BY ERNIE DUMAS
Adjournment of the 2005 General Assembly was a blessed event, coming as it did not a moment too soon. The legislature gets us into the worst trouble when it tries to transform religious doctrine into civil law and adjournment, or what we hope will be adjournment sine die, saved us from one more such folly.
Whether it simply ran out of time or it found the bill unacceptable, the Education Committee of the Senate let this session’s school prayer bill die at its last hasty meeting before adjournment. Sen. Jim Argue observed that the bill seemed to go too far, and no senator made a motion that it be endorsed.
The House of Representatives had approved the bill and rushed it to the Senate eight days ago.
Thus the state averts a certain lawsuit and a decision just as certainly unfavorable.
The bill purported to authorize voluntary student-led prayer at public school functions. Now, the U. S. Supreme Court, a court dominated by Republican-appointed justices, as recently as 2000 ruled that student-led prayer at school-sponsored assemblies and functions violated the Constitution as surely as did prayer officially sponsored by the government.
Students already may pray singly or in groups anywhere on school grounds any time as long as other students are not coerced into participating, the court said in Santa Fe Independent School District v. Doe. But where students are assembled for school-sponsored functions, student-led prayer to a captive student audience is still de facto a government-enforced prayer.
The sponsor and backers of the bill said it got around that problem by saying that school officials were forbidden to prevent a student from leading a prayer over the public-address system at a football game or graduation. The premise was that since the hands of the principal, superintendent or school board would be tied, it would be clear that it was not a government prayer and was wholly initiated by a student, even though students of a different faith would be forced to listen or else get up and leave the stadium or the assembly.
But Rep. Bill Pritchard, the sponsor, gave it away in the House debate. He said: “This just gives those principals and administrators the cover they need to say, ‘I can’t interfere and I can’t stop this.”
It would be, in other words, just a ruse, “cover” for administrators who want to have a prayer to mollify the local Baptists, or Catholics, or whatever sect is dominant in any community. That seemed to mollify lawmakers who were worried about the state having to defend against another costly lawsuit.
Rep. Steve Harrelson of Texarkana, a lawyer, got to the heart of the problem. He said he had concluded that the bill might evade the church-state separation problem by staying the hands of administrators, but he was bothered nonetheless.
He pondered what would happen if a satan-worshiping student wanted to take over the public-address system at graduation or the homecoming football game to call upon the devil for dispensation.
Or someone who wanted to espouse another alien faith?
What about an atheist, a nature worshiper, who demanded province at every game, every function, to enlist followers?
Under Pritchard’s bill, the student would have to be given the mike. But, of course, you know that school officials would not let it happen. Only prayer and homilies meeting the standards of permissible religious views would be acceptable.
Let the kids continue to pray around the flagpole, as Rep. Buddy Blair said students did at the school in his town each day, or in private precincts where the Bible says they should pray but don’t make a federal case out of it.
And thanks, senators, for saving us from the cost and embarrassment of another suit.
Wednesday, April 20, 2005
EDITORIAL>> Schools left floundering
However briefly, Arkansas is again a defendant in its courts, where we are expected to explain why, through the medium of our elected lawmakers, we have not provided our children the education that our Constitution promises them.
The attorney for the Rogers School District asked the Supreme Court to reopen the Lake View school case, which the court had closed last year. Rogers says it can’t progress toward a suitable school program with the money and the tools that the legislature gave it in the recently disbanded session. If Rogers, with all its wealth, can’t do it, the rest of the state is in real trouble.
We say “briefly” because the Supreme Court is not apt to give Rogers much of a hearing, not right away. The court — or at least the four-member majority in the last Lake View decision — put itself in an intolerable bind. It issued a mandate in the case and said further litigation would need to be a fresh case. That means a lawsuit will need to be filed in Pulaski Chancery Court, where the Lake View case began many years ago. Three dissenting justices wanted to hold the mandate in abeyance until the legislature had actually fulfilled their oaths and met their constitutional duty. Those justices were frank about the need to keep the pressure on while the goal of an adequate educational program for all was in sight.
Lest state officials be encouraged to think they could slack off because the case was being closed, the court’s majority inserted some tough language in its decision, which Rogers attorney David Matthews seized upon in his petition to the court Thursday to withdraw the mandate and order new review of the legislature’s work.
This is what the court said: “Make no mistake, this court will exercise the power and authority of the judiciary at any time to assure that the students of our state will not fall short of the goal set forth by this court. We will assure its attainment.”
What does that mean? Unless one of the four prevailing justices joins the dissenters it apparently means the court will be very tough, but only when a fresh lawsuit reaches it in three or four years.
We shall see.
The court has already reversed itself once, when it withdrew its mandate in January 2004 and ordered a review of the legislature’s inaction. The lawmakers promptly shaped up and enacted some sweeping educational reform.
If the court reverses itself again and appoints masters to evaluate this legislature’s work, they can hardly miss the failings. Per-pupil spending from basic operating aid allocated by the legislature will not increase a dime next year, and given rising energy costs and new students that amounts to a reduction.
Of some $2 billion in needed capital costs to bring school facilities up to par, which the court had ordered, only about $104 million will be forthcoming. The bond-issue financing that was bruited about as the permanent remedy for school facilities never materialized.
In its 2002 order holding the public education system to be unconstitutional, the Supreme Court said the legislature could no longer allocate money to the schools by simply dividing the pie among the state’s many needs.
Since education was a constitutional mandate and most other services were not, the legislature was expected to determine the schools’ needs first, provide for them and then divide the remainder of the state’s resources among the various government services. The legislature in 2004, under the court’s watchful eye, did that.
But no legislator will argue that it did that this spring. Assembly leaders concluded that taxes could not be raised and, moreover, the legislature sharply lowered available revenues by enacting numerous special tax exemptions and repealing a surcharge on income taxes. Then lawmakers concluded that schools would have to take a hit in the budget next year so that Medicaid, prisons, higher education and the State Police could be funded adequately.
Even state Sen. Jim Argue of Little Rock, the legislature’s fiercest advocate for education, argued that under hard circumstances the lawmakers had done about the best that they could for education, except for facilities. Over his objections, legislators ran away with much of the state’s general improvement fund to spend on local pork projects to help their re-elections.
With any luck, Argue won’t suffer the embarrassment of having his defense tested in a court of law anytime soon.
For the children, there’s always 2007.
The attorney for the Rogers School District asked the Supreme Court to reopen the Lake View school case, which the court had closed last year. Rogers says it can’t progress toward a suitable school program with the money and the tools that the legislature gave it in the recently disbanded session. If Rogers, with all its wealth, can’t do it, the rest of the state is in real trouble.
We say “briefly” because the Supreme Court is not apt to give Rogers much of a hearing, not right away. The court — or at least the four-member majority in the last Lake View decision — put itself in an intolerable bind. It issued a mandate in the case and said further litigation would need to be a fresh case. That means a lawsuit will need to be filed in Pulaski Chancery Court, where the Lake View case began many years ago. Three dissenting justices wanted to hold the mandate in abeyance until the legislature had actually fulfilled their oaths and met their constitutional duty. Those justices were frank about the need to keep the pressure on while the goal of an adequate educational program for all was in sight.
Lest state officials be encouraged to think they could slack off because the case was being closed, the court’s majority inserted some tough language in its decision, which Rogers attorney David Matthews seized upon in his petition to the court Thursday to withdraw the mandate and order new review of the legislature’s work.
This is what the court said: “Make no mistake, this court will exercise the power and authority of the judiciary at any time to assure that the students of our state will not fall short of the goal set forth by this court. We will assure its attainment.”
What does that mean? Unless one of the four prevailing justices joins the dissenters it apparently means the court will be very tough, but only when a fresh lawsuit reaches it in three or four years.
We shall see.
The court has already reversed itself once, when it withdrew its mandate in January 2004 and ordered a review of the legislature’s inaction. The lawmakers promptly shaped up and enacted some sweeping educational reform.
If the court reverses itself again and appoints masters to evaluate this legislature’s work, they can hardly miss the failings. Per-pupil spending from basic operating aid allocated by the legislature will not increase a dime next year, and given rising energy costs and new students that amounts to a reduction.
Of some $2 billion in needed capital costs to bring school facilities up to par, which the court had ordered, only about $104 million will be forthcoming. The bond-issue financing that was bruited about as the permanent remedy for school facilities never materialized.
In its 2002 order holding the public education system to be unconstitutional, the Supreme Court said the legislature could no longer allocate money to the schools by simply dividing the pie among the state’s many needs.
Since education was a constitutional mandate and most other services were not, the legislature was expected to determine the schools’ needs first, provide for them and then divide the remainder of the state’s resources among the various government services. The legislature in 2004, under the court’s watchful eye, did that.
But no legislator will argue that it did that this spring. Assembly leaders concluded that taxes could not be raised and, moreover, the legislature sharply lowered available revenues by enacting numerous special tax exemptions and repealing a surcharge on income taxes. Then lawmakers concluded that schools would have to take a hit in the budget next year so that Medicaid, prisons, higher education and the State Police could be funded adequately.
Even state Sen. Jim Argue of Little Rock, the legislature’s fiercest advocate for education, argued that under hard circumstances the lawmakers had done about the best that they could for education, except for facilities. Over his objections, legislators ran away with much of the state’s general improvement fund to spend on local pork projects to help their re-elections.
With any luck, Argue won’t suffer the embarrassment of having his defense tested in a court of law anytime soon.
For the children, there’s always 2007.
EDITORIAL>> Schools left floundering
However briefly, Arkansas is again a defendant in its courts, where we are expected to explain why, through the medium of our elected lawmakers, we have not provided our children the education that our Constitution promises them.
The attorney for the Rogers School District asked the Supreme Court to reopen the Lake View school case, which the court had closed last year. Rogers says it can’t progress toward a suitable school program with the money and the tools that the legislature gave it in the recently disbanded session. If Rogers, with all its wealth, can’t do it, the rest of the state is in real trouble.
