Holiday Island Needs a Fire Truck

 

Image by Paul Brennan from Pixabay 

Arkansas does have one of the finest Open Meeting Laws in the Nation and yet, the community this article is concerning has years of difficulty understanding "How It Works."

The previous article, Smoke & Mirrors, intros into a "Special Meeting" called by the Holiday Island Suburban Improvement District (HISID) board of commissioners (BOC) on Monday, March 20, 2023. 

The Creekside News Journal (CNj) received the mandatory two hour notification by phone for this Special Meeting. It was later that CNj became aware that HISID had sent email notifications to the public at large. Upon arrival to this meeting, the meeting had an agenda and was conducted as a "Regular Meeting."

With a public comment section, one individual, new to the neighborhood, participated in this section to state interest in learning about the neighborhood.

This editor, also a resident, inquired about a line item printed on a submission included in the Tax Assessment Statement indicating a pay-off amount for AOB.

The District Manager (Danny Presley) and the Chair (Pat Sarratt) stated they could not comment on that topic. 

So, for the record, CNj announced that this was a "Special Meeting" being conducted as a regular session meeting. 

Fire Chief Ates gave a short presentation about a used 2007 E-ONE Typhoon Fire Truck
that is offered For Sale through Bradford Fire Apparatus.

There are exchanges between the Fire Chief and District Manager regarding email info. 
The Fire Chief took a mechanic with him to view the truck.
(CNj has receipts for that trip.) 

Discussion regarding how fortunate for the district that this truck is available that there are not other trucks available. 

(CNj does have a rather long list of other brokers selling this year and model truck.)

The BOC spent approximately an hour talking about the fire department and insurance but NOT the specifics of the truck, which was to be the "Special Meeting" topic. 

CNj got a few questions in with answers during the second comment section.
The purchase of the truck will include an engine replacement.
Hoses not included.
The odometer reading was known but not the hours of service for this truck.

 
Some points CNj was not allowed time to ask due to a comment section time restraint:

The engine replacement, a Cummins but, some of these engines have been recalled by the government and there are other issues including a flow issue. Details?
Exactly whom is the One Year warranty with for this truck purchase?
The truck is a Diesel.
Will it take off-road diesel or need to go to the White Oak Station to be filled?

Will it fit there?
One point that the Fire Chief questions: "Will it fit in Station #1?"
Why did he not know this?

According to Bradford Fire Apparatus the measurements for a 2007 E-ONE Typhoon Fire Truck: Length 33' 4"   Height 9' 4"   Width 8' 4"

The HISID BOC approved the purchase of this truck.
The HISID BOC canceled the regular business meeting for March 27, 2023, simply because the District Manager would be out of town. 

Fancy This! ~ Another Timeline: blog posts | Editorial Opininon

 

Creekside News Journal (CNj)

Smoke & Mirrors

Monday, March 6, 2023

Fancy This! ~ Another Timeline: blog posts | Editorial Opininon

While this reporter waits for news worth reporting, here is a list of blog posts that I wrote over the years, that might assist in understanding this writer.

Editorial Opinion: This Dadaist Sorts Hats

Word For The Day: Plagiarism, Copyright Infringement, Intellectual Property

Word for the Day: Social Media

Word for the Day: Executive Session

Word for the Day: Special Meeting

Note: Creekside News Journal is the Press ### notification for the 

Holiday Island Suburban Improvement District (HISID) special meetings 

Government Social Media Policy

The usage of the Internet websites, tech knowledge and social media businesses changed the landscape for government entities. The DOT/GOV Act of 2020, was passed by the Federal Government for all government entities to utilize and give trust to being at an actual government location. Cybersecurity was also provided to DOT/GOV websites.

(blog archive July 16, 2022)

With the growing usage of social media, word definitions as well as recognizing the position or usage of these words is of the utmost importance. The DaDa art movement at the end of WWI grew out of the colliding times of politics. My blog article, This Dadaist Sorts Hats defines these definitions.

