BY RICK KRON
Leader staff writer
Sherwood city employees will be seeing larger paychecks at the end of July as the council passed a 2 percent pay raise Monday night.
This will be the employees’ second pay raise of the year and will cost the city an additional $77,000.
Mayor Bill Harmon explained that the 3 percent pay raise given to employees in January didn’t match the cost of living, but the council felt it couldn’t give any more at the time, but it promised to look at funding again in mid year.
“We’ve got the money now,” Harmon said. “This will put our people in very good shape.”
The pay raise will go into effect July 10 and appear on checks at the end of that month.
In other council business:
- Alderman Dan Stedman took his government hat off and put on his Rotary Club hat and presented the city with a $5,000 check from the civic organization.
He also thanked the city for all of its help with the recently completed veterans memorial project.
- Alderman Becky Vasser questioned why the city’s street sweeper was used only four times in the past month. She said it needed to be used more.
The mayor said the problem was that the sweeper driver had to be used to operate other vehicles too.
“If anyone calls for their street to get swept, we’ll do it, even if we have to get a supervisor out to operate the sweeper.” Harmon said he hated that the “high-dollar piece of equipment” wasn’t being used enough.
- Sharon McMinn told the council that the city’s Fourth of July festivities would be on the Fourth from 6 to 9 p.m. at Sherwood Forest, off of Maryland Avenue.
She said entertainment would include the Air National Guard Band of the Smoky Mountains, plus a number of local youth bands.
She also said there would be a “surprise” this year, but wouldn’t elaborate.
- Herschel Bowman, chairman of the city’s Keep Sherwood Beautiful Committee, which is just getting underway asked for one or more aldermen to also serve on the committee and wanted a resolution officially making the group a city committee or commission. “Eventually we’d like to be a non-profit group with a full-time executive director.”
He reminded the council that the group was “not here to pick up litter, but to prevent it.” The anti-litter group will meet at 4 p.m. July 11 at the Harmon Recreation Center.
- In his monthly report to the council, Police Chief Kelvin Nicholson said his patrol division worked 77 accidents, made 18 DWI arrests, 16 drug arrests and nine arrests for domestic battery in May.
During May, 653 individuals were booked into Sherwood’s detention facility. There were also 1,386 hot check charges and 554 criminal charges filed during the month.
More than $163,000 worth of property was reported stolen in May through thefts or burglary. Police recovered almost $57,000 worth of stolen items during the month.
- The council approved the preliminary development plan for Jayroe Subdivision, Phase I, Lot I. The plan calls for a duplex to be built on the vacant lot.
- The council approved a resolution adopting Pulaski County’s hazard mitigation plan. Jack-sonville adopted this plan a few months ago.
All cities need to have some sort of hazard plan in effect in order to obtain pre- and post-disaster funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The county’s plan would satisfy the federal requirements.