We say “briefly” because the Supreme Court is not apt to give Rogers much of a hearing, not right away. The court — or at least the four-member majority in the last Lake View decision — put itself in an intolerable bind. It issued a mandate in the case and said further litigation would need to be a fresh case. That means a lawsuit will need to be filed in Pulaski Chancery Court, where the Lake View case began many years ago. Three dissenting justices wanted to hold the mandate in abeyance until the legislature had actually fulfilled their oaths and met their constitutional duty. Those justices were frank about the need to keep the pressure on while the goal of an adequate educational program for all was in sight.
Lest state officials be encouraged to think they could slack off because the case was being closed, the court’s majority inserted some tough language in its decision, which Rogers attorney David Matthews seized upon in his petition to the court Thursday to withdraw the mandate and order new review of the legislature’s work.
This is what the court said: “Make no mistake, this court will exercise the power and authority of the judiciary at any time to assure that the students of our state will not fall short of the goal set forth by this court. We will assure its attainment.”
What does that mean? Unless one of the four prevailing justices joins the dissenters it apparently means the court will be very tough, but only when a fresh lawsuit reaches it in three or four years.
We shall see.
The court has already reversed itself once, when it withdrew its mandate in January 2004 and ordered a review of the legislature’s inaction. The lawmakers promptly shaped up and enacted some sweeping educational reform.
If the court reverses itself again and appoints masters to evaluate this legislature’s work, they can hardly miss the failings. Per-pupil spending from basic operating aid allocated by the legislature will not increase a dime next year, and given rising energy costs and new students that amounts to a reduction.
Of some $2 billion in needed capital costs to bring school facilities up to par, which the court had ordered, only about $104 million will be forthcoming. The bond-issue financing that was bruited about as the permanent remedy for school facilities never materialized.
In its 2002 order holding the public education system to be unconstitutional, the Supreme Court said the legislature could no longer allocate money to the schools by simply dividing the pie among the state’s many needs.
Since education was a constitutional mandate and most other services were not, the legislature was expected to determine the schools’ needs first, provide for them and then divide the remainder of the state’s resources among the various government services. The legislature in 2004, under the court’s watchful eye, did that.
But no legislator will argue that it did that this spring. Assembly leaders concluded that taxes could not be raised and, moreover, the legislature sharply lowered available revenues by enacting numerous special tax exemptions and repealing a surcharge on income taxes. Then lawmakers concluded that schools would have to take a hit in the budget next year so that Medicaid, prisons, higher education and the State Police could be funded adequately.
Even state Sen. Jim Argue of Little Rock, the legislature’s fiercest advocate for education, argued that under hard circumstances the lawmakers had done about the best that they could for education, except for facilities. Over his objections, legislators ran away with much of the state’s general improvement fund to spend on local pork projects to help their re-elections.
With any luck, Argue won’t suffer the embarrassment of having his defense tested in a court of law anytime soon.
For the children, there’s always 2007.
The attorney for the Rogers School District asked the Supreme Court to reopen the Lake View school case, which the court had closed last year. Rogers says it can’t progress toward a suitable school program with the money and the tools that the legislature gave it in the recently disbanded session. If Rogers, with all its wealth, can’t do it, the rest of the state is in real trouble.
We say “briefly” because the Supreme Court is not apt to give Rogers much of a hearing, not right away. The court — or at least the four-member majority in the last Lake View decision — put itself in an intolerable bind. It issued a mandate in the case and said further litigation would need to be a fresh case. That means a lawsuit will need to be filed in Pulaski Chancery Court, where the Lake View case began many years ago. Three dissenting justices wanted to hold the mandate in abeyance until the legislature had actually fulfilled their oaths and met their constitutional duty. Those justices were frank about the need to keep the pressure on while the goal of an adequate educational program for all was in sight.
Lest state officials be encouraged to think they could slack off because the case was being closed, the court’s majority inserted some tough language in its decision, which Rogers attorney David Matthews seized upon in his petition to the court Thursday to withdraw the mandate and order new review of the legislature’s work.
This is what the court said: “Make no mistake, this court will exercise the power and authority of the judiciary at any time to assure that the students of our state will not fall short of the goal set forth by this court. We will assure its attainment.”
What does that mean? Unless one of the four prevailing justices joins the dissenters it apparently means the court will be very tough, but only when a fresh lawsuit reaches it in three or four years.
We shall see.
The court has already reversed itself once, when it withdrew its mandate in January 2004 and ordered a review of the legislature’s inaction. The lawmakers promptly shaped up and enacted some sweeping educational reform.
If the court reverses itself again and appoints masters to evaluate this legislature’s work, they can hardly miss the failings. Per-pupil spending from basic operating aid allocated by the legislature will not increase a dime next year, and given rising energy costs and new students that amounts to a reduction.
Of some $2 billion in needed capital costs to bring school facilities up to par, which the court had ordered, only about $104 million will be forthcoming. The bond-issue financing that was bruited about as the permanent remedy for school facilities never materialized.
In its 2002 order holding the public education system to be unconstitutional, the Supreme Court said the legislature could no longer allocate money to the schools by simply dividing the pie among the state’s many needs.
Since education was a constitutional mandate and most other services were not, the legislature was expected to determine the schools’ needs first, provide for them and then divide the remainder of the state’s resources among the various government services. The legislature in 2004, under the court’s watchful eye, did that.
But no legislator will argue that it did that this spring. Assembly leaders concluded that taxes could not be raised and, moreover, the legislature sharply lowered available revenues by enacting numerous special tax exemptions and repealing a surcharge on income taxes. Then lawmakers concluded that schools would have to take a hit in the budget next year so that Medicaid, prisons, higher education and the State Police could be funded adequately.
Even state Sen. Jim Argue of Little Rock, the legislature’s fiercest advocate for education, argued that under hard circumstances the lawmakers had done about the best that they could for education, except for facilities. Over his objections, legislators ran away with much of the state’s general improvement fund to spend on local pork projects to help their re-elections.
With any luck, Argue won’t suffer the embarrassment of having his defense tested in a court of law anytime soon.
For the children, there’s always 2007.
TOP STORY>> He's upbeat on C-130Js, Berry says
IN SHORT: Ignoring the White House, Congress is pushing for more transport planes to help fight wars, although Berry complains of rising deficits without saying how they could be cut.
By GARRICK FELDMAN
Leader editor
Cong. Marion Berry, D-Gillett, told a citizens group on Friday that Congress will provide funding to build more C-130Js, even though the Bush administration wants to kill the program to save money.
“We need more C-130Js,” Berry told members of the Little Rock Air Force Base Community Council. “We’re in the middle of a war requiring more of them.”
He said that after members of the Arkansas congressional delegation had contacted the leadership of the appropriations and defense committees, “we were assured they’ll make more of them. We’ll get a fair share of them at Little Rock Air Force Base.”
The base has two C-130Js and five more will be assigned to the base this year. The third C-130J is scheduled to arrive here next month.
The updated cargo plane costs $66 million each, far higher than previous estimates of what the new planes would cost and nearly twice what the old Hercules cost.
The Bush administration is trying to eliminate the C-130J to control spending, Berry said, but there’s enough support for the plane in Congress to save the program.
“The White House wanted low numbers in the budget, but they knew we were going to put them back in,” the congressman said.
The military has bought about 50 C-130Js, and the Pentagon had planned on purchasing more than twice that many planes until the administration put the brakes on buying more planes besides those coming off the assembly line. According to recent reports, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld has reconsidered his opposition to the program, at least partially.
Berry did complain about rising deficits, calling it “the greatest threat to our national security.”
He said the $424 billion deficit “doesn’t include money taken from the Social Security, Medicare and veterans trust funds,” and he accused the administration of “taking every dime out of” those trust funds. “If you did away with all government spending, except entitlements and cut military spending in half, you still couldn’t balance the budget,” Berry said.
“We’ll have an $8 trillion to $10 trillion national debt at the end of the decade,” he continued. “The next generation won’t be able to handle it.”
This is a problem that weighs heavily on Berry’s mind because he said, “I wake up at 2 o’clock in the morning worrying about it.”
He didn’t offer a solution on how to balance the budget, other than to say, “It will take an effort we made in the Second World War to fix our problems.”
On a brighter note, Berry predicted the air base would survive the latest round of base realignments and closures. Rumsfeld will have a list next month that will include bases that the Pentagon wants to eliminate. Congress will have to accept the list or reject it.
“We’ll do just fine regardless of what they do with BRAC because of the great job you’re doing here,” Berry said.
By GARRICK FELDMAN
Leader editor
Cong. Marion Berry, D-Gillett, told a citizens group on Friday that Congress will provide funding to build more C-130Js, even though the Bush administration wants to kill the program to save money.
“We need more C-130Js,” Berry told members of the Little Rock Air Force Base Community Council. “We’re in the middle of a war requiring more of them.”
He said that after members of the Arkansas congressional delegation had contacted the leadership of the appropriations and defense committees, “we were assured they’ll make more of them. We’ll get a fair share of them at Little Rock Air Force Base.”
The base has two C-130Js and five more will be assigned to the base this year. The third C-130J is scheduled to arrive here next month.
The updated cargo plane costs $66 million each, far higher than previous estimates of what the new planes would cost and nearly twice what the old Hercules cost.
The Bush administration is trying to eliminate the C-130J to control spending, Berry said, but there’s enough support for the plane in Congress to save the program.
“The White House wanted low numbers in the budget, but they knew we were going to put them back in,” the congressman said.
The military has bought about 50 C-130Js, and the Pentagon had planned on purchasing more than twice that many planes until the administration put the brakes on buying more planes besides those coming off the assembly line. According to recent reports, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld has reconsidered his opposition to the program, at least partially.
Berry did complain about rising deficits, calling it “the greatest threat to our national security.”
He said the $424 billion deficit “doesn’t include money taken from the Social Security, Medicare and veterans trust funds,” and he accused the administration of “taking every dime out of” those trust funds. “If you did away with all government spending, except entitlements and cut military spending in half, you still couldn’t balance the budget,” Berry said.
“We’ll have an $8 trillion to $10 trillion national debt at the end of the decade,” he continued. “The next generation won’t be able to handle it.”
This is a problem that weighs heavily on Berry’s mind because he said, “I wake up at 2 o’clock in the morning worrying about it.”
