Council to consider fees, park fountains

JONESBORO Proposals to pay for "hydration stations" in some city parks and cover some legal bills will be on the agenda Tuesday for the Jonesboro City Council on Tuesday.

The council will consider a resolution to enter into an agreement with the University of Arkansas to provide five hydration stations. The $19,071 in funding is a subgrant of money provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta for the stations. My Healthy Jonesboro, a coalition of about 30 volunteers working to improve the health of local residents, sought the subgrant for the city, said Tyler Wood, regional program associate for obesity reduction for the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service.

Under the proposal, two heavy duty water fountains would be placed in Craighead Forest Park, two at Joe Mack Campbell Park and one at Allen Park.

The council will also hear the first of three required readings of a proposed ordinance to increase Mayor Harold Perrin's professional services line item by $50,000 to cover the added cost of litigation and the pay for interim COO Roy Ockert for the rest of the year. Perrin's original budget only included $30,800 for professional services.

Ockert had been working on a part-time basis for the mayor's office before Ed Tanner resigned as COO. He continued paying Ockert through professional services, rather than through the salaries line item, when he took over as interim COO. Perrin said last week depositions in a lawsuit filed by Erick Woodruff, former information systems director, also put pressure on the budget.

Scheduled for their second readings are two ordinances relating to private club alcohol permits.

Act 1112 of 2017 requires city councils or quorum courts to approve any new private club permits before the state Alcohol Beverage Control Division can consider giving its approval.

The council heard the first of three required readings of a proposed that would grant a permit to The Grilling Inn Restaurant inside the new Holiday Inn, 2908 Gilmore Drive.

Council members must also consider a proposed change of location of Casa Maya II, an existing private club, from 2700 to 2718 S. Caraway Road.

The following proposed ordinances are scheduled for final reading and votes:

Habitat for Humanity of Greater Jonesboro to rezone 2.13 acres in the 200 block of State Street from R-1 single family residential and R-2 multifamily low density to RS-8 single family residential.

Bill Greenwood seeks to rezone 0.84 acres at 2010 Distributor Drive from AG-1 agricultural to C-3 general commercial, with a limited overlay for development of a HVAC company.

MATH Investments to rezone 1.1 acres at 415 E. Oak Ave. from R-2 multifamily low density to C-1 downtown core district with a limited use for residential only.

To require companies like Airbnb to collect the city's hotel tax on residential business rentals. The 3 percent tax is used by the city's Advertising and Promotion Commission to promote the city.

Council members will be asked to confirm appointment of Will McLean to a three-year term on the Community Transportation Advisory Board and Jennifer Powers to a five-year term on the Auditorium Commission.

The council will meet at 5:30 p.m. in Municipal Center, 300 S. Church St.

The council's public works committee will meet at 5 p.m.