Showing posts with label potable water. Show all posts
Showing posts with label potable water. Show all posts

Friday, June 17, 2022

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.