He didn’t offer a solution on how to balance the budget, other than to say, “It will take an effort we made in the Second World War to fix our problems.”
On a brighter note, Berry predicted the air base would survive the latest round of base realignments and closures. Rumsfeld will have a list next month that will include bases that the Pentagon wants to eliminate. Congress will have to accept the list or reject it.
“We’ll do just fine regardless of what they do with BRAC because of the great job you’re doing here,” Berry said.
SPORTS>> Falcons inch closer to state playoff berth
By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
The North Pulaski boys soccer team played itself to within one win of qualifying for the state tournament last week with a 3-1 win over Crowley’s Ridge Academy in Paragould.
Earlier in the week, the Falcons suffered a big loss to Mills 7-0, but rebounded with the win over CRA to move to 3-2 in league play.
The Fal-cons played their final conference match last night against Greene County Tech after Leader deadlines. They entered that match needing a win to qualify for the state tournament.
Against Crowley’s Ridge Academy, who is also known as the Falcons, North Pulaski fell behind early when CRA scored in the eighth minute of the game.
It didn’t last long, however, as NP’s Greg West scored just three minutes later.
The visiting Falcons took the lead for good late in the first half. Chris Tate scored the go-ahead goal after stealing the ball from a CRA player and getting loose into the open field. He went one-on-one with the CRA goalkeeper and beat him to tie the match.
The final goal of the match came early in the second half and featured one of North Pulaski’s most dramatic plays of the season.
Sergio Lopez’s first shot on goal was blocked by the CRA goalkeeper, but bounced back out into play. Lopez got another shot that the keeper partially deflec-ted. The ball rolled slowly past the keeper, but did not have enough momentum left to make it into the net. Lopez, still on the run following his own shot, hurdled the CRA goalkeeper and scored an uncontested goal to set the final margin.
“That was really an outstanding play,” North Pulaski coach Tony Buzzitta said. “He just stuck with it and never gave up on the play.”
The Falcons are just 3-10 overall, but their 3-2 conference mark leaves them within reach of the state tournament. If North Pulaski won last night, it guaranteed a spot in the playoffs, and could go in as high as the No. 3 seed from the AAAA-East, depending on how the rest of the league finishes out the season.
The Lady Falcons beat Mills 3-1 last week and have already qualified for the state tournament. They could go as high as No. 2, and there’s a slim chance of going in as the top seed from the East. For that to happen, however, NP must win out and Valley View must lose twice since the Lady Blazers are currently undefeated and own the tiebreaker against NP.
Buzzitta says his boys team has shown much better teamwork recently, and says that is the main reason for the recent success.
“Even in the Mills game we didn’t play that badly overall,” Buzzitta said. “The score looks terrible, but I don’t think we were dominated at all.
“We just took some bad shots, and when we got shots, we didn’t make them quality ones. We created lots of opportunities, we just didn’t capitalize on them.
“Against Crowley’s Ridge, we did a much better job of taking advantage of our opportunities. We’re playing better and with more unity. It’s been tough because we’ve been so inactive since spring break. But I feel like we’re starting to come around a little bit.”
Leader sports editor
The North Pulaski boys soccer team played itself to within one win of qualifying for the state tournament last week with a 3-1 win over Crowley’s Ridge Academy in Paragould.
Earlier in the week, the Falcons suffered a big loss to Mills 7-0, but rebounded with the win over CRA to move to 3-2 in league play.
The Fal-cons played their final conference match last night against Greene County Tech after Leader deadlines. They entered that match needing a win to qualify for the state tournament.
Against Crowley’s Ridge Academy, who is also known as the Falcons, North Pulaski fell behind early when CRA scored in the eighth minute of the game.
It didn’t last long, however, as NP’s Greg West scored just three minutes later.
The visiting Falcons took the lead for good late in the first half. Chris Tate scored the go-ahead goal after stealing the ball from a CRA player and getting loose into the open field. He went one-on-one with the CRA goalkeeper and beat him to tie the match.
The final goal of the match came early in the second half and featured one of North Pulaski’s most dramatic plays of the season.
Sergio Lopez’s first shot on goal was blocked by the CRA goalkeeper, but bounced back out into play. Lopez got another shot that the keeper partially deflec-ted. The ball rolled slowly past the keeper, but did not have enough momentum left to make it into the net. Lopez, still on the run following his own shot, hurdled the CRA goalkeeper and scored an uncontested goal to set the final margin.
“That was really an outstanding play,” North Pulaski coach Tony Buzzitta said. “He just stuck with it and never gave up on the play.”
The Falcons are just 3-10 overall, but their 3-2 conference mark leaves them within reach of the state tournament. If North Pulaski won last night, it guaranteed a spot in the playoffs, and could go in as high as the No. 3 seed from the AAAA-East, depending on how the rest of the league finishes out the season.
The Lady Falcons beat Mills 3-1 last week and have already qualified for the state tournament. They could go as high as No. 2, and there’s a slim chance of going in as the top seed from the East. For that to happen, however, NP must win out and Valley View must lose twice since the Lady Blazers are currently undefeated and own the tiebreaker against NP.
Buzzitta says his boys team has shown much better teamwork recently, and says that is the main reason for the recent success.
“Even in the Mills game we didn’t play that badly overall,” Buzzitta said. “The score looks terrible, but I don’t think we were dominated at all.
“We just took some bad shots, and when we got shots, we didn’t make them quality ones. We created lots of opportunities, we just didn’t capitalize on them.
“Against Crowley’s Ridge, we did a much better job of taking advantage of our opportunities. We’re playing better and with more unity. It’s been tough because we’ve been so inactive since spring break. But I feel like we’re starting to come around a little bit.”
SPORTS>> Lady Devils win twice in twin-bill
IN SHORT: Jacksonville handles Forrest City with two shutout wins Monday
By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
The Jacksonville Lady Red Devils stayed on pace as co-league leaders with Cabot in the AAAAA-East race Monday with a doubleheader sweep of Forrest City.
The Lady Devils won the opening game of the afternoon 9-0 in seven innings, and then run ruled the Lady Mustangs 11-0 in five in the nightcap.
Sophomore hurler Jessica Bock allowed just two hits in both games combined, both coming in game one.
The Lady Devils only committed one error in the evening too, something Jacksonville coach Phil Bradley was glad to see after his team’s error-filled performance in the Lady Devil Classic over the weekend.
“I’ve said all along that if we play defense, we’re pretty tough to beat,” Bradley said. “We’ve got the pitching and we’ve got the hitters, we just give too much away sometimes.”
Forrest City hung tough throughout the first half of game one. The Lady Mustangs trailed just 1-0 after four innings and made their most serious threat in the bottom of that frame.
Junior Rishondra Deans led off with a bunt single, then an error by Bock left Leigh Anna Taylor on first base. A groundout by pitcher Stacey Gracey moved both runners into scoring position with one out. Bock then thwarted the threat by fanning Ashley Shaw and Chari Agnew in order to end the inning.
Jacksonville’s bats finally started making some noise in the fifth. Bock singled to left field to lead off the frame, and freshman Taylor Norsworthy tripled to left-center to bring in Bock. Senior catcher Somer Grimes then laid down a bunt single that scored Norsworthy. Grimes stole second then advanced all the way home when Megan Peeples’ grounder was mishandled at first base. Freshman Monica Fletcher then hit a sacrifice grounder to second base to score Peeples and give Jacksonville a 5-0 lead.
The Lady Devils got five more in the sixth to set the final margin. Five of the first six batters reached base safely on four hits and a walk. Whitney Belew drew a walk to start things off and Bock singled to left field. Norsworthy popped out, but the next three batters, Grimes, Whitney Conrade and Peeples, hit consecutive singles to set the final margin.
Bock struck out 12 in the game.
Jacksonville grabbed the lead early in game two with a single run in the first inning. In the bottom of the second, Bock and Norsworthy led off with back-to-back triples to start a five-run rally.
The lead grew to 8-0 over the next two innings. The twinbill came to an end in the bottom of the fifth when senior Terrica Hinton hit a three-run, inside-the-park home run down the right-field line.
The two wins lift Jacksonville’s overall record to 11-5 and their conference record to 7-1.
Forrest City falls to 3-9 overall. The Lady Devils have a huge home matchup with Cabot (9-1 conference) on Thursday. The Lady Panthers’ only conference loss this season came at home to Jacksonville.
By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
The Jacksonville Lady Red Devils stayed on pace as co-league leaders with Cabot in the AAAAA-East race Monday with a doubleheader sweep of Forrest City.
The Lady Devils won the opening game of the afternoon 9-0 in seven innings, and then run ruled the Lady Mustangs 11-0 in five in the nightcap.
Sophomore hurler Jessica Bock allowed just two hits in both games combined, both coming in game one.
The Lady Devils only committed one error in the evening too, something Jacksonville coach Phil Bradley was glad to see after his team’s error-filled performance in the Lady Devil Classic over the weekend.
“I’ve said all along that if we play defense, we’re pretty tough to beat,” Bradley said. “We’ve got the pitching and we’ve got the hitters, we just give too much away sometimes.”
Forrest City hung tough throughout the first half of game one. The Lady Mustangs trailed just 1-0 after four innings and made their most serious threat in the bottom of that frame.
Junior Rishondra Deans led off with a bunt single, then an error by Bock left Leigh Anna Taylor on first base. A groundout by pitcher Stacey Gracey moved both runners into scoring position with one out. Bock then thwarted the threat by fanning Ashley Shaw and Chari Agnew in order to end the inning.
Jacksonville’s bats finally started making some noise in the fifth. Bock singled to left field to lead off the frame, and freshman Taylor Norsworthy tripled to left-center to bring in Bock. Senior catcher Somer Grimes then laid down a bunt single that scored Norsworthy. Grimes stole second then advanced all the way home when Megan Peeples’ grounder was mishandled at first base. Freshman Monica Fletcher then hit a sacrifice grounder to second base to score Peeples and give Jacksonville a 5-0 lead.
The Lady Devils got five more in the sixth to set the final margin. Five of the first six batters reached base safely on four hits and a walk. Whitney Belew drew a walk to start things off and Bock singled to left field. Norsworthy popped out, but the next three batters, Grimes, Whitney Conrade and Peeples, hit consecutive singles to set the final margin.
