By Andrea Bruner, White River Now
Kyle Christopher will fill the unexpired term of Landon Reeves on the Batesville City Council.
On Tuesday night, Mayor Rick Elumbaugh met with the council in executive session to review the three candidates who had been interviewed for the position. After returning to the open meeting, Elumbaugh recommended Christopher, and the council voted to appoint him to Ward 1, Position 1, following Reeves’ resignation earlier this year, citing a growing law firm and other commitments.
Christopher is a familiar face to public service, having served on the city’s planning and zoning commission and parks commission, as well as the chamber of commerce’s advertising and promotions committee, according to Elumbaugh.
In other business, Tuesday night:
* The council adopted a resolution authorizing Batesville Water Utility to pay off Bethesda Water Association’s debt with the U.S. Department of Agriculture for a prior loan. The debt amounts to $357,633.
Elumbaugh said that Public Works Engineer Damon Johnson, who was absent from the council meeting, had praised “how good a shape” the Bethesda system is in – and he said this is not a large debt for a water system, but it was required for the Bethesda system to be merged. He also said that some assets (as well as approximately 500 customers) will come with the Bethesda system.
* Police Chief John Scarbrough also presented his monthly report. There were 1,288 calls for service in March, a huge jump from the 917 calls in February and 919 in January. There was also a spike in citations (255 last month, compared to 140 in February and 104 in January) and warnings (232 in December, 232 in March, 153 in February, and 149 in January).
Scarbrough told White River Now that the increases could be attributed to a multitude of reasons, but “anytime officers work overtime, the numbers will increase. The warmer weather always produces more calls.”
Other statistics from last month: 39 accidents in March (compared to 43 in February and 32 in January); 48 arrests (48 in February and 22 in January); 67 incident reports (72 in February and 46 in January).
The Batesville Police Department has partnered with the Arkansas State Police Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force to train Investigator Brenda Bittle as a task force officer. Scarbrough said the number of cases is almost overwhelming, and Bittle stays “extremely busy.”
Elumbaugh mentioned the BPD is down a vehicle and asked for the council’s blessing to give the truck he uses to the police department, then get him something else, possibly a used EV with low mileage. The motion passed.
Alderman Fred Krug asked Scarbrough if the officers were running radar frequently, as he has received several positive comments. Scarbrough said they were, and they had recently finished a distracted driving campaign.
Alderman Lackey Moody noted he had seen an officer changing the tire of a woman who was obviously in distress, and it was appreciated.
* The council adopted a resolution authorizing the mayor and city clerk to enter into an agreement with White River Planning & Development District for a drainage grant from the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. WRPDD’s administrative fee will be $33,251.
A second resolution was adopted authorizing the mayor and city clerk to enter into an agreement with CEA, Inc. of Jonesboro to provide engineering services for the drainage project in west Batesville for $80,000. Three-fourths of the fees will be paid from the grant funds.
Elumbaugh said this project is located on Pine Street and feeds directly into the White River.
Listen below to Elumbaugh’s comments to White River Now for more information on the drainage grant:
* The council heard the first reading of an ordinance regarding removal of appointed commissioners so that they may be removed by a two-thirds majority vote of the council. The second ordinance will be heard at the next council meeting.
Elumbaugh said the city had an ordinance for the airport commission but not the others, so this was just a housekeeping item.
* Willie Strong was reappointed to the housing authority.
* Elumbaugh informed the council that the city is working with Olsson Engineering on improvements to the wastewater treatment plant’s aeration system. Olsson has done projects for the city for several years and is familiar with the infrastructure here.
Elumbaugh said had these improvements had been made in 2009 when originally bid, it would have cost about $4 million, but now that has escalated to $15 million.
The city has planned to apply for a revolving loan from the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission for the project, which would likely kick off in fall of 2027.
Alderwomen Brittany Bennett and Julie Hinkle were absent.
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