TONTITOWN CITY COUNCIL : Tontitown’s mayor vetoes two measures
Posted on Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Tontitown Mayor Joe Edgmon said he's had a change of heart about two ordinances passed within the past two months. That's why on Friday, the Fourth of July, he vetoed an ordinance that established a water purchase contract between Tontitown and Springdale, an agreement he signed in June. It's also the reason he gave for a second veto that puts the question of abolishing the Tontitown Water and Sewer Commission back to a public election, although Edgmon spoke against conducting that election in the first place. Edgmon said he's unhappy the City Council voted at its July 1 meeting to rescind the election because he now believes the people should have the right to decide whether they want the city to abolish or keep its Water and Sewer Commission.
The council originally decided at a special May 13 meeting to send the question of the commission's future to voters. At that meeting, Edgmon showed his opposition to the decision stating that the city was not a "Banana Republic"and that if "the city had an election on one ordinance, it would have to have an election on every ordinance. "The mayor said in an interview with the Northwest Arkansas Times on Monday that despite his initial hesitation, he became comfortable with the idea of sending to the decision to the public after the City Council set the election by ordinance.
"Or iginally I felt like (sending the ordinance to a vote ) was like not having any control," he said. "After we decided, I felt comfortable with it. If we're going to make a commitment to take it to the folks, we should let the electorate decide."
Edgmon said that he vetoed the water purchase agreement because he wasn't happy American Electric Power, parent company of Southwestern Electric Power Co., didn't receive information from the Water and Sewer Commission about its costs before he signed the agreement between Tontitown and Springdale on June 30. AEP operates a new power plant in Tontitown.
According to Edgmon, AEP was upset because the agreement led to an unanticipated $ 4, 500 per month meter charge to the power plant.
Tommy Deweese, a spokesman for the power company, said last week that his company was not upset with either city and "AEP just wanted to be good neighbors"and work the situation out.
Mick Wagner, the executive director of the Tontitown Water and Sewer Commission, said AEP was informed about the $ 4, 500 meter charge in April.
Alderman Becky Alston said she wasn't surprised when she heard the mayor had vetoed the council's recent decision or the contract. She has already contacted Tontitown Recorder / Treasurer Debbie Corter and asked that both issues be put on the Aug. 5 City Council agenda so the council could discuss overriding Edgmon's veto.
The meeting starts at 7 p.m. in the city hall.
Alston said one of the reasons she decided she didn't want the ordinance to go to a vote was the mayor himself. She stated that he's shown that he cannot provide accurate information about the city to his own council.
"If the council can't count on him to get accurate information, I don't know how the public could," she said.
Alston added that she can't speak for the rest of the council, but she doesn't think the mayor has given the group a good enough reason for his vetoes of either measure.
Mark Hayes, a spokesman with the Arkansas Municipal League, said that mayors can veto any ordinance they want, but aldermen can override the veto with a two-thirds vote at their next regularly scheduled meeting.
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