Bock struck out 12 in the game.
Jacksonville grabbed the lead early in game two with a single run in the first inning. In the bottom of the second, Bock and Norsworthy led off with back-to-back triples to start a five-run rally.
The lead grew to 8-0 over the next two innings. The twinbill came to an end in the bottom of the fifth when senior Terrica Hinton hit a three-run, inside-the-park home run down the right-field line.
The two wins lift Jacksonville’s overall record to 11-5 and their conference record to 7-1.
Forrest City falls to 3-9 overall. The Lady Devils have a huge home matchup with Cabot (9-1 conference) on Thursday. The Lady Panthers’ only conference loss this season came at home to Jacksonville.
EDITORIAL>> More serious than bingo
Arkansas faces a single constitutional problem worthy of the voters’ ministrations, if you can believe the legislature. It is the prospect that Prosecuting Attorney Larry Jegley will raid a parish hall and arrest a priest and his parishioners for practicing bingo or engaging in a raffle.
A joint legislative committee wrestled with a raft of constitutional resolutions for 90 days, but the lawmakers could agree on only one to refer to voters in 2006. It would allow nonprofit organizations to have bingo and raffles provided that the money will not be used to compensate anyone affiliated with the organizations.
Bingo and raffles run afoul of the Constitution’s general prohibition of gambling. Many churches have been operating them anyway for years, but fears of arrests have lately shut a couple of the games down.
The legislature came to their rescue and so next year, no doubt, will voters. But bingo anxiety does not rank among the top 100 issues that engage our crazyquilt Constitution. Arkansas has real crises that constitutional reforms might help us solve. Every legislator was well aware of them, the Supreme Court having so often and recently reminded them. One is the virtual destruction of the ad-valorem tax system and local school support by a patchwork of amendments the past quarter-century.
House Speaker Bill Stovall, Rep. Jodie Mahony and Sen. Shane Broadway proposed three amendments to correct abuses of the property tax, any of which might improve the fairness and stability of real and personal property taxes, which are a mainstay of our unconstitutional public school system.
We particularly liked Mahony’s amendment to retroactively collect taxes on the current value of timber and agricultural land held for speculative purposes. The brouhaha over Deltic Timber Corp.’s effort to build a luxury subdivision on the slopes above Lake Maumelle, the central Arkansas water supply, should have made everyone keenly aware of the problem. Deltic and other developers have been paying a few bits an acre in taxes on land they sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars an acre.
Other states have corrected such practices. When land is sold for development, the land is assessed at the current value and taxes are collected backward for three to seven years on the land. Mahony proposed to tax the high-value real estate back three years at the market value.
Voters, we believe, would approve the amendment. Texas, California, Oregon and Utah have adopted more far-reaching provisions to correct similar abuses.
It would mean a significant amount of new revenue for schools, cities and counties but more than that, it would introduce a measure of fairness to a tax system that unjustly burdens homeowners.
But the legislature has recessed, not to consider any more of the people’s business before its formal adjournment, unless, as Speaker Stovall said, the joint committee can get together and agree on something more than the sanctity of bingo.
Exhausted by the trivia of its labors, the lawmakers seem in no mood to think about anything so serious.
A joint legislative committee wrestled with a raft of constitutional resolutions for 90 days, but the lawmakers could agree on only one to refer to voters in 2006. It would allow nonprofit organizations to have bingo and raffles provided that the money will not be used to compensate anyone affiliated with the organizations.
Bingo and raffles run afoul of the Constitution’s general prohibition of gambling. Many churches have been operating them anyway for years, but fears of arrests have lately shut a couple of the games down.
The legislature came to their rescue and so next year, no doubt, will voters. But bingo anxiety does not rank among the top 100 issues that engage our crazyquilt Constitution. Arkansas has real crises that constitutional reforms might help us solve. Every legislator was well aware of them, the Supreme Court having so often and recently reminded them. One is the virtual destruction of the ad-valorem tax system and local school support by a patchwork of amendments the past quarter-century.
House Speaker Bill Stovall, Rep. Jodie Mahony and Sen. Shane Broadway proposed three amendments to correct abuses of the property tax, any of which might improve the fairness and stability of real and personal property taxes, which are a mainstay of our unconstitutional public school system.
We particularly liked Mahony’s amendment to retroactively collect taxes on the current value of timber and agricultural land held for speculative purposes. The brouhaha over Deltic Timber Corp.’s effort to build a luxury subdivision on the slopes above Lake Maumelle, the central Arkansas water supply, should have made everyone keenly aware of the problem. Deltic and other developers have been paying a few bits an acre in taxes on land they sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars an acre.
Other states have corrected such practices. When land is sold for development, the land is assessed at the current value and taxes are collected backward for three to seven years on the land. Mahony proposed to tax the high-value real estate back three years at the market value.
Voters, we believe, would approve the amendment. Texas, California, Oregon and Utah have adopted more far-reaching provisions to correct similar abuses.
It would mean a significant amount of new revenue for schools, cities and counties but more than that, it would introduce a measure of fairness to a tax system that unjustly burdens homeowners.
But the legislature has recessed, not to consider any more of the people’s business before its formal adjournment, unless, as Speaker Stovall said, the joint committee can get together and agree on something more than the sanctity of bingo.
Exhausted by the trivia of its labors, the lawmakers seem in no mood to think about anything so serious.
TOP STORY>> City council wont' settle with official
IN SHORT: Clerk-treasurer’s discrimination lawsuit against Cabot goes to trial in July.
By JOAN MCCOY
Leader staff writer
A federal lawsuit filed by the clerk-treasurer against the city of Cabot and the mayor more than a year ago will continue for trial in July as scheduled. The council voted Monday night to turn down an offer to settle out of court.
Clerk-Treasurer Marva Verkler claims in her suit that she was discriminated against because she is a woman and because she supported former Mayor Joe Allman in the last mayoral race.
She wants the court to return the duties taken from her at the urging of Mayor Stubby Stumbaugh, including her bookkeeping and check writing duties.
Those duties and most of Verkler’s staff were reassigned to Dale Walker, who was hired as the city’s first finance director after Stumbaugh took office in 2003.
Alderman David Polantz, who chairs the city’s finance committee and keeps a close eye on the budget, sponsored the resolution to settle the suit with the provision that the city admit no wrongdoing.
Polantz told the council he wanted to settle for financial reasons. Verkler is suing for an unspecified amount, but she was willing to settle for $25,000 and the promise that she will retire at the end of 2006.
The 2005 budget contains $10,000 to cover the cost of depositions in the case and that amount might not be enough he said. So $25,000, split into two payments of $12,500, would almost certainly be in the city’s best interest.
Alderman Patrick Hutton spoke against the resolution saying the suit implied that he (as well as the other council members) is guilty of wrongdoing and he would rather be vindicated in court than settle.
He didn’t want to be held at fault when he did nothing wrong, Hutton told Polantz.
“The problem is, Patrick, we always lose,” Polantz said.
“This one, we just might win,” Hutton countered.
The resolution was voted down 4-3, with one abstention. Polantz, Alderman Bob Duke and Alder-man Tom Armstrong voted to settle. Aldermen Hutton, James Glenn, Eddie Cook and Jerry Stephens voted against the settlement.
Alderman Odis Waymack, who actually favored settling out of court, abstained, saying he did so because some city officials had implied that he was helping Verkler with the suit.
Contacted Tuesday, Verkler said she is ready for the suit to end and that she is disappointed with the council’s decision. She would not comment on whether she will seek re-election.
Although the council stripped her of most of her duties, her salary was not decreased, and she is paid more than Walker, $44,462 compared to his $38,422 salary.
By JOAN MCCOY
Leader staff writer
A federal lawsuit filed by the clerk-treasurer against the city of Cabot and the mayor more than a year ago will continue for trial in July as scheduled. The council voted Monday night to turn down an offer to settle out of court.
Clerk-Treasurer Marva Verkler claims in her suit that she was discriminated against because she is a woman and because she supported former Mayor Joe Allman in the last mayoral race.
She wants the court to return the duties taken from her at the urging of Mayor Stubby Stumbaugh, including her bookkeeping and check writing duties.
Those duties and most of Verkler’s staff were reassigned to Dale Walker, who was hired as the city’s first finance director after Stumbaugh took office in 2003.
Alderman David Polantz, who chairs the city’s finance committee and keeps a close eye on the budget, sponsored the resolution to settle the suit with the provision that the city admit no wrongdoing.
Polantz told the council he wanted to settle for financial reasons. Verkler is suing for an unspecified amount, but she was willing to settle for $25,000 and the promise that she will retire at the end of 2006.
The 2005 budget contains $10,000 to cover the cost of depositions in the case and that amount might not be enough he said. So $25,000, split into two payments of $12,500, would almost certainly be in the city’s best interest.
Alderman Patrick Hutton spoke against the resolution saying the suit implied that he (as well as the other council members) is guilty of wrongdoing and he would rather be vindicated in court than settle.
He didn’t want to be held at fault when he did nothing wrong, Hutton told Polantz.
“The problem is, Patrick, we always lose,” Polantz said.
“This one, we just might win,” Hutton countered.
The resolution was voted down 4-3, with one abstention. Polantz, Alderman Bob Duke and Alder-man Tom Armstrong voted to settle. Aldermen Hutton, James Glenn, Eddie Cook and Jerry Stephens voted against the settlement.
Alderman Odis Waymack, who actually favored settling out of court, abstained, saying he did so because some city officials had implied that he was helping Verkler with the suit.
Contacted Tuesday, Verkler said she is ready for the suit to end and that she is disappointed with the council’s decision. She would not comment on whether she will seek re-election.
Although the council stripped her of most of her duties, her salary was not decreased, and she is paid more than Walker, $44,462 compared to his $38,422 salary.
TOP STORY>> PCSSD looking for big savings
IN SHORT: In preparation for a special Wednesday board meeting called to cut millions from the school board budget, the financial officer sees real savings from each proposed cut.
