This week’s council meeting began with Mayor Caleb Norris giving the annual State of the City address. A link to the city’s YouTube page is below as is a transcript of the full address.
A few takeaways from his address are that the city’s new Pickleball courts are being designed and construction should be complete before the end of 2023. Additionally, Maumelle’s all-inclusive playground will begin construction soon and should also be ready for play this year. Sponsorship opportunities for the inclusive playground are still available so if you or your company would like to make a donation, feel free to reach out to me and I can let you know what sponsorship options are available. Donors will be recognized with their name and/or company logo on a new monument at the new playground. Finally, the long-awaited roundabout to join White Oak Crossing, Country Club Parkway, and Counts Massie will be going out to bid in the coming weeks. This new roundabout will be a tremendous addition to help traffic navigate this area of Maumelle.
After the mayor’s address, our outgoing finance director, Liz Mathis, gave the financial report through the month of February. While many of the city’s larger revenue items come at various points throughout the year, the city is currently ahead of budget on revenues and below budget on expenses. The general fund balance currently sits at $12.1 million.
In old business, the council approved an ordinance that raises the dollar amount for purchases that the Mayor must send out for competitive bids. Our existing ordinance required the mayor to bid out any purchase over $20,000. According to a new state law, this bid threshold has been raised to $35,000, so we adjusted our local ordinance to comply with state law.
Moving to new business, the council approved an economic development service contract with Metro Little Rock Alliance. This is an annual contract that we participate in with other central Arkansas communities to market our cities for economic development.
The last item on the agenda was an item I requested regarding the 2024 total solar eclipse. Many people know this already, but the total solar eclipse will occur in Maumelle on Monday, April 8, 2024. Whenever this occurs, hundreds of thousands and millions of people will travel to be in the path of totality. Many communities in the U.S. are already planning on hosting all of these out-of-town guests. Maumelle is currently planning on how we want to handle that day and what events we want to put on the weekend prior. We have a unique opportunity to show off our city as travelers come from all over the world to be in the path of totality across our country. I’ll share more in the coming months as we develop our plan for what the city will be doing that weekend.
Looking to serve the city? The Maumelle Planning Commission has an opening for a vacant position. If you’re interested in putting your name forward, please submit a resume or letter of interest to the City Clerk, Tina Timmons. Our planning commissioners serve in one of the most important roles in our city and are responsible for reviewing and approving developments in Maumelle. Applicants will be interviewed at a future council meeting where a new commissioner will then be selected.
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Maumelle: City Council report
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This week’s council meeting began with Mayor Caleb Norris giving the annual State of the City address. A link to the city’s YouTube page is below as is a transcript of the full address.
A few takeaways from his address are that the city’s new Pickleball courts are being designed and construction should be complete before the end of 2023. Additionally, Maumelle’s all-inclusive playground will begin construction soon and should also be ready for play this year. Sponsorship opportunities for the inclusive playground are still available so if you or your company would like to make a donation, feel free to reach out to me and I can let you know what sponsorship options are available. Donors will be recognized with their name and/or company logo on a new monument at the new playground. Finally, the long-awaited roundabout to join White Oak Crossing, Country Club Parkway, and Counts Massie will be going out to bid in the coming weeks. This new roundabout will be a tremendous addition to help traffic navigate this area of Maumelle.
After the mayor’s address, our outgoing finance director, Liz Mathis, gave the financial report through the month of February. While many of the city’s larger revenue items come at various points throughout the year, the city is currently ahead of budget on revenues and below budget on expenses. The general fund balance currently sits at $12.1 million.
In old business, the council approved an ordinance that raises the dollar amount for purchases that the Mayor must send out for competitive bids. Our existing ordinance required the mayor to bid out any purchase over $20,000. According to a new state law, this bid threshold has been raised to $35,000, so we adjusted our local ordinance to comply with state law.
Moving to new business, the council approved an economic development service contract with Metro Little Rock Alliance. This is an annual contract that we participate in with other central Arkansas communities to market our cities for economic development.
The last item on the agenda was an item I requested regarding the 2024 total solar eclipse. Many people know this already, but the total solar eclipse will occur in Maumelle on Monday, April 8, 2024. Whenever this occurs, hundreds of thousands and millions of people will travel to be in the path of totality. Many communities in the U.S. are already planning on hosting all of these out-of-town guests. Maumelle is currently planning on how we want to handle that day and what events we want to put on the weekend prior. We have a unique opportunity to show off our city as travelers come from all over the world to be in the path of totality across our country. I’ll share more in the coming months as we develop our plan for what the city will be doing that weekend.
Looking to serve the city? The Maumelle Planning Commission has an opening for a vacant position. If you’re interested in putting your name forward, please submit a resume or letter of interest to the City Clerk, Tina Timmons. Our planning commissioners serve in one of the most important roles in our city and are responsible for reviewing and approving developments in Maumelle. Applicants will be interviewed at a future council meeting where a new commissioner will then be selected.
Chad, 501-529-1336, chad4maumelle@gmail.com
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