Baxter County Friends of the Taxpayers

MEETING NOTES

BAXTER COUNTY FRIENDS OF THE TAXPAYERS

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2007

BCFT Director Frank Kaye opened the meeting at 1:00 pm at Western Sizzlin Restaurant.  He welcomed everyone and introduced special guest Ted Roney, who spoke to us about the impact of two proposed high-density developments on County Road 15.  One, High Chaparral, was defeated by the quorum court; the other, The Cedars of Mtn Home (a condo complex), has been tabled, pending the outcome of a joint standards review by the quorum court and planning commission. 

Mr. Roney pointed out that the explosion of development in Branson (a Disney theme park, a NASCAR attraction, the international airport) will have a major impact on northern Arkansas.  His response to a question about zoning regulations was that there are none in any county in the state (referring to properties outside of any city boundaries), and there are no high-density regulations, either.  As long as the developments meet ADEQ regs, the builders can build whatever they want. 

Fire protection is a major issue outside city limits; rural water supplies are usually not sufficient to provide the necessary protection, though this depends upon available equipment and people to some degree.  When asked how the quorum court got involved, Mr. Roney explained that the projects were originally denied by the planning commission, and the decision was appealed to the quorum court. 

A member suggested that there should be areas set aside for high-density multi-family units.  Mr. Roney said that he thought they should be kept away from the riparian zone around the rivers and lakes (approximately ½ mile from the river or lakes).

At 1:35, Frank thanked Mr. Roney for his presentation and called the regular meeting to order.

Treasurer’s report:  Balance as of 10-27-07 was $695.85.  Since then, $60 in dues was deposited; there have been no withdrawals.  This leaves our balance at $755.85.

Membership report:  Suzan reported a roster total of 61 paid members, and that a quorum was present at the meeting.  She asked if everyone had had a chance to read the minutes from the last meeting, and offered copies to new members and anyone who had not received them.  There were no corrections or additions.

Old Business

Committee meetings:  Frank again encouraged everyone to attend city committee meetings, stressing that the committees only meet once a month, for about an hour.  Our presence at these meetings is noted, and felt, and we should not ignore this opportunity to have an impact on the way local government is run.  Time and location may vary from month to month, so please call City Hall (425-5166) or check the BCFT website for updated meeting info.

Library capital campaign donation:  The total amount collected so far is $655; our target is $1000.  Anyone wishing to make a donation to this fund was asked to see Suzan after the meeting.

Football coaches’ tickets:  The latest word is that both coaches received tickets for reckless driving, not speeding, as was reported last meeting.  We don’t know if that is the only charge against them; it can change up to 1 day before court date (which is currently Dec 12).  Jim would like to see the policy changed so that coaches can no longer drive school buses to away games; it’s a safety issue, since most of them work all day on game days, drive to the game location, then drive half the night to get home again.  A teacher has told him that coaches don’t particularly want to do the driving, but are expected to, and have to get CDL’s.  According to the superintendent, it saves money, since the coaches earn less than the bus drivers. 

New business

Christmas Parade:  Frank asked whether BCFT will participate in the Christmas parade – and after a short discussion it was decided that we would not.  Reasons cited were that everyone knows who we are, there isn’t a major issue in front of us, and we don’t have enclosed vehicles to ride in.

Next meeting:  Because of the holidays, it was decided that we will NOT hold a meeting in December; the next regular meeting will be held Saturday, January 26^th, same time & place.

Open discussion

Frank opened the floor to general discussion.  A member requested an update on the airport situation.  Frank reported that he attended the airport commission meeting on November 19; AirChoiceOne received approval on November 7^th.  Advertising will begin on January 8, 2008, with service scheduled to begin on March 8^th.  February 8^th they plan to begin demo runs from MH to St. Louis.  The new plane will be pressurized and can fly over storms.  A government subsidy will pay for empty seats until the money runs out; at 50% occupancy it will last about a year.

The hangar is complete physically, supposedly has no outstanding debt, but is not occupiable because it still does not have water or septic.  There is a city water line nearby to connect to, but running the pipes will cost $30-$50,000, which they don’t have.  Charlie Hooper thinks the quorum court should pay for the line for fire protection.  He also wants a bond issue to pay for the water and septic, and to pay Ira Chatman back his $130,000 investment.  A regular bond would never be approved by the voters, but a revenue bond could be put in place to pay it off using revenue generated by the lease/rental of the hangar.  The airport already has one bond in place; their payment is about $14,000 per quarter, and they are having trouble meeting those payments.  A bonding agent would probably not issue a new one based on history.

A member commented that he had seen a letter to the editor in the newspaper several months ago about connecting to AmTrak via Cotter.  He thought more people would take a train to Chicago than a plane.  Another member said that passengers come second to freight and the line through Cotter runs the wrong way.  (Secretary’s note:  I have since been told that there is an Amtrak station at Walnut Ridge, in northeast AR.)

A member reported that there are full-time yard sales running in subdivisions in the county, where there are no restrictions on them; he’s had 10-15 calls of complaint.  Frank said that this was a balancing act between the rights of the individuals and the rights of their neighbors.  About all you can do is check to see if their subdivision regulations have any covenants prohibiting or restricting garage sales.

With no further discussion, the meeting adjourned at 2:30 pm.  Next meeting is scheduled for Saturday, January 26, 2008, at 1:00 pm at the Western Sizzlin’ Restaurant, Hwy 62 next to the Ramada Inn; please note new location, and come at least a half hour early if you would like to have lunch before the meeting starts.  There is NO requirement that you purchase a meal to come to the meeting.

                                                                                                                        Suzan P. Kaye
                                                                                                                        Secretary
                                                                                                                        Tuesday, January 22, 2008