“Are you saying the mayor can’t pay it?” Cross asked.

“I’m saying whoever wants to pay their way,” Malone said. “Some of them are able.”

Councilman Bobby Luckett agreed with Cross that they city should pay for everyone.

“I’m going to go along with him,” Luckett said. “If the city can pay for it, I want to go too. For the last two or three years I’ve been paying my own way. But if the city can pay for it, I want it because it is right.”

Luckett said as building inspector he is required to attend numerous seminars to get certified which he has been paying out of his own pocket.

“There are things the state wants me to attend every month,” Luckett said. “It’s a requirement. Do you think that is right for me to have to pay that out of my own pocket?”

Luckett said he gets paid $650 a month as inspector, but pays for his own gas and office supplies and has never asked the city for money.

“For the last two years I have paid my own registration and hotel bills and have never taken a dime,” Luckett said. “I pay for my own gas everywhere I go in this city to inspect, to condemn, to go to Marion. I accepted this because I wanted to be a help to the city. If I can get a little help, I would appreciate it.

I love what I am doing. But sometimes you start to wonder if its worth it.”

Smith said the city has the money to pay for the cost of the conference.

“It’s not like we are sitting on zero,” Smith said.

“We’re not so deflated on income that it will break us. You might want to limit it to registration and lodging and people be responsible for their own food. But I feel we should help out with some of it.

Smith noted that as head of the city there are all kinds of new laws and regulations that elected officials need to know that they get at the training seminars. “Some people might not think it is important,” Smith said. “But it is very important. What you don’t know can hurt you real bad. It pays to go to these classes and yourself up on things. And being the chief executive of the city, it is incumbent on me to be able to advise and guide the council on matters.”

The council approved a motion by Malone to pay for the registration and hotel costs to send the city’s elected officials to the conference.

The body also approved budgeting the money for Conner to attend training later in the year.

By Mark Randall