ROGERS -- The Police Department has a more than $22,000 grant to go toward training, the police chief said.
The City Council on Tuesday voted to accept the Edward Byrne Justice Assistance Grant. Police Chief Hayes Minor said all of the money will go to officer training, including training on de-escalation and fair and impartial policing.
The council also voted to purchase scanners, software and a training package from Fort Smith-based Preferred Office Technologies for about $27,500.
Rogers District Court Judge Chris Griffin said the court is taking steps toward storing records electronically instead of on paper. He said he would like nearly all records to be stored electronically in 18 months to two years.
"Years ago, the council allotted about $25,000 for us to allow the Benton County Sheriff's Office to transition to electronic ticketing, and it never happened for whatever reason with the county, so we've been rolling this money over," he said during Tuesday's meeting.
The council approved a request by Mary Ellen Miller to rezone about 38 acres off South Bellview Road north of West Garrett Road from agricultural to the neighborhood residential zoning district.
Council members Betsy Reithemeyer and Barney Hayes said they don't want to see manufactured homes or mobile homes on the property. Bill Watkins, an attorney representing the project, said the plan is to build single-family homes, not mobile or manufactured homes, at about 4.5 homes per acre. Watkins said at last week's Planning Commission meeting and reiterated at Tuesday's City Council meeting the northwest corner of the property will not be developed because it's a flood plain.
The council also voted to enter into a $42,529 contract with Blue Water Pools of Little Rock for repair work of the Rogers Aquatic Center's filtration system.
Council members voted to enter into an agreement with the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration so the city can apply to receive grant money for coronavirus-related costs.
The council also approved a request to rezone property at 608 and 610 Sixth St. from residential duplex to the neighborhood transition zoning district. The property currently has single-family homes and vacant lots. Joseph and Scott Properties asked to rezone the property to allow for rental properties, according to city documents.
All items passed unanimously. The council held its meeting via Zoom, a video conferencing service, in light of the covid-19 pandemic.
Alex Golden may be reached by email at [email protected].