In 2011, the FTC defined its first opinion / warning to professionals utilizing social media as a tool in their advertising and marketing campaigns: 

"Social media advertising is subject to the same rules and standards as traditional advertising. The FTC's focus is on the integrity of the communications from the marketer to the consumer - whether the communications are accurate, transparent and non-deceptive. In other words, brands must tell the truth, not exaggerate any claims and be transparent through the disclosures and disclaimers." Holland and Knight, LLP / JDSupra 

Roughly eight years, professional advertising and marketing firms brainstorm and develop their programs to comply with the FTC warning for conducting business utilizing social media platforms. 

As social media platforms multiply and expand more tools to the consumers to use on the internet, the FCC finds a need to become involved in monitoring whether the communications are accurate, transparent and non-deceptive. 

By 2019, politicians form a bill that passes in congress as the DOT/GOV Act 2020.

During this same time period, the FCC and FTC suggested that government entities write their own Government Social media policy. 

Elected officials should be held to the same policies as other government employees. Elected officials also need to make sure that their social media use complies with laws about campaigning and open meeting laws. 

HISID BOC Cancels June Workshop

Rebecca L. Sherman  June 17, 2022
Opinion

The reporting that I was expecting to write, hit a dead-end when my local government decided to cancel a workshop meeting slated for June 20, 2022. This particular workshop was to be held by the Holiday Island Suburban Improvement District (HISID) located in Northwest Arkansas. 

The HISID BOC hires a District Manager to oversee all functions for maintaining the district that includes a Fire, Water / Sewer and Road departments. Every year this board sets the budget and issues the Tax Assessment due in October, while the district then operates on projected numbers collected from property owners; resident and non-resident.

Two years ago, a social media platform was utilized to persuade residents to vote in favor of becoming a City. This voting group is different than a SID. A City is all residents. Property ownership is not what counts. Just a registered voter. 

The HISID BOC had invited the City elected officials to the table for this workshop session that was officially Canceled on June 16 (notification to the press.)

A HISID workshop meeting only requires two BOC officials to hold a workshop meeting and hear concerns and questions from the public. There is no actions to be taken by the BOC. In the past this area has utilized this open meeting format with great success. In these current times of social media chatter, a workshop would have a positive effect regarding information especially for a reporter.

Questions such as:

1. Rumor has it that the water levels are low in the fire hydrants? A fireman quit because of this? There are broken hydrants? The insurance fire rating has dropped?
2. HISID has assigned Stateline Road to the new City of Holiday Island? The City that has no road department, will the City pay the SID for maintaining this 911 roadway? When winter comes, Who plows it? Who pays for the equipment, employee salary and the chemicals needed? 
3. Follow-up question: Will the HISID AOB be reduced on the next Tax Assessment?
4. Why is HISID allowing all of the VRBO, AirB&B lodgings in what the covenants clearly state are residential ONLY areas? Is HISID collecting commercial rates on the  tax assessment? Residents in the Blue Water Circle area have complained that they are paying commercial rates on residential living areas. When will the HISID planning commission address all of these concerns? Is there even an active HISID planning commission? This is not a City problem.
5. The Water Department is a HISID business. The rumor has it that the Federal Government has many grants for local Water Departments. Any HISID staff looking into this opportunity? Well #1 was just repaired under emergency actions. There are only two active potable wells, #4 and #5, that carry the water load for the greater Holiday Island area. These wells were not originally functioning as the sole wells to provide for drinking water to the residents of Holiday Island. Are you meandering the water from these wells in order to cover the mainland? 
6. Follow-up question: The Water: With the fire department rurmor of low water pressure in the hydrants and only two active wells for both drinking water and hydrants: Why is the focus on the new swimming pool building? This expense appears as a cart before the horse type of thinking. It is a private pool. Even the thinking, "you have to spend money to make money," Residents are trying to speak-out and let it be heard that they want clean drinking water and a home that has a fire department with water to fight any type of fire.

Now, if the HISID BOC had not Canceled their scheduled workshop meeting for June 20, 2022, imagine how many other comments, questions and points-of-view might have been offered at a workshop for the community.