SPRINGDALE — A program that would clean graffiti from Springdale buildings received funding approval during the City Council meeting Tuesday.
The council approved purchasing equipment in June and establishing the program in its first July meeting. The program begins Aug. 13, said Jeff Harper, city attorney.
AT A GLANCE
Springdale City Council
Met: Tuesday
Actions On Items From The Agenda:
Approved rezoning 2.8 acres on the north side of Har-Ber Avenue between Oak Grove Road and 48th Street, owned by Loyd McCord Real Estate, from agricultural to general commercial; of 0.7 acres at 984 N. Monitor Road from agricultural to low-/medium-density single-family residential
Approved leasing Miracle League fields under construction at Tyson Park to be operated by the Springdale Rotary Club
Approved reappointing Greg Willoughby to the Springdale Airport Commission
Approved appointing Bill Locke to the Springdale Planning Commission
Approved a lot split and conditional use of a manufactured home at 4301 Kelly Road
Approved a conditional use of an office for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in a single-family residential district
Approved an erosion repair project at 305 S. 48th St. at a maximum cost of $7,800.
Source: Staff Report
The graffiti abatement program would move the responsibility of graffiti removal from property owners to the city. The city previously required property owners to remove graffiti from their property within seven days. Owners would be required to sign a waiver before the city removes graffiti and be required to remove it themselves if they didn’t sign the waiver, Harper said.
The ordinance added $21,970 to the city budget for 2010, the estimated cost to run the program for the remainder of the year. The expected cost for an entire year was about $50,000, said Sam Goade, director of public works, at a committee meeting before the council meeting. The city expects to clean about 400 graffiti incidents per year, he said.
The added cost to the 2010 budget would be covered by raising the estimated state turnback money received by the city. Turnback money is determined by state revenue split up by population. The city’s turnback revenue is running more than $20,000 above projection, said Wyman Morgan, city director of administration and finance, at the committee meeting.
The council approved purchasing graffiti-removal equipment in June. The equipment, which includes a trailer-mounted power washer, has been delivered. The program budget would include training, Goade said.
“Without training, we wouldn’t be sure if we would damage surfaces or do better with a different technique,” Goade said.
The program would add a city employee to the city’s sanitation division, which runs the bulky waste program.
Alderman Mike Overton questioned if some city employee would have time for the program without hiring additional personnel.
“I’m not convinced we need to add another city employee for this program,” Overton said. His vote was the only one against the ordinance.
The best chance for success of the program is to have a person who comes to work with graffiti removal first on his agenda, Goade said. The city would have to delete some service if it adds the graffiti program without another employee, he said.
The council also approved spending $50,000 from the Capital Improvement Program to begin the process to repair and open Shiloh Square. The city plans to use the facility as public meeting space and as the trailhead for the city’s trail system.