Budget constraints have the city of Little Flock evaluating police service.
Meeting Information
Little Flock Police Committee
A Little Flock Police Committee meeting will be held at 6 p.m. today at City Hall, 1500 Little Flock Drive.
Council members will discuss their vision for a possible interlocal agreement with Benton County for police services at a Police Committee meeting tonight.
“No, we’re not going to fire all the police officers,” said Mayor Buddy Blue.
The budget for next year is set and includes a local police department. Any changes would be in the future, Blue said.
Tonight’s meeting will allow committee members to brainstorm what an agreement could look like. Blue said he would expect Sheriff-elect Kelley Cradduck to come up with a similar list before an agreement could be drawn up. Blue said he envisions a six-member governing body to oversee the agreement with equal representation from the city and the county.
Any decision would have to go through the Quorum Court, Cradduck said. As incoming sheriff there are many parts of the transition he needs to work out and that will take time, he said.
“I cannot devote any time or attention to this matter until March,” he said.
Cradduck said he will work with Little Flock officials. If the Police Department was shut down, the county would be responsible for police protection, Cradduck said.
“My main concern is that the citizens have service and the police officers have jobs,” he said.
Blue said his goal is to keep things as close to the way they are now as possible, but with cost savings. The same officers, based in the existing Little Flock Police Department could serve more than just Little Flock, and the city and county could share the cost of operation, Blue said. How much the city could save has not been discussed, but he would not endorse the move for a mere $50,000 savings, Blue said.
“If it’s minimal, we’re not going to do it. We’re going to keep what we’ve got,” Blue said.
Arkansas law provides for interlocal practice, said Mark Hayes, Arkansas Municipal League general counsel.
“Not only is it OK, it’s encouraged,” Hayes said.
In theory, local agencies should work together and that should save taxpayer money, Hayes said.
Little Flock will dip into reserves for the fiscal year beginning in 2013 in order to balance the budget, Blue said. Arkansas law does not allow deficit spending.
The majority of the city’s budget goes to its seven-member Police Department. Road money is dedicated to streets and cannot be spent for other projects. City officials are exploring raising fire dues to cover expenses there in that department, Blue said. Ambulance services are contracted through the Rogers Fire Department, and those costs are increasing to $26,843 in 2013. The city does not have a wide sales tax base. Fines and court costs are split so many ways the city does not see much revenue from city tickets, Blue said.
“It’s not a moneymaker,” Blue said.
It is the job of the mayor and the city council to explore every avenue to save taxpayer dollars, he said.
“I want to keep as much of that small town police department feel as I can,” Blue said.