By Charles Richards
EParisExtra!
The Paris City Council will appoint a “citizens advisory committee” to prioritize new underground water and sewer lines and new streets over the next 12 months as the city finally begins the daunting task of replacing a deteriorating infrastructure.
Wednesday, when the council began its budget discussions for the fiscal year that will begin Oct. 1, the council signaled early in the meeting that it is intent on cleaning up the city and improving the infrastructure.
Mayor Hashmi
First, Mayor AJ Hashmi asked for and received from the council their concurrence to take $400,000 out of savings — enough to take down “every dilapidated house in the city.”
Then he went after the infrastructure.
Hashmi, who represents District 7 on the council, has indicated he supports pulling another $5 million out of the city’s reserves to go for infrastructure repairs.
“At some point, the council will come up with an idea of how to address the infrastructure and how we allocate money for it,” the mayor said.
“But before we do that, I would like to constitute a committee with a member from each of the seven districts. So that when we do start allocating funds for infrastructure repair — which means water, sewer, roadways, sidewalks, curbs, et cetera — that that committee be formed and that committee decides which segment of the town is where we start.”
The committee would consult with city engineering and other staff, but from that point “let it be the decision of that committee where we need to start and which streets take precedence,” the mayor added.
Other council members quickly concurred.
“I agree. I think it’s a good idea,” District 1 councilman Aaron Jenkins said.
“I think it’s a good idea. I think we need to be very careful to select people who have better vantage points than we do,” District 3 councilman John Wright said.
District 4 councilman Dr. Richard Grossnickle said: ”I take it that if we appoint a citizens’ advisory committee, the city council will have no input in it?”
The mayor replied, “It would be fair to all districts, and we would need to rely on them. Once the committee is selected, we need to go by their decisions.”
Hashmi added: “Obviously the committee would consult with the city engineer and other staff, but if the committee says the first street to be done is Pine Bluff, then the first street to be done is Pine Bluff.”
District 6 councilwoman Cleonne Drake asked how the committee would be selected. Would anyone interested be required to apply?
“I think we as council members have been given the responsibility to make some judgments, and I think we as a council can put those people on the committee,” the mayor said.
Dr. Grossnickle made the motion, “that we create a citizens advisory committee on capital improvements, to be appointed by the council with members from each district, most likely selected by the district council member.”
The motion passed 6-0, with District 2 councilwoman Sue Lancaster joining in the unanimous vote. District 5 councilman Matt Frierson was out of town.
Later in the agenda, city manager John Godwin unveiled his proposed 2012-2013 budget, which included $1.2 million in new money for water and sewer lines and as much new money as he could find for demolition, for drainage, and for streets, sidewalks and curbs.
The city manager said he has already instructed city staff “to be ready to begin work in early October,” if the council approves his recommendations.
Godwin proposed:
“I recommend you talk some more and think about whether you want to spend more money on streets, even above what I have added,“ Godwin said.
“This is a good bit of money, but this is mostly going to be maintenance money, unfortunately, not replacement,” he said.
“I would recommend to you that the citizens committee, which is a great thing to have, be in charge not only with coming up with a list of projects to do first, but they need to develop a 10-year capital improvement program (CIP) so that you can look at all of the things that come up,” Godwin added.
“Typically, cities have more like a five-year CIP, but I would recommend a 10-year CIP to really look at things long term and really plan long term, to get a mindset of planning things rather than just hitting things one year at a time.”
Godwin said he included in the budget a part-time planner, to come aboard in November.
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(Image Source: www.paristexas.gov)
Charles Richards Charles Richards moved to Paris in 2004 after retiring from a 40-year career in journalism – the last 26 years as a news writer and sports writer with The Associated Press in Dallas and Washington, D.C. In mid-2004, The Paris News coaxed him out of retirement, and he began covering the police, court and regional beat for The Paris News. Then in early 2005, he was switched to coverage of a sharply divided Paris City Council. He was appointed by the City Council in 2006 to the 12-member City Charter Review Commission, which extensively rewrote the outmoded document. His writing awards include two first-place awards in statewide competition for feature writing. The most recent was his 2005 story on a Paris doctor’s startling use of leeches in a successful attempt to re-attach a man’s severed ear. Over his career, Richards’ interview subjects include Alabama Gov. George Wallace, President Bill Clinton, President George W. Bush, David Koresh, Arnold Palmer, Muhammad Ali and numerous other political and sports figures. He is an alumnus of Texas Tech, where he was editor of the school newspaper. He lives in Paris with his wife, Barbara, who is retired after 30 years as a teacher and high school counselor.
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