BELLA VISTA — City officials gave the go-ahead Monday night to purchase land for a fourth fire station.
City Council members voted unanimously for the purchase.
Mayor Frank Anderson will offer $40,000 per acre for about four acres off Forest Hills Boulevard near Buckston Road, which is owned by Village Bible Evangelical Free Church.
Aldermen also voted to table indefinitely an ordinance regarding fire code regulations.
At a work session March 17, the group decided to start over with the ordinance, which previously included restrictions above state standards on issues such as sprinkler systems, and a change to fireworks regulations.
A new ordinance regarding fireworks was presented, however, and passed 4-2.
The new rules state an attendant who is 21 or older must be on premises with the fireworks 24 hours per day, from the time the fireworks arrive at the location until they are removed.
Alderman Larry Wilson motioned to amend the ordinance to allow the attendant to be 18 or older. Though staff attorney Jason Kelley said there were no legal ramifications in changing the age, the motion was defeated with a 3-3 tie vote, with aldermen Becky Morgan, Dick Rooney and Jim Wozniak voting no. The mayor did not wish to cast a tie-breaking vote, he said.
Wilson, along with Alderman Jerry Snow, then voted against the ordinance entirely.
The group approved waiving the required three readings of the ordinance.
The city will enter into contract with Benton County for the provision of ambulance service to rural areas. The county will pay the city $10,000 for 2014.
Anderson gave the mayor's annual report, during which he stressed the need for the city to obtain increased economic activity, as the time has come to begin spending money that has been saved over the past seven years.
The mayor asked for a status report on the two committees studying salaries of elected officials and potential revenue sources. Each committee has held only one meeting in February.
Wilson, who heads the salary study committee, said "we gathered information on Saturday."
Wozniak asked Wilson if he had sent notice to the media about the meeting, to which Wilson replied "no," and said "there were no other aldermen there." He said it was "just people from Ward 3," which he represents.
Snow, head of the revenue study committee, said he has been working on recruiting members of the community to serve on a committee but has had no volunteers. He is hoping to meet again in the next week or two, he said.
The group also approved on its second reading, by waiving the required three readings, an ordinance regarding setback regulations for existing townhome developments to pertain to covered parking areas.
NW News on 03/25/2014