To start this week’s meeting, the council reviewed financials through the end of July.
Through seven months of the year, the city continues to be on solid financial footing. Our revenues have come in ahead of budget for the year and expenses are below budget which has led to the city adding approximately $267,000 to our general fund for the year.
City finance director Liz Mathis also gave an update on the city’s audits and our auditing firm completed on site work for our 2020 audit a few weeks ago. They expect to have the 2020 audit completed within a month or so. Work on the 2021 audit has already started and will also be completed later this year. At that point, the city will be completely caught up on audits and will begin the 2022 audit shortly after the start of the new year. Our finance department has done great work over the last several years to get us to this point and their efforts are greatly appreciated. Additionally, the city will be onboarding a new financial management software this Monday, Aug. 22, with OpenGov which will eventually allow more transparency and easier financial reporting. More to come on this as we move into budget season this fall and we begin to see the results of this financial management transition.
Only one ordinance was voted on at this week’s meeting and it was a simple administrative ordinance to codify all of the ordinances that have been passed. This essentially amends the official code of the city to update it with all the changes that have been passed recently. This ordinance was approved unanimously.
In new business, the council only discussed one issue relating to a land use and zoning change for a small parcel of property located between Murphy Drive and Commercial Park Drive. This property is currently zoned for industrial use but it sits between two properties, one zoned industrial and the other zoned commercial. A buyer has interest in purchasing this property and merging it into property that’s currently zoned for commercial use. Therefore, they are asking the city to rezone and change the land use of this property to commercial. This issue will continue to be reviewed at the next two council meetings before it’s voted on Sept. 19.
While not related to the council’s agenda, I thought I’d share some thoughts about our Planning Commission and their role within Maumelle’s city government.
I enjoy attending our city’s Planning Commission meetings each month since this is where the rubber meets the road for all development happening in Maumelle. If you’re interested in attending, the meetings are always held on the 4th Thursday of the month at 6:30 p.m. in the council chambers. The commission has had very full agendas for several years compared to years in the past where they routinely didn’t have scheduled monthly meetings due to lack of submissions for review. While this has created a heavier workload for our planning department and commission, it shows there is a lot of interest in developing in our city. Our Planning Commissioners serve in a volunteer capacity and spend several hours each month reviewing projects to make sure they meet city code. I appreciate these resident volunteers who are giving of their time to make sure that development happens appropriately and meets city standards. If you’re wanting a preview of what’s coming in Maumelle, the Planning Commission meetings are the place to be on the fourth Thursday night of each month.
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Maumelle: City Council report
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To start this week’s meeting, the council reviewed financials through the end of July.
Through seven months of the year, the city continues to be on solid financial footing. Our revenues have come in ahead of budget for the year and expenses are below budget which has led to the city adding approximately $267,000 to our general fund for the year.
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City finance director Liz Mathis also gave an update on the city’s audits and our auditing firm completed on site work for our 2020 audit a few weeks ago. They expect to have the 2020 audit completed within a month or so. Work on the 2021 audit has already started and will also be completed later this year. At that point, the city will be completely caught up on audits and will begin the 2022 audit shortly after the start of the new year. Our finance department has done great work over the last several years to get us to this point and their efforts are greatly appreciated. Additionally, the city will be onboarding a new financial management software this Monday, Aug. 22, with OpenGov which will eventually allow more transparency and easier financial reporting. More to come on this as we move into budget season this fall and we begin to see the results of this financial management transition.
Only one ordinance was voted on at this week’s meeting and it was a simple administrative ordinance to codify all of the ordinances that have been passed. This essentially amends the official code of the city to update it with all the changes that have been passed recently. This ordinance was approved unanimously.
In new business, the council only discussed one issue relating to a land use and zoning change for a small parcel of property located between Murphy Drive and Commercial Park Drive. This property is currently zoned for industrial use but it sits between two properties, one zoned industrial and the other zoned commercial. A buyer has interest in purchasing this property and merging it into property that’s currently zoned for commercial use. Therefore, they are asking the city to rezone and change the land use of this property to commercial. This issue will continue to be reviewed at the next two council meetings before it’s voted on Sept. 19.
While not related to the council’s agenda, I thought I’d share some thoughts about our Planning Commission and their role within Maumelle’s city government.
I enjoy attending our city’s Planning Commission meetings each month since this is where the rubber meets the road for all development happening in Maumelle. If you’re interested in attending, the meetings are always held on the 4th Thursday of the month at 6:30 p.m. in the council chambers. The commission has had very full agendas for several years compared to years in the past where they routinely didn’t have scheduled monthly meetings due to lack of submissions for review. While this has created a heavier workload for our planning department and commission, it shows there is a lot of interest in developing in our city. Our Planning Commissioners serve in a volunteer capacity and spend several hours each month reviewing projects to make sure they meet city code. I appreciate these resident volunteers who are giving of their time to make sure that development happens appropriately and meets city standards. If you’re wanting a preview of what’s coming in Maumelle, the Planning Commission meetings are the place to be on the fourth Thursday night of each month.