SPRINGDALE — Nature didn’t give Springdale Mayor Doug Sprouse long to enjoy his new job.
Just more than three weeks into Sprouse’s term, one of the worst ice storms in memory hit northern Arkansas. Falling trees knocked out electric power to most of Springdale, with many homes also losing phone and cable service.
City departments swung into action — opening ice-covered roads, removing trees and checking on the welfare of residents. Sprouse deflected credit to city employees, saying he didn’t even know what their jobs were when they handled the challenge.
Jerre Van Hoose, whom Sprouse replaced as mayor, gives credit to the new city head.
“He did an incredible job during the ice storm,” Van Hoose said. “He got the city back on its feet and functioning. I can’t imagine anyone doing a better job.”
Sprouse was sworn in knowing he would have to work with declining sales tax revenue, he said. The ice storm was not on his list of things to do.
Lioneld Jordan, a first-term mayor of Fayetteville this year, knows the difficulties that cities faced during the storm. Fayetteville faced the same storm problems as Springdale.
“Leadership doesn’t show in carrying through what you planned,” Jordan said. “It’s when the unexpected comes along that leaders show what they can do.”
Jordan had the benefit of serving as alderman for eight years and as vice mayor for four of those years, he said. Sprouse had no experience in city government when he was elected.
Sprouse is a benefit to all of Washington County, Jordan added.
Sprouse, 53, defeated five other candidates to become mayor, winning in a runoff against Alderman Mike Overton. The political career of the small businessman, who owns an upholstery shop, consisted of 10 years serving on the school board.
Jeff Harper, city attorney, said Sprouse was an unknown. Since Harper is an elected official who is not hired or fired by the mayor, conflicts were possible.
After watching the mayor’s actions for a year, Harper gives Sprouse his endorsement.
“I couldn’t be happier,” Harper said. “He listens to legal advice, is pro business and will see anyone who has a complaint about city government.”
Overton also praises his former opponent.
“He has brought stability to the administration,” Overton said. “He pulled together the staff and increased productivity.”
It seems the only person with doubts about Sprouse after the storm was Sprouse himself.
“There was a time after the ice storm I questioned my ability to handle the job,” he said.
Sprouse compared the experience to another he had years ago.
At a family reunion at a lake, he started swimming out to retrieve a niece in an inner tube that had drifted out in a cove.
“I was swimming and swimming and started thinking I wouldn’t even make it to the tube,” Sprouse said.
Staying focused, Sprouse reached the child. Holding on to the tube to rest a second before staring back, Sprouse’s legs drifted down and touched bottom. The water was only chest high.
The story illustrates things can be achieved, if you keep focus, Sprouse said. It also shows tasks aren’t always as difficult as they seem and help can come from unexpected sources.
“A lot of people who love this city dearly told me they were praying for me,” Sprouse said. “That really helped.”
Surviving the ice storm was the second major undertaking for Sprouse. He was sworn in with the City Council still haggling over the 2009 budget. The proposed budget dipped into reserves while including a raise for city employees.
The budget passed after Sprouse eliminated the employee raises and promised to work during the year to find more cuts.
The ice storm halted budget efforts and added millions of dollars of expenses. After power was restored and cleanup contracts signed, Sprouse knew he needed to move back to the budget.
“After a while, I had to be careful I didn’t use the ice storm as an excuse for what wasn’t getting done,” Sprouse said. “I gave a percentage goal to each department for budget adjustments.”
Each department reached its goals, from a combination of cuts to small fee increases, Sprouse said.
“Some of the department heads said it was good for them to look that closely at the budget,” Sprouse said. “They had to consider new ways to be more efficient.”
The city’s general fund reserves increased $1.6 million during 2009, after falling almost $2.1 million in 2008, according to city budget reports.
The 2010 budget, with the adjustments included, passed on Nov. 24, two months quicker than the 2009 budget.
“The 2010 budget ran smoothly because the work had already been done,” Sprouse said.
Sprouse’s relationship with the city council also helped with the budget approval, Overton said. Sprouse consulted with all council members individually.
“He has definitely improved the relationship with the City Council,” Harper said. “He has communicated with them and kept everyone involved.”
“The relationship with the council was a huge issue,” Sprouse said. “From the outside looking in, they were not working together well. They have been cooperative from my perspective.”
Sprouse faced other issues, including an attempt to adjust the streamlined sales tax law, bringing a Miracle League ball field to Tyson Park and starting an emergency notification system.
The sales tax legislation didn’t get approval, Sprouse said, but the city made a case for other considerations somewhere down the road.
The ice storm shows how much the city needed some system to alert its residents about problems, Sprouse said.
“We had 50 people go to emergency rooms with carbon monoxide poisoning in a 24-hour period,” Sprouse said. “They were lighting fires inside, like outdoor cooking grills, to keep warm.”
The city produced fliers and had them distributed door to door by police, firefighters and employees of other departments. It worked, but the city needed a way to get the word out quicker, Sprouse said.
The council, on Dec. 8, approved negotiating a contract with Cooper Notification for a system that would send warnings to city residents.
“A new notification system is wonderful for the city,” Van Hoose said. “People asked me for years why we didn’t have tornado sirens. This system will be much better than sirens.”
Sprouse will have to deal with slow sales tax collection in 2010 as long as the economy is weak, he said.
An Interstate 540 interchange where it would intersect with Don Tyson Parkway remains his priority.
“The interchange is moving forward well,” Sprouse said. “We have to deal with red tape as it comes. We’ll get it done as soon as regulations would allow us.”
The city will continue to look at technology to be more efficient with revenue. The city might look at renewing business licenses on line, he said.
“This is a little more expensive on the front end, but will pay the city back in the long run,” Sprouse said.
The 2010 U.S. Census is also a big issue, Sprouse said, with education needed to let people know it will bring dollars to Springdale. More people in Springdale means more money from state turnback funds and federal programs.
The year was a learning experience, Sprouse said, with issues much more complicated than he expected. The bottom line remains the same, however, for elected city officials and city staff.
“We’re all trying to do what is best for Springdale and not caring about the credit,” Sprouse said. “If folks don’t care who gets credit, you can get more done.”