My mom officially began her third term as city council member last Thursday, and what a spectacular show we missed! Here’s the write-up from the Baxter Bulletin (emphasis added).
(Incidentally, you can also hear some audio clips of my mom and the city attorney and read more at the radio station’s Web site: KTLO story.)
Mountain Home City Council approves committee assignments
After being sworn in by Judge Van Gearhart, the Mountain Home City Council met in a special meeting, originally to discuss committee appointments made by Mayor David Osmon.
Several council members did not like the committee assignments made by Osmon.
The special meeting was originally intended only to discuss the committee assignments but after 45 minutes of discussion, council members voted to amend the agenda to vote on an ordinance proposed by Councilwoman Marshella Norell which calls on the council to make committee appointments. The ordinance was approved unanimously.
There was a 10-minute recess while council members wrote down their preferred committee assignments.
After the break, the council voted to again amend the agenda to vote on committee assignments.
After some discussion, there were only a few changes from the assignments originally proposed by the mayor.
The committee assignments approved by the council were:
- Parks and Recreation — Ron Rhodes, Darrel Bennett and Arnold Knox
- Personnel Committee — Marshella Norell (replacing Mary James who the mayor appointed to the committee), Jennifer Baker and Phillip Frame
- Public Safety Committee — Baker (replacing Mary James) Dave Almond and Frame
- Street Committee — Mary James (replacing Norell), Bennett and Almond
- Water and Sewer Committee — Knox, Norell (replacing Baker) and Rhodes.
Norell went through the committees and said they included at least one experienced council member and someone new.
Earlier in the meeting, Osmon said he was trying to make assignments in the best interest of the city.
Norell, argued that the committees should include people with expertise, noting the Water and Sewer Committee the mayor proposed did not have any person who had served on it previously.
James said her first preference was the Street Committee but she would be willing to serve on any of the others.
Baker said she preferred public safety along with parks and recreation.
Osmon said he placed Frame on the Public Safety Committee because he was a former chief of police, a former deputy and an investigator with the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality.
Osmon said he also placed Knox on the Water and Sewer Committee because Knox was a civil engineer with experience in water and sewer systems.
City Attorney Roger Morgan has also proposed an ordinance which called for the council members to rotate committee assignments.
The ordinance was not considered.
During discussion of who appointed committee members, Frank Kaye, who previously served on the council, read a state law which states the council makes appointments. Morgan said Kaye was correct, that making the appointments was a legislative act which should be performed by the council.
After the committee assignments were approved, Osmon jokingly asked what would happen if he vetoed the assignments. Morgan told him it would take a two-thirds vote from the council to override the veto.