By JOHN HOFHEIMER
Leader staff writer
Pulaski County Special School District administrators and the board will meet in special session at 6 p.m. Wednesday in an effort to lop $9 million from the 2005-2006 budget, expected to run about $143 million otherwise.
The cuts are necessary because the district—the second largest in the state—has been placed on the financial distress list by the state Board of Education.
That designation can have dire consequences, in-cluding forced consolidation, replacement of the superintendent or the board and even a state takeover of the district.
The district is one of 11 designated as in financial distress.
The administration wants to cut $9 million from the budget to begin the process of getting the district off the financial distress list.
In response to an invitation to outgoing Superintendent Donald Henderson, three groups and one board member had submitted suggested cuts and prioritized the cuts in preparation for the meeting, according to John Archetko, interim assistant superintendent for business and chief financial officer.
In recent years, the district has spent millions more each year than it receives, depleting its savings to cover the difference. It even spends $10 million a year originally designated to retire school construction bonds and another $14 million dollars in desegregation money from the state.
Archetko said there was “nothing startling” in the proposals from the Pulaski Association of Classroom Teachers, the elementary school principals, an administrators group including secondary school principals or from Carol Burgett, a board member.
Archetko has projected the ending fund balance for the current fiscal year is $4.9 million, down from about $20 million three years ago, according to one board member.
Without carrying the fund balance over and without making cuts, the year-end fund balance next year is projected to be $5.3 million in the red.
Henderson and his cabinet have proposed cuts, most noticeably a $3.4 million savings from foregoing what has become an annual teachers’ raise in the 3 percent range.
At the regular April 12 board meeting, the teachers in turn suggested decimating the ranks of district principals, leaving just seven of 51, according to a proposal by Deen Minton, president of the Pulaski Association of Classroom Teachers.
Minton said that would reduce the principal-to-student ratio to the state minimum.
Either proposal would save roughly $3 million a year.
Antagonism between the teachers and principals has been a badly kept secret in recent years.
Although board member Pam Roberts warned various factions not to use the designation and the need for cuts as an excuse to promote their own agendas, it was clear at Tuesday’s meeting that the administration would freeze teacher salaries and the teachers would cut the number of principals in the district from 51 to 7.
At the Wednesday night meeting, the board will weigh its options as it struggles to not only balance budget, but to reverse its fortune by taking steps to graduate from the school financial distress list and the scrutiny that goes with that dubious distinction.
The easy cuts were made years ago. Proposed cuts this time around could affect the ability to attract and keep good teachers, security, counseling and the gifted and talented program.
Principals would be pressed into services as lunchroom monitors, and the central office would lose one custodian, the director of accountability, an accountant, director of student services and athletics, the director of support staff personnel and one secretary from the superintendent’s office.
Next to the salary freeze, the largest savings would be from finishing payments on the early retirement incentive program, $1 million; eliminating the buying of new textbooks, $1 million; eliminating nine home school counselors, $498,000; cutting eight secondary school counselors, $449,172; eminating lunchroom monitors, $500,000; cutting 4.4 elementary counselors, $230,403 and seven gifted and talented teachers, $325,513.
The teachers’ proposal to have only the number of principals required by the state would save about $3 million, they say.
“In three years, we’ve gone from $17 million down to zero,” said past board pre-sident Jeff Shaneyfelt, a certified public accountant. “Only way to explain it is our labor costs.”
He said the board has failed to understand the future impact of raises it granted in the past.
Even without annual cost-of-living raises, teachers receive raises for longevity and increased education, he said.
“That’s not to say employees aren’t valuable and worth what we play them, it’s just, like a household, we get a certain amount of revenue to run the school,” Shaneyfelt said.
“We have a lot of expenses we have to incur each year, transportation, utilities, textbooks and supplies. There’s only a certain amount left after that. We have to do the best we can.”
With payroll and benefits accounting for about three-quarters of the budget, there aren’t going to be any easy or painless ways to cut expenses, he said.
Payroll raises don’t go away, he said. Once you establish a certain rate, you live with that.
The district’s construction bond millage raises $14 million each year for capital improvements. In recent years, only $4 million a year has been used to service debt, with the other $10 million diverted used to pay salaries, gasoline and utility bills and any other expenses—which is legal, but not what the voters understood—Shaneyfelt said.
The other districts designated as in financial distress were Altheimer Unified School District, Dierks, Dollarway, Eudora, Flippin, Helena – West Helena, Lead Hill, Midland, Waldo and Western Yell County School District.
By JOHN HOFHEIMER
Leader staff writer
Pulaski County Special School District administrators and the board will meet in special session at 6 p.m. Wednesday in an effort to lop $9 million from the 2005-2006 budget, expected to run about $143 million otherwise.
The cuts are necessary because the district—the second largest in the state—has been placed on the financial distress list by the state Board of Education.
That designation can have dire consequences, in-cluding forced consolidation, replacement of the superintendent or the board and even a state takeover of the district.
The district is one of 11 designated as in financial distress.
The administration wants to cut $9 million from the budget to begin the process of getting the district off the financial distress list.
In response to an invitation to outgoing Superintendent Donald Henderson, three groups and one board member had submitted suggested cuts and prioritized the cuts in preparation for the meeting, according to John Archetko, interim assistant superintendent for business and chief financial officer.
In recent years, the district has spent millions more each year than it receives, depleting its savings to cover the difference. It even spends $10 million a year originally designated to retire school construction bonds and another $14 million dollars in desegregation money from the state.
Archetko said there was “nothing startling” in the proposals from the Pulaski Association of Classroom Teachers, the elementary school principals, an administrators group including secondary school principals or from Carol Burgett, a board member.
Archetko has projected the ending fund balance for the current fiscal year is $4.9 million, down from about $20 million three years ago, according to one board member.
Without carrying the fund balance over and without making cuts, the year-end fund balance next year is projected to be $5.3 million in the red.
Henderson and his cabinet have proposed cuts, most noticeably a $3.4 million savings from foregoing what has become an annual teachers’ raise in the 3 percent range.
At the regular April 12 board meeting, the teachers in turn suggested decimating the ranks of district principals, leaving just seven of 51, according to a proposal by Deen Minton, president of the Pulaski Association of Classroom Teachers.
Minton said that would reduce the principal-to-student ratio to the state minimum.
Either proposal would save roughly $3 million a year.
Antagonism between the teachers and principals has been a badly kept secret in recent years.
Although board member Pam Roberts warned various factions not to use the designation and the need for cuts as an excuse to promote their own agendas, it was clear at Tuesday’s meeting that the administration would freeze teacher salaries and the teachers would cut the number of principals in the district from 51 to 7.
At the Wednesday night meeting, the board will weigh its options as it struggles to not only balance budget, but to reverse its fortune by taking steps to graduate from the school financial distress list and the scrutiny that goes with that dubious distinction.
The easy cuts were made years ago. Proposed cuts this time around could affect the ability to attract and keep good teachers, security, counseling and the gifted and talented program.
Principals would be pressed into services as lunchroom monitors, and the central office would lose one custodian, the director of accountability, an accountant, director of student services and athletics, the director of support staff personnel and one secretary from the superintendent’s office.
Next to the salary freeze, the largest savings would be from finishing payments on the early retirement incentive program, $1 million; eliminating the buying of new textbooks, $1 million; eliminating nine home school counselors, $498,000; cutting eight secondary school counselors, $449,172; eminating lunchroom monitors, $500,000; cutting 4.4 elementary counselors, $230,403 and seven gifted and talented teachers, $325,513.
The teachers’ proposal to have only the number of principals required by the state would save about $3 million, they say.
“In three years, we’ve gone from $17 million down to zero,” said past board pre-sident Jeff Shaneyfelt, a certified public accountant. “Only way to explain it is our labor costs.”
He said the board has failed to understand the future impact of raises it granted in the past.
Even without annual cost-of-living raises, teachers receive raises for longevity and increased education, he said.
“That’s not to say employees aren’t valuable and worth what we play them, it’s just, like a household, we get a certain amount of revenue to run the school,” Shaneyfelt said.
“We have a lot of expenses we have to incur each year, transportation, utilities, textbooks and supplies. There’s only a certain amount left after that. We have to do the best we can.”
With payroll and benefits accounting for about three-quarters of the budget, there aren’t going to be any easy or painless ways to cut expenses, he said.
Payroll raises don’t go away, he said. Once you establish a certain rate, you live with that.
The district’s construction bond millage raises $14 million each year for capital improvements. In recent years, only $4 million a year has been used to service debt, with the other $10 million diverted used to pay salaries, gasoline and utility bills and any other expenses—which is legal, but not what the voters understood—Shaneyfelt said.
The other districts designated as in financial distress were Altheimer Unified School District, Dierks, Dollarway, Eudora, Flippin, Helena – West Helena, Lead Hill, Midland, Waldo and Western Yell County School District.
TOP STORY>> Cabot will decide on funding for overpass and center
IN SHORT: Bridge would be built early if millage passes, but center in limbo if measure fails.
By JOAN MCCOY
Leader staff writer
Just as they said they would earlier this month, the Cabot City Council approved an ordinance Monday night to ask voters on July 12 to increase their city property tax by one mill and ap-prove $2 million in bonds to help build the community center and a railroad overpass on Polk Street.
If voters turn down the millage increase, the overpass will still likely be built in 2008, the original construction date set by the Highway Department. But Mayor Stubby Stumbaugh says there is no plan B for building the under-funded community center.
Stumbaugh has looked for grants to help pay for the project and has promised to name the center for any benefactor willing to contribute the $1.2 million or more needed to add to the $3 million the city has set aside, all without success.
That is not the case in Carlisle, however, where state Sen. Bobby Glover has obtained $1 million from the state General Improvement Fund to pay for a community center.
So with no state or private help forthcoming, the council is left with no recourse except to ask city residents to tax themselves to build the 34,000 square-foot community center that has been planned for about two years and to help pay the city’s $1 million match on a $5 million overpass that has been planned for more than five years.
If Cabot voters decide to tax themselves to pay for the new center as well as the overpass, owners of homes costing $100,000 can expect to pay an additional $20 in taxes every year.
