{excerpted from the Baxter Bulletin}
New planning commissioners to be appointed
The Mountain Home Planning Commission, with only four remaining members, met to approve two items on an agenda Monday, its first meeting since nearly half the panel resigned last week. Three commissioners, including the chairman, resigned Friday following questions about their residency qualifications.
Present for the Monday meeting were acting chairman Jim Brown, Donna Burnett, Norris Oxner and Steve Smith. Chairman Ben Strider, Lori Kauffman and Bobby Crawford resigned Friday, according to Mayor Ed House.
The three resigned after it was noted at a city council meeting last week that they live outside the city limits and outside the planning jurisdiction, which stretches approximately 3 1/2 miles outside the city limits.
A special meeting of the city council is set for 11 a.m. today in council chambers to appoint three members to the commission. Monday morning, House said he was appointing Lynn Anderson, Sam Rhoades and Paul Norell to the commission.
Anderson is the manager of Arkansas Western Gas in Mountain Home. Rhoades is a retired financial adviser and Norell is retired from CenturyTel. House said he discussed Norell’s appointment with City Attorney Roger Morgan, who said there was no apparent conflict of interest even though Norell’s wife, Marshella, is an alderwoman.