Baxter County Friends of the Taxpayers

MEETING NOTES

BAXTER COUNTY FRIENDS OF THE TAXPAYERS

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2006

BCFT Director Frank Kaye welcomed special guest Dr. Ed Coulter, Chancellor of ASU-MH, to our meeting.  Dr. Coulter spoke about the upcoming election, and the higher education bond issue that will be on the ballot.  He explained the importance of passing this bond issue (it will allow ASU-MH to build a Health Sciences building to educate more healthcare professionals for the local workforce; more than half the money needed has already been raised) and the impact it will have on local taxpayers (no new taxes – the bond payments, which are already budgeted, will continue at the current rate of $24 million per year, and will just be paid out over a longer period of time).

Several members voiced the opinion that the community has a greater need for a trade-school type of curriculum than traditional university course offerings; Dr. Coulter pointed out that a number of the existing courses at ASU already fall into the general “trade-school” category, only with a 21^st century twist:  in addition to welding and computer courses, the bulk of the classes requested by area employers are in the healthcare profession (phlebotomy, First Responders, EMT’s, radiation technology, nursing, etc.), and in the criminal justice field.  He also reiterated that ASU-MH is still a 2-year college, does not offer any 4-year degrees, but does offer a limited number of 4-year courses out of Jonesboro.

At 1:45 pm, after Dr. Coulter’s presentation, Frank called the meeting to order.  The first question was whether to keep the “agenda” format, or go to an open forum format.  Some members have said that having an already-prepared agenda passed out at each meeting has stifled the free exchange of ideas.  After some discussion it was decided to keep the agenda, and to remind everyone that all ideas are welcome, and if anyone has an item they would like to discuss, they should either notify Frank ahead of time to get it on the agenda, or bring it up during New Business, and it will be addressed.

Ken Blade brought up the issue of what will happen if he and Frank should both be elected to the City Council; how can we avoid any Freedom of Information Act problems?  Frank and I reported that, as far as we are aware, we already meet the basic requirements of holding a public meeting:  we advertise every meeting (in the Community Calendar of the Baxter Bulletin and on our website), and they are open to the public.  The only other thing we probably should do is to actually “invite” the newspaper and radio to our meetings – this could be done with a fax or an e-mail, so would not be a new expense item for BCFT.

Treasurer Ken Blade then gave the following report:  previous balance was $201.06; deposits were made in the amount of $21.25 (Pass-the-Bucket for September meeting), withdrawals of $7.50 (hall rental), leaving a balance of $214.81.  In addition, there will be a deposit made of $40 – 40 used “Vote Against the A&P Tax” yard signs were sold for $1 apiece to a group in Eureka Springs; voters there will decide November 7^th whether to keep their 25-year-old A&P Tax or get rid of it.

Old business

Committee Meetings:  The committee schedule is posted on the BCFT website (http://bcfriendsofthetaxpayer.org/localgovt.html).  If you don’t have Internet access, call us at 424-6235 and we’ll let you know when and where the meetings are held.  You can also call City Hall directly, at 425-5116, and get the info from the Mayor’s secretary, Annie.

Parks & Recreation:  Ken Blade reported on the recent committee meeting held at the Parks & Rec maintenance building at Twin Lakes Park on Rossi Road.  Director Jackie Leatherman reported that the department is in desperate need of replacing several vehicles and pieces of equipment.  The money is not in their budget; they tend to get the hand-me-downs from other city departments.  Frank said he had learned that the street department is on a program that allows them to lease a new vehicle through the State for a period of 2 years, and then sell it at public auction; they receive almost as much for it at auction as it cost them new – because of this, the actual cost per month for the vehicle is very low.  It would be good for the Parks Dept to work its way into a similar program, as soon as practicable.

Chamber of Commerce elections:  The annual Chamber Awards banquet was held yesterday; they announced the winners of the Board of Directors election that we voted on at last meeting.  Our Top 6 vote-getters were:  Karen Hopper (11), Diana Turner (11), Rick Pierce (11), Rob Marshall (10), Mary James (10) and Carol Miller Gresham (10).  The Chamber elected Frank Bailey, Wren Hall, Karen Hopper and Rick Pierce.

One of our new members asked why BCFT joined the C of C … Frank explained that it was to be “on the inside,” to let everyone in the community see that we have the best interests of Mountain Home at heart.

New Business

Bylaws:  Frank reported that everyone was sent a copy of the bylaws, and invited to submit comments and suggestions for inclusion in the final draft.  A few more changes/revisions were suggested by those present, and these will be incorporated into the existing draft.  A vote was taken whether to approve the Bylaws as amended; the motion passed.  Copies of the approved Bylaws will be mailed to all members before the next meeting.

Public Support of Act 1:  Dr. Ed Coulter asked during an earlier meeting with BCFT officers if we would consider publicly coming out in support of Act 1 (the higher education bond issue).  The subject was broached with the group; discussion covered the issue of the bond financing itself and the fact that the cost will be paid every year for the foreseeable future; is it right to pass that kind of indebtedness on to future generations?  A vote was taken; the consensus was that no, BCFT as a group would not publicly support Act 1, though individuals were free to support the issue if they so choose.

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The Pass-the-Bucket collection was $20 (thanks, everyone!)  This money goes toward our hall rental, postage and copying costs, newspaper ads and other administrative expenses.

The meeting was adjourned. 

Next meeting will take place Saturday, November 18^th, 2006, at 1:00 pm at Redeemer Lutheran Church. (Please note:  This is a change from our regular schedule, because of the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday weekend.)

Please bring canned or non-perishable food items to this meeting; the Redeemer Lutheran Food Pantry is in dire need of supplies to help the families that come to them for support.

Suzan Kaye, Secretary
Monday, November 13, 2006