The council also voted to seek a general contractor as a project manager for the community center, which could cost about $4.4 million, according to Alderman David Polantz, who sponsored the ordinance calling for requests for qualifications for the job.
Polantz also asked for the millage election ordinance, which was cosponsored by the mayor and all the council members except Alderman Jerry Stephens who made good on his promise to not support any increase in taxes.
Stumbaugh said on Tuesday morning that since the low bid of $4.2 million for the community center was turned in late last fall, the project would have to be re-bid before construction could begin.
The center was expected to cost $3 million.
Since the low bid came in $1.2 million above the amount available to pay for it, the city has been getting advice from the school district on how to save money on construction.
Parks Director Carroll Astin told the council that one way the school saves money is by using a project manager who is paid to find subcontractors to do the work.
Increasing the city millage from 3.5 to 4.5 would bring in about $180,000 a year, said Dale Walker, city finance director, more than enough to pay back 20-yearbonds for $2 million.
Ordinance No. 16 of 2005, submitting the proposed millage increase and bond issue to the voters, sets a July 12 election date.
Voters will be asked to approve bond issues of $700,000 for the railroad overpass and $1.3 million for the community center.
Although it is still not certain whether $4 million in federal money for the overpass will be available this year, Stumbaugh said Monday that he believes it will be made available.
By JOAN MCCOY
Leader staff writer
Just as they said they would earlier this month, the Cabot City Council approved an ordinance Monday night to ask voters on July 12 to increase their city property tax by one mill and ap-prove $2 million in bonds to help build the community center and a railroad overpass on Polk Street.
If voters turn down the millage increase, the overpass will still likely be built in 2008, the original construction date set by the Highway Department. But Mayor Stubby Stumbaugh says there is no plan B for building the under-funded community center.
Stumbaugh has looked for grants to help pay for the project and has promised to name the center for any benefactor willing to contribute the $1.2 million or more needed to add to the $3 million the city has set aside, all without success.
That is not the case in Carlisle, however, where state Sen. Bobby Glover has obtained $1 million from the state General Improvement Fund to pay for a community center.
So with no state or private help forthcoming, the council is left with no recourse except to ask city residents to tax themselves to build the 34,000 square-foot community center that has been planned for about two years and to help pay the city’s $1 million match on a $5 million overpass that has been planned for more than five years.
If Cabot voters decide to tax themselves to pay for the new center as well as the overpass, owners of homes costing $100,000 can expect to pay an additional $20 in taxes every year.
The council also voted to seek a general contractor as a project manager for the community center, which could cost about $4.4 million, according to Alderman David Polantz, who sponsored the ordinance calling for requests for qualifications for the job.
Polantz also asked for the millage election ordinance, which was cosponsored by the mayor and all the council members except Alderman Jerry Stephens who made good on his promise to not support any increase in taxes.
Stumbaugh said on Tuesday morning that since the low bid of $4.2 million for the community center was turned in late last fall, the project would have to be re-bid before construction could begin.
The center was expected to cost $3 million.
Since the low bid came in $1.2 million above the amount available to pay for it, the city has been getting advice from the school district on how to save money on construction.
Parks Director Carroll Astin told the council that one way the school saves money is by using a project manager who is paid to find subcontractors to do the work.
Increasing the city millage from 3.5 to 4.5 would bring in about $180,000 a year, said Dale Walker, city finance director, more than enough to pay back 20-yearbonds for $2 million.
Ordinance No. 16 of 2005, submitting the proposed millage increase and bond issue to the voters, sets a July 12 election date.
Voters will be asked to approve bond issues of $700,000 for the railroad overpass and $1.3 million for the community center.
Although it is still not certain whether $4 million in federal money for the overpass will be available this year, Stumbaugh said Monday that he believes it will be made available.
TOP STORY>> Where money would go
Area legislators have secured millions of dollars from the General Improvement Fund for local projects.
Rep. Will Bond
- Jacksonville Boys and Girls Club $50,000
- Jacksonville Senior Center $50,000
- Jacksonville Museum of Military History $10,000
- Reed’s Bridge Preservation Society, Inc. $10,000
- Jacksonville for construction, renovation and equipping of a library $300,000
- Camp Pfeiffer in Little Rock for operating and programmatic expenses $100,000
- Pathfinders, Inc. in Jacksonville, for a pilot jobs program for developmentally disabled adults, including the purchase of equipment program, construction and improvements $100,000
- Jacksonville, $20,000
Sen. John Paul Capps
- Institutional facilities ASU-Beebe $500,000
- Jacksonville Senior Center $20,000
- Jacksonville Museum of Military History $20,000
- North Pulaski Community Com-plex $20,000
- Arkansas Community Foundation (Three Cheerleaders Fund) $10,000
- North Pulaski Fire Department $10,000
- White County Aging Program (Lightle Senior Center) $50,000
- White County Regional Library System $50,000
- White County Fair $15,000
- White County United Way for any improvements or office lease rent or purchase costs $50,000
- Beebe for improvements for city streets, water, sewer, new projects, improvements and maintenance $20,000
- Judsonia for improvements for city streets, water, sewer, new projects, improvements and maintenance $20,000
- McRae for improvements for city streets, water, sewer, new projects, improvements and maintenance $20,000
- Garner for improvements for city streets, water, sewer, new projects, improvements and maintenance $15,000
- Higginson for construction and improvements to City Hall $25,000
- Kensett for costs associated with water, sewer, street repairs, new projects and or maintenance $40,000
- Little Red River Irrigation Water District $30,000
- Searcy Fire Department for operating expenses or building fund $50,000
- East Cypress Fire Department in Faulkner County, $5,000 Rep. Mark Pate (D-Bald Knob)
Rep. Lenville Evans
- Butlerville Volunteer Fire Department $5,000
- Carlisle Fire Department $5,000
- Coy Fire Department $5,000
- Crossroads Fire Department $5,000
- England Fire Depart-ment $5,000
- Hum-noke Fire Department $5,000
- Keo Fire Department $5,000
- Lonoke Fire Department $5,000
- Scott Fire Protection District #18 $5,000
- Tri-Community Volunteer Fire Department $5,000
- South Bend Volunteer Fire Department $5,000
- East Pulaski Fire Department $5,000
- Lonoke County Council on Aging $10,000
- Lonoke Exceptional School $10,000
- Open Arms Shelter $10,000
- Bayou Meto Water District in Lonoke County, $113,000
- Martin Park in Lonoke County, purchase renovation of equipment $5,000
Sen. Bobby Glover
- Carlisle, for construction, equipping and associated costs of a civic center $1,000,000
- Stuttgart Chamber of Com-merce to build a stage for Wings Over the Prairie Festival $200,000
- Cabot Fire Department $5,000
- Austin Fire Department $5,000
- Ward Fire Department $5,000
- C & S Fire Department $5,000
- Mountain Springs Fire Department $5,000
- Lonoke County Jail Fund for construction and equipping $300,000
- Stuttgart for purchase, renovation and equipment for an administration building $20,000
- Arkansas County Radio Tower for fire departments in Arkansas County $25,000
Rep. Mark Pate (D-Bald Knob)
- Various improvements – ASU-Beebe $50,000
- White County Library System for maintenance and operation $20,000
- White County chapter of the American Red Cross purposes of obtaining a new or different facility either by lease or purchase and or purchase of a new or used vehicle or trailer for emergency disaster services $60,000
- North White County Fire Department for purchase or maintenance of new or existing equipment or facilities $6,000
- Georgetown Fire Department for purchase or maintenance of new or existing equipment or facilities $6,000
- Antioch Volunteer Fire Department for purchase or maintenance of new or existing equipment or facilities $6,000
- Judsonia Fire Department for purchase or maintenance of new or existing equipment or facilities $6,000
- West Point Volunteer Fire Department for purchase or maintenance of new or existing equipment or facilities $6,000
- Rocky Point Fire Department for purchase or maintenance of new or existing equipment or facilities $6,000
- Floyd Romance Volunteer Fire Department for purchase or maintenance of new or existing equipment or facilities $6,000
- Southeast White County Fire Department for purchase or maintenance of new or existing equipment or facilities $6,000
- McRae Fire Department for purchase or maintenance of new or existing equipment or facilities $6,000
- El Paso Volunteer Fire Department for purchase or maintenance of new or existing equipment or facilities $6,000
- Bald Knob Fire Department for purchase or maintenance of new or existing equipment or facilities $6,000
- Beebe Fire Department for purchase or maintenance of new or existing equipment or facilities $6,000
- Gum Springs Volunteer Fire Department for purchase or maintenance of new or existing equipment or facilities $6,000
- Joy Volunteer Fire Department for purchase or maintenance of new or existing equipment or facilities $3,000
- Garner Fire Department for purchase or maintenance of new or existing equipment or facilities $10,000
- Center Hill Fire Department for purchase or maintenance of new or existing equipment or facilities $6,000
- Bald Knob, for water, sewer and street maintenance $25,000
- Beebe, for water, sewer and street maintenance $25,000
- Judsonia for water, sewer and street maintenance $20,000
- McRae for water, sewer and street maintenance $20,000
- Garner for water, sewer and street maintenance $15,000
- Georgetown for water, sewer and street maintenance $15,000
- Griffithville for water, sewer and street maintenance $15,000
- West Point, for water, sewer and street maintenance $15,000
- White County Fair Association for construction of or maintenance of new or existing facilities $20,000
- Little Red River Irrigation District $10,000
