PRAIRIE GROVE -- The City Council did not have enough votes Monday to place an ordinance on the table to increase its own pay or to compensate Planning Commission members for their service.
Council voted 5-3 on a motion to "suspend the rules and read the ordinance by title only," but the motion needed one more vote, a two-thirds majority, to pass and suspend the rules.
A Council member could have then made a second motion to read the entire 1 1/2-page ordinance and place it on first reading, but no one stepped forward to do that. The comment was made to wait.
After the meeting, City Attorney Stephen Parker said the ordinance will be on the council's Feb. 17 agenda.
The money for a raise for City Council members and to compensate planning commissioners was approved as part of the 2020 budget, but both proposals require a separate ordinance.
The ordinance on the council's agenda proposed paying council members $100 for attending regular and special meetings and committee meetings. Now, council members receive $50 for attending meetings. For 2019, the city paid $5,000 for council compensation.
Planners would receive $50 for attending each meeting. Commission members do not receive anything now.
In addition, the ordinance says if a City Council member also is a member of the Planning Commission, that person would receive $50 for attending each commission meeting. Presently, City Council member Brea Gragg also serves on the Planning Commission.
City council members Brea Gragg, Tony Cunningham, Doug Bartholomew, Rick Clayton, Doug Stumbaugh voted for the motion. Council members Rick Ault, Ray Carson and Marquita Smith voted against the motion.
Tuesday, Ault said he voted against the motion from a "perspective of timing and priority." He said he believes the increase is valid when comparing Prairie Grove's compensation for council members with other cities but did not believe it was the right time for Prairie Grove to move forward on it.
"There could be other priorities for the money," Ault said.
The compensation for planning commissions is not as consistent in other cities, Ault said. Some receive stipends. In other cities, commissioners do not receive a stipend.
In other action, Prairie Grove City Council approved a resolution to amend the 2019 budget to show actual revenues and actual expenditures for the year.
For the general fund, the city projected to receive about $2.4 million in revenue and brought in $2.36 million for 2019. Expenses for the general fund, which includes administration, court, fire, library, police and parks, were projected to be $2,442,595. The city spent $2,405,801 for those departments out of the general fund.
For water and sewer, the amended budget shows revenue increased from a projected $2.9 million to $3,155,264. Expenses increased from a budget of $2.8 million to actual expenses of $2.9 million.
For the street department, the city received $726,333 in revenue in 2019 and spent $894,448. For sanitation, the city received $590,359 in revenue for 2019 and spent $486,743.
The council also appointed Larry Oelrich, director of administrative services and public works, as its representative on the Benton/Washington County Regional Public Water Authority and appointed Simon Wiley with the city of Prairie Grove as the alternate.
General News on 01/22/2020