By Jamie Miller
Troop 99 Boy Scouts presented the Colors to begin the June regular City Council meeting followed by[more] Alderman Mike Chandler opening the meeting in prayer.
The Sign Ordinance was a hot topic of the evening Thursday. Several citizens of Bryant spoke to the Council about their concerns about the proposed ordinance.
“Small business is the heartbeat of this city,” Mayor Jill Dabbs stated.
She went on to say that the Council is working on ironing out the details of the ordinance and in no way wants to have any negative effect on small businesses by passing the ordinance.
The Sign Ordinance stayed tabled after there was no second to remove it from being tabled. More discussion and changes are expected before it is passed.
The City Attorney urged the council to move forward with cleaning up the Sign Ordinance and making a decision about signs and billboards in the City.
“We are not going to rush into anything,” Dabbs said.
The Animal Control Department got approved to receive a $6,000 grant for a tag and engraver machine for dog collars. From now on, every dog that leaves the Bryant Animal Department will receive a tag to help them be identified.
The Splash Pad that is being constructed at Bishop Park is set to be completed by July 23 and fully functional. This is on target from what was previously determined to be a completion date.
The completed General and Street Department financial reports were presented to the Council for the first time since January of 2012. There is currently $2.9 million in the General fund and 144 days in cash. Everything is on target for the year throughout the city, it was stated, and the reports were approved.
City Attorney Chris Madison presented the Council with information regarding the possible renaming of Highway 5 within the city limits of Bryant to Stagecoach Road. The name change will not affect businesses on that road and their addresses will stay the same.
The ordinance was read for the first time to give the citizens of Bryant 30 more days to speak out about the change and the second reading will occur in July.