- Bald Knob Fine Arts Council promotion of Musical and Art programs Bald Knob Community $2,500
- White County Battered Women’s Shelter $2,500
- White County Senior Citizen Center $25,000
Rep. Sandra Prater (D-Jacksonville)
- Maumelle Police Department $20,000
- North Pulaski Fire Department $10,000
- Oak Grove Fire Department $10,000
- Maumelle Volunteer Fire Department for upgrades $10,000
- Highway 286 East Volunteer Fire De-partment $10,000
- Beaverfork Volunteer Fire Department $10,000
- Cato Volunteer Fire Department $10,000
- Liberty Volunteer Fire Department $10,000
- Mayflower Volunteer Fire De-partment $10,000
- Saltillo Volunteer Fire Department $10,000
- Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department Oak Grove Substation $10,000
- Arkansas Community Foundation3 Cheerleader Scholarship Fund $20,000
- Oak Grove Community Organization $30,000
- Our Club Program $10,000
- North Pulaski Community Complex $40,000
- Veterans Memorial in Maumelle, $25,000
- North Pulaski Recreation Ball Park for improvements $2,500
- Mayflower, Mayflower Parks Department $10,000
- Mayflower, $20,000
Rep. Susan Schulte
- Mt. Springs Fire Department $10,000
- Ward Volunteer Fire Department $10,000
- Austin Volunteer Fire Department $10,000
- CSZ Volunteer Fire Department $10,000
- Arlene Cherry Library $5,000
- Ward Li-brary $5,000
- Cabot Senior Center $5,000
- Open Arms Shelter $5,000
Rep. Jeff Wood
- Grants for Certified Teachers – Arkansas National Guard and C-Step Programs $62,701
- Runyan Acres Property Owners Associa-tion in Pulaski County $20,000
- Runyan Acres Volunteer Fire Department $10,000
- Gravel Ridge Volunteer Fire Department $10,000
- Sherwood Fire Depart-ment in Sherwood $10,000
- Sherwood Rotary Club Veterans Memorial Centennial Project $40,000
- Jack Evans Senior Center $40,000
- Sylvan Hills Optimist Club $5,000
- Bill Harmon Recreation Center $15,000
- Sylvan Hills Volunteer Fire Department in Sherwood, $10,000
Rep. Will Bond
- Jacksonville Boys and Girls Club $50,000
- Jacksonville Senior Center $50,000
- Jacksonville Museum of Military History $10,000
- Reed’s Bridge Preservation Society, Inc. $10,000
- Jacksonville for construction, renovation and equipping of a library $300,000
- Camp Pfeiffer in Little Rock for operating and programmatic expenses $100,000
- Pathfinders, Inc. in Jacksonville, for a pilot jobs program for developmentally disabled adults, including the purchase of equipment program, construction and improvements $100,000
- Jacksonville, $20,000
Sen. John Paul Capps
- Institutional facilities ASU-Beebe $500,000
- Jacksonville Senior Center $20,000
- Jacksonville Museum of Military History $20,000
- North Pulaski Community Com-plex $20,000
- Arkansas Community Foundation (Three Cheerleaders Fund) $10,000
- North Pulaski Fire Department $10,000
- White County Aging Program (Lightle Senior Center) $50,000
- White County Regional Library System $50,000
- White County Fair $15,000
- White County United Way for any improvements or office lease rent or purchase costs $50,000
- Beebe for improvements for city streets, water, sewer, new projects, improvements and maintenance $20,000
- Judsonia for improvements for city streets, water, sewer, new projects, improvements and maintenance $20,000
- McRae for improvements for city streets, water, sewer, new projects, improvements and maintenance $20,000
- Garner for improvements for city streets, water, sewer, new projects, improvements and maintenance $15,000
- Higginson for construction and improvements to City Hall $25,000
- Kensett for costs associated with water, sewer, street repairs, new projects and or maintenance $40,000
- Little Red River Irrigation Water District $30,000
- Searcy Fire Department for operating expenses or building fund $50,000
- East Cypress Fire Department in Faulkner County, $5,000 Rep. Mark Pate (D-Bald Knob)
Rep. Lenville Evans
- Butlerville Volunteer Fire Department $5,000
- Carlisle Fire Department $5,000
- Coy Fire Department $5,000
- Crossroads Fire Department $5,000
- England Fire Depart-ment $5,000
- Hum-noke Fire Department $5,000
- Keo Fire Department $5,000
- Lonoke Fire Department $5,000
- Scott Fire Protection District #18 $5,000
- Tri-Community Volunteer Fire Department $5,000
- South Bend Volunteer Fire Department $5,000
- East Pulaski Fire Department $5,000
- Lonoke County Council on Aging $10,000
- Lonoke Exceptional School $10,000
- Open Arms Shelter $10,000
- Bayou Meto Water District in Lonoke County, $113,000
- Martin Park in Lonoke County, purchase renovation of equipment $5,000
Sen. Bobby Glover
- Carlisle, for construction, equipping and associated costs of a civic center $1,000,000
- Stuttgart Chamber of Com-merce to build a stage for Wings Over the Prairie Festival $200,000
- Cabot Fire Department $5,000
- Austin Fire Department $5,000
- Ward Fire Department $5,000
- C & S Fire Department $5,000
- Mountain Springs Fire Department $5,000
- Lonoke County Jail Fund for construction and equipping $300,000
- Stuttgart for purchase, renovation and equipment for an administration building $20,000
- Arkansas County Radio Tower for fire departments in Arkansas County $25,000
Rep. Mark Pate (D-Bald Knob)
- Various improvements – ASU-Beebe $50,000
- White County Library System for maintenance and operation $20,000
- White County chapter of the American Red Cross purposes of obtaining a new or different facility either by lease or purchase and or purchase of a new or used vehicle or trailer for emergency disaster services $60,000
- North White County Fire Department for purchase or maintenance of new or existing equipment or facilities $6,000
- Georgetown Fire Department for purchase or maintenance of new or existing equipment or facilities $6,000
- Antioch Volunteer Fire Department for purchase or maintenance of new or existing equipment or facilities $6,000
- Judsonia Fire Department for purchase or maintenance of new or existing equipment or facilities $6,000
- West Point Volunteer Fire Department for purchase or maintenance of new or existing equipment or facilities $6,000
- Rocky Point Fire Department for purchase or maintenance of new or existing equipment or facilities $6,000
- Floyd Romance Volunteer Fire Department for purchase or maintenance of new or existing equipment or facilities $6,000
- Southeast White County Fire Department for purchase or maintenance of new or existing equipment or facilities $6,000
- McRae Fire Department for purchase or maintenance of new or existing equipment or facilities $6,000
- El Paso Volunteer Fire Department for purchase or maintenance of new or existing equipment or facilities $6,000
- Bald Knob Fire Department for purchase or maintenance of new or existing equipment or facilities $6,000
- Beebe Fire Department for purchase or maintenance of new or existing equipment or facilities $6,000
- Gum Springs Volunteer Fire Department for purchase or maintenance of new or existing equipment or facilities $6,000
- Joy Volunteer Fire Department for purchase or maintenance of new or existing equipment or facilities $3,000
- Garner Fire Department for purchase or maintenance of new or existing equipment or facilities $10,000
- Center Hill Fire Department for purchase or maintenance of new or existing equipment or facilities $6,000
- Bald Knob, for water, sewer and street maintenance $25,000
- Beebe, for water, sewer and street maintenance $25,000
- Judsonia for water, sewer and street maintenance $20,000
- McRae for water, sewer and street maintenance $20,000
- Garner for water, sewer and street maintenance $15,000
- Georgetown for water, sewer and street maintenance $15,000
- Griffithville for water, sewer and street maintenance $15,000
- West Point, for water, sewer and street maintenance $15,000
- White County Fair Association for construction of or maintenance of new or existing facilities $20,000
- Little Red River Irrigation District $10,000
- Bald Knob Fine Arts Council promotion of Musical and Art programs Bald Knob Community $2,500
- White County Battered Women’s Shelter $2,500
- White County Senior Citizen Center $25,000
Rep. Sandra Prater (D-Jacksonville)
- Maumelle Police Department $20,000
- North Pulaski Fire Department $10,000
- Oak Grove Fire Department $10,000
- Maumelle Volunteer Fire Department for upgrades $10,000
- Highway 286 East Volunteer Fire De-partment $10,000
- Beaverfork Volunteer Fire Department $10,000
- Cato Volunteer Fire Department $10,000
- Liberty Volunteer Fire Department $10,000
- Mayflower Volunteer Fire De-partment $10,000
- Saltillo Volunteer Fire Department $10,000
- Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department Oak Grove Substation $10,000
- Arkansas Community Foundation3 Cheerleader Scholarship Fund $20,000
- Oak Grove Community Organization $30,000
- Our Club Program $10,000
- North Pulaski Community Complex $40,000
- Veterans Memorial in Maumelle, $25,000
- North Pulaski Recreation Ball Park for improvements $2,500
- Mayflower, Mayflower Parks Department $10,000
- Mayflower, $20,000
Rep. Susan Schulte
- Mt. Springs Fire Department $10,000
- Ward Volunteer Fire Department $10,000
- Austin Volunteer Fire Department $10,000
- CSZ Volunteer Fire Department $10,000
- Arlene Cherry Library $5,000
- Ward Li-brary $5,000
- Cabot Senior Center $5,000
- Open Arms Shelter $5,000
Rep. Jeff Wood
- Grants for Certified Teachers – Arkansas National Guard and C-Step Programs $62,701
- Runyan Acres Property Owners Associa-tion in Pulaski County $20,000
- Runyan Acres Volunteer Fire Department $10,000
- Gravel Ridge Volunteer Fire Department $10,000
- Sherwood Fire Depart-ment in Sherwood $10,000
- Sherwood Rotary Club Veterans Memorial Centennial Project $40,000
- Jack Evans Senior Center $40,000
- Sylvan Hills Optimist Club $5,000
- Bill Harmon Recreation Center $15,000
- Sylvan Hills Volunteer Fire Department in Sherwood, $10,000
TOP STORY>> Improvement fund helps area
I SHORT: Sen. Glover leads in lining up money for his pet projects, although Sen. Capps, Reps. Bond, Evans, Pate, Prater, Schulte and Wood also do well for their districts.
Leader staff report
Whether they love general improvement funds or hate them, local legislators lined up to bring tax money back to their homefolks at the end of the recently concluded 85th General Assembly.
Some, like state Rep. Will Bond, D-Jacksonville, say they would rather have seen much or all of the $231 million in the General Improvement Fund (GIF) earmarked instead for improving school facilities, but failing that, Bond said he wanted to support important local projects, such as improving the Jacksonville library.
Senators each were allotted $750,000.
Depending on their tenure, House members were allowed to earmark $104,000, $158,000 or $212,000.
The Associated Press released a list of GIF requests by primary sponsor, including the amount of the request, which is not generally the amount that will ultimately be funded.
