Dover City Council
Minutes May 20, 2025
The City of Dover in Pope County, State of Arkansas, met in regular session May 20, 2025, 6 p.m. at the Dover City Hall. The following were present: Mayor Roger Lee presiding and the following Council members: Russell Warhurst, Chris Walker, Carl Wetzel, Brent Hottinger, Fred Standridge, Connie Ragsdale, and Attorney Jacob Phillips.
Absent:
Prayer: Roger Lee.
Pledge of Allegiance: Fred Standridge.
Roll Call: Recorder Renee Nelson.
Minutes of April 15, 2025, meeting were reviewed and there being no corrections, Council member Warhurst made a motion to approve the minutes. Council member Hottinger 2nd. A voice vote. Yeas:6. Nays: 0. Motion carried.
Monthly bills were received and signed. Council member Ragsdale made a motion to approve payment of bills. Council member Standridge 2nd. A voice vote. Yeas:5. Nays: 0. Motion carried.
Reviewed balance sheet and monthly financials.
The mayor asked the council about transferring money from Chambers Reserves to Arvest Savings because the interest rate was better. Council member Standridge made a motion to transfer $200,000 from Reserves to Arvest savings. Council member Walker 2nd. A voice vote. Yeas;6. Nays;0. Motion carried.
Melissa Sanders presented the library report.
They had 1691 visitors for the month of April and 8 new cards. They average about 10 adults, 8 young adults and 6 children for the weekly crafts and Storytime. Eighty-two people have signed up for summer reading program beginning June 1-July 25.
Ron Walker presented the planning commission report.
Ron informed the council that no new permits have been issued lately. The next Planning Commission meeting is August 7,2025.
Kyle Lynch asks the council to table the decision on his proposal until he gathered more information on his proposed show hog house in the city limits.
J.J. White presented the Utilities report.
Water Depart.
- Repaired five leaks.
- Installed one new service
- Retired four water services
Sewer Depart.
- Repaired one sewer service
- Retired one sewer service
- Retired sewer force main
- Retrieved usable parts and equipment from L.S.
- Sewer project update-installed pipe in lift station, finishing work on wiring, put in electrical motors, working on wet well.
Street Depart.
- Sprayed city hall and ballpark
- Fixed hoist ad reset flagpole at city hall
- Burned brush pile
- Removed tree from Ruff St.
- Cleaned culverts
- Mowing and weed eating
The recorder informed the council that, on May 8, 2025, she had supervised the destruction of supporting documents and copies of papers that the council had previously approved destroyed by affidavit of destruction.
The handheld water meter readers are becoming obsolete. Parts for them are hard to find. The software will not be supported by Microsoft soon. New ones will cost approximately $3000 for the first one and $2000 for the ones after. The mayor asked the council to consider the options.
The council discussed Pine Street. First Baptist church has inquired about closing Tree Street. The council discussed options, liabilities, utilities services, easements. The church said they would not close the road off completely. The council wanted to know why they wanted to close it if nothing changed. The council said they would need more information on the subject. Cedar Creek road needs repair. The city is considering options. A section of road beside Dollar General Store needs repairs and the city has been getting bids on repair options. One bid is $22,500, for asphalt.
The mayor reported that the exhaust vent for the fire house had been installed. This will help greatly this summer with the heat. The heat has been affecting some of the equipment in the fire house.
Chief Josh Titsworth presented the police report.
The Marshall office had over 120 calls for the month of April, including traffic stops, criminal investigations, civil disputes, welfare checks, and emergency responses. They completed training hours for firearms and legal updates. They assisted with SRO at Dover Elementary and Dover ERT and OEM with a water rescue. The new full-time officer Zachary Stang has started the academy and is doing well. They have hired Trustin Deaver as a part-time officer. The new police truck should be ready next month. Chief Titsworth presented quotes for a remodel of the police department. This included office remodel and a new exterior door. Council member Hottinger made a motion to approve $7378.80 to remodel the marshal’s office. Council member Standridge 2nd. A voice vote. Yeas:6. Nays:0. Motion carried.
Bridge grant update: Still waiting for paperwork from the state.
Great Strides Trail Grant: The engineer from Crafton Tull sent the project costs and a site map. The council discussed the proposal. Council member Warhurst made a motion to approve the site plan and cost estimate of $218,484 for the Great Strides Trail Grant application. Council member Walker 2nd. A voice vote. Yeas:6. Nays:0. Motion carried.
Fun Park Grant: The mayor presented the Resolution 2025-6 to apply for the Fun Park Grant. Council member Ragsdale made a motion to approve Resolution 2025-6 to apply for the Fun Park Grant. Council member Hottinger 2nd. A voice vote. Yeas:6. Nays:0. Motion carried.
The mayor asked the council to approve an increase in the petty cash for the city hall to $200. Council member Warhurst made a motion to keep $200 in petty cash. Council member Standridge 2nd. A voice vote. Yeas:6. Nays:0. Motion carried.
The mayor asked the council to consider raising Ron Walker’s pay per month. He has been having an increase in planning duties. Council member Standridge made a motion to raise Ron Walker’s monthly pay to $600. Council member Ragsdale 2nd. A voice vote, Yeas:6. Nays:0. Motion carried.
Citizen Michelle Lee, owner of Mak Daddy’s on the square, was at the meeting asking to proceed with a Private Club Permit. She will have to fill out the application and the city council will have to approve it. Then the council will have to approve an ordinance for a permit. Then she can go to the state to finish with the license. The mayor asked the council If they would even consider approval or would it be a waste of Mrs. Lee’s time to pursue the permit and license. Four council members said they would consider it; one council member was a no, and one had no comment at this time. The mayor informed Mrs. Lee she would need to fill out the permit application and get it back to the city to proceed.
Mayor Roger Lee presented the mayor report.
The mayor informed the council that repairing the city hall parking lot would cost approximately $5718.75 to cut out and fix. Council member Standridge made a motion to pay $5718.75 to repair the city hall parking lot. Council member Walker 2nd. A voice vote. Yeas:6. Nays:0. Motion carried.
A person wanting to have the city repair Glade Place bridge has contacted an attorney. The city and the county Judge cannot find any information where Glade Place was anything but a private drive. The bridge repair will be up to the homeowner on this road.
The mayor told the council he received a request from a radio station to rent space on the city’s tower. Smile FM is a network of non-commercial, contemporary Christian radio stations owned by Superior Communications, a nonprofit organization. The network operates numerous FM stations across Michigan, including in cities like Lansing, Grand Rapids, and Monroe. Smile FM is known for its minimal on-air interruptions, focusing primarily on music and brief announcements. They also provide emergency weather notifications and public service announcements, which could be beneficial for local communities. Smile FM has a history of leasing existing towers to broadcast their signals. This station has other agreements around the state. Council member Hottinger made a motion to rent the radio station Smile FM a space for $180 on the city’s tower with approval of a contract agreement by the city attorney. Council member Walker 2nd. A voice vote. Yeas:6. Nays:0. Motion carried.
The mayor asked the council to consider a 4% cost of living increase for city employees. He told them to think over the options, and he would touch on this at the next meeting.
The mayor reported to the council a critical audit finding: the bank allowed the city’s pledged securities to drop below the required amount. This has since been corrected. The Treasurer has requested that the bank provide monthly reports, as opposed to the previous yearly reports, to facilitate more timely monitoring and prevent future discrepancies.
The mayor has asked the council to change the next council meeting because he will be out of town. The Council decided to have a meeting on June 10, 2025, at 6pm.
Council member Walker made a motion to adjourn. Council member Standridge 2nd. A voice vote. Yeas:6. Nays:0. Motion carried.
