TEXARKANA, Ark. — During its last meeting of the year Monday, the city Board of Directors chose to delay a vote on approving a new Texarkana Water Utilities budget because it includes a rate increase.
Ward 1 Director Linda Teeters and Ward 6 Director Terry Peavy, both of whom lost bids for re-election in November, expressed reservations about passing a water rate increase among their final acts on the Board and suggested that the new Board taking office next month should take up the measure.
TWU's Fiscal Year 2021 budget would include a rate increase of 17.75% to help offset revenue losses because of the COVID-19 pandemic and because abundant rain this year reduced irrigation-related income, Jim Cornelius, TWU finance director, told the Board. That would mean the average residential customer's bill would go up by 10.87%, from $64.37 to $71.71, he said.
"I don't mind passing a budget for you guys, but I'm very uncomfortable with having this kind of increase there, especially when we have two incoming new Board members that, I believe, they need to hear this also," Peavy said.
Teeters agreed.
"I don't think with a clear conscience I can vote to pass on an extra monthly almost $10 fee to the citizens when I'm not here to answer for it. I feel like — again, it's not that I'm against it — I wish that they could vote on that in two weeks, and that way they know that that's what they're doing. I don't want this to be something I do on my way out the back door," Teeters said.
Cornelius and TWU Director JD Phillips said delaying the vote until the Board's next meeting Jan. 4 would not significantly affect operations, and Phillips suggested that Texarkana, Arkansas, could "piggyback" on a rate study planned for Texarkana, Texas.
Social media software
In other business, the Board approved the Police Department's purchase of software that promises to identify threats to local schools posted on social media.
The Board voted unanimously to allow buying the software and a three-year service contract at a price of more than $32,000, to be paid for with federal law enforcement grant funds.
The software, called Social Sentinel, uses an artificial intelligence-based "language engine" to scan and analyze social media messages and identify those that signal potential threats, according to the company's website. Social Sentinel did not respond to multiple requests for additional information Monday.
Texarkana Arkansas Police Department Sgt. Rick Cockrell said the service uses an algorithm to watch eight social media platforms, and the department would cooperate to make results available to other school districts and law enforcement agencies in Southwest Arkansas. If the software flags a post as potentially threatening, Social Sentinel will contact a security liaison with the school district, who then could choose to contact police about it.
The company's marketing touts the ethics and legality of