For instance, state Sen. Bobby Glover, D-Carlisle, sponsored a bill asking for $1 million toward construction of a Carlisle Civic Center—an appropriation that will actually be about $350,000, he said Friday.
As a senator, he was entitled to fund $750,000 worth of projects requested in three of the four counties in his district.
Glover said that in more than 20 years in the General Assembly, the civic center appropriation would be the first time he’s brought money back to his hometown.
Glover said the amounts listed in the AP account were misleading. For instance, it says he got $300,000 for badly needed improvement of the Lonoke County Jail. Glover, state Rep. Susan Schulte, R-Cabot; and state Rep. Lenville Evans, D-Lonoke, each earmarked about $100,000 toward the jail, but as primary sponsor, it shows up in Glover’s list as $300,000 and makes it look like Schulte funded nothing but a handful of volunteer fire departments and community projects to the tune of $60,000.
In a breakdown, if all are fully funded, the fire departments at Mountain Springs, Ward, Austin, and CSZ will receive $10,000 each. The libraries in Cabot and Ward will each receive $5,000 and the remaining $10,000 will be divided equally between the Cabot Senior Center and the Open Arms Shelter in Lonoke.
Neither is Evans credited with his share of the jail money, but he gets full credit for the $113,000 earmarked for the Bayou Meto Water District—which Glover contributed to without credit on the AP list.
Evans, himself a farmer, said he was gratified to be able to contribute to the Bayou Meto irrigation project.
“It’s so important with our ground water and getting irrigation over here,” he said.
“We have to get out of this aquifer, need an alternative to the ground water. We can’t produce products without water.”
Of the list of GIF project sponsors and amounts, Bond said “It’s hard to look at those (amounts) and figure out who did what for whom.”
Bond noted that although he received credit for the $300,000 earmarked for construction, renovation and equipping of a library in Jacksonville, although other’s contributed and the project is only going to receive $190,000.
Bond’s share of the GIF money is about $160,000, so he’s not the only one kicking in for the library.
“I have never been a big fan of the fund, but that is the current way business is done with one time money and as representative of Jacksonville, it would not be in the best interest of the district to turn it down,” Bond said.
“We fought hard to hold the money down to about $19 million on a side. We were desperate to keep them from dipping into adequacy trust fund.”
State Rep. Sandra Prater, D-Jacksonville, was in on the appropriation for the Jacksonville Senior Center.
Prater said she asked for about $270,000 but got about $175,000. She and state Sen. Mary Ann Salmon together got $40,000 for a new North Pulaski community center complex slated for 15 donated acres on Republican Road.
General Improvement Fund requests were Rep. Jeff Wood’s favorite legislation although not the biggest challenge facing the 85th General Assembly, said the Sherwood Democrat.
“The biggest challenge facing us was balancing the budget. Meeting everyone’s needs as best we could without raising taxes. It took a lot of sacrifice,” Wood said.
“You really have to fight for your district to get its share.”
Wood sponsored $62,700 in grants for certified teachers, Arkansas National Guard and C-Step programs.
He requested $40,000 each for the Sherwood Rotary Club Veterans Memorial and the Jack Evans Senior Center. Additionally Wood requested $10,000 for the fire departments in Gravel Ridge, Sherwood, Runyan Acres and Sylvan Hills.
Rep. Mark Pate, D-Bald Knob, agreed in addition to the education facilities funding legislation, creating a balanced budget while meeting needs was the biggest challenge legislators faced as a whole.
The largest GIF requests he sponsored were for $50,000 for Arkansas State University-Beebe and $60,000 for the White County Chapter of the American Red Cross.
The White County Chapter requested the money to help them buy or lease a different facility and purchase an additional vehicle and possibly a trailer for emergency disaster services.
Pate sponsored requests for 16 volunteer fire departments in communities like Antioch, Floyd, Gum Springs and Center Hill. The requests ranged from $3,000 for the Joy Volunteer Fire Department to $10,000 for the Garner Fire Department.
“I represent an area with a lot of rural territory and that’s why I try hard to help volunteer fire departments because they’re so limited with their income. They can struggle by with pie auctions, barbecues and fish fries. They know how to stretch a dollar and this funding goes a long way with them,” Pate said.
In this session, Pate was able to get funding for water, sewer and street maintenance for several of the towns he serves.
He requested $15,000 for West Point, Griffithville, Georgetown and Garner, $20,000 for Judsonia and McRae and $25,000 for Bald Knob and Beebe.
Sen. John Paul Capps, D-Searcy, sponsored a request for $500,000 for Arkansas State University-Beebe and $50,000 each for the White County Aging Program/Lightle Senior Center, the White County Regional Library System and White County United Way.
He also sponsored requests for $20,000 for water, sewer and street improvements in Beebe, Judsonia and McRae.
Leader staff report
Whether they love general improvement funds or hate them, local legislators lined up to bring tax money back to their homefolks at the end of the recently concluded 85th General Assembly.
Some, like state Rep. Will Bond, D-Jacksonville, say they would rather have seen much or all of the $231 million in the General Improvement Fund (GIF) earmarked instead for improving school facilities, but failing that, Bond said he wanted to support important local projects, such as improving the Jacksonville library.
Senators each were allotted $750,000.
Depending on their tenure, House members were allowed to earmark $104,000, $158,000 or $212,000.
The Associated Press released a list of GIF requests by primary sponsor, including the amount of the request, which is not generally the amount that will ultimately be funded.
For instance, state Sen. Bobby Glover, D-Carlisle, sponsored a bill asking for $1 million toward construction of a Carlisle Civic Center—an appropriation that will actually be about $350,000, he said Friday.
As a senator, he was entitled to fund $750,000 worth of projects requested in three of the four counties in his district.
Glover said that in more than 20 years in the General Assembly, the civic center appropriation would be the first time he’s brought money back to his hometown.
Glover said the amounts listed in the AP account were misleading. For instance, it says he got $300,000 for badly needed improvement of the Lonoke County Jail. Glover, state Rep. Susan Schulte, R-Cabot; and state Rep. Lenville Evans, D-Lonoke, each earmarked about $100,000 toward the jail, but as primary sponsor, it shows up in Glover’s list as $300,000 and makes it look like Schulte funded nothing but a handful of volunteer fire departments and community projects to the tune of $60,000.
In a breakdown, if all are fully funded, the fire departments at Mountain Springs, Ward, Austin, and CSZ will receive $10,000 each. The libraries in Cabot and Ward will each receive $5,000 and the remaining $10,000 will be divided equally between the Cabot Senior Center and the Open Arms Shelter in Lonoke.
Neither is Evans credited with his share of the jail money, but he gets full credit for the $113,000 earmarked for the Bayou Meto Water District—which Glover contributed to without credit on the AP list.
Evans, himself a farmer, said he was gratified to be able to contribute to the Bayou Meto irrigation project.
“It’s so important with our ground water and getting irrigation over here,” he said.
“We have to get out of this aquifer, need an alternative to the ground water. We can’t produce products without water.”
Of the list of GIF project sponsors and amounts, Bond said “It’s hard to look at those (amounts) and figure out who did what for whom.”
Bond noted that although he received credit for the $300,000 earmarked for construction, renovation and equipping of a library in Jacksonville, although other’s contributed and the project is only going to receive $190,000.
Bond’s share of the GIF money is about $160,000, so he’s not the only one kicking in for the library.
“I have never been a big fan of the fund, but that is the current way business is done with one time money and as representative of Jacksonville, it would not be in the best interest of the district to turn it down,” Bond said.
“We fought hard to hold the money down to about $19 million on a side. We were desperate to keep them from dipping into adequacy trust fund.”
State Rep. Sandra Prater, D-Jacksonville, was in on the appropriation for the Jacksonville Senior Center.
Prater said she asked for about $270,000 but got about $175,000. She and state Sen. Mary Ann Salmon together got $40,000 for a new North Pulaski community center complex slated for 15 donated acres on Republican Road.
General Improvement Fund requests were Rep. Jeff Wood’s favorite legislation although not the biggest challenge facing the 85th General Assembly, said the Sherwood Democrat.
“The biggest challenge facing us was balancing the budget. Meeting everyone’s needs as best we could without raising taxes. It took a lot of sacrifice,” Wood said.
“You really have to fight for your district to get its share.”
Wood sponsored $62,700 in grants for certified teachers, Arkansas National Guard and C-Step programs.
He requested $40,000 each for the Sherwood Rotary Club Veterans Memorial and the Jack Evans Senior Center. Additionally Wood requested $10,000 for the fire departments in Gravel Ridge, Sherwood, Runyan Acres and Sylvan Hills.
Rep. Mark Pate, D-Bald Knob, agreed in addition to the education facilities funding legislation, creating a balanced budget while meeting needs was the biggest challenge legislators faced as a whole.
The largest GIF requests he sponsored were for $50,000 for Arkansas State University-Beebe and $60,000 for the White County Chapter of the American Red Cross.
The White County Chapter requested the money to help them buy or lease a different facility and purchase an additional vehicle and possibly a trailer for emergency disaster services.
Pate sponsored requests for 16 volunteer fire departments in communities like Antioch, Floyd, Gum Springs and Center Hill. The requests ranged from $3,000 for the Joy Volunteer Fire Department to $10,000 for the Garner Fire Department.
“I represent an area with a lot of rural territory and that’s why I try hard to help volunteer fire departments because they’re so limited with their income. They can struggle by with pie auctions, barbecues and fish fries. They know how to stretch a dollar and this funding goes a long way with them,” Pate said.
In this session, Pate was able to get funding for water, sewer and street maintenance for several of the towns he serves.
He requested $15,000 for West Point, Griffithville, Georgetown and Garner, $20,000 for Judsonia and McRae and $25,000 for Bald Knob and Beebe.
Sen. John Paul Capps, D-Searcy, sponsored a request for $500,000 for Arkansas State University-Beebe and $50,000 each for the White County Aging Program/Lightle Senior Center, the White County Regional Library System and White County United Way.
He also sponsored requests for $20,000 for water, sewer and street improvements in Beebe, Judsonia and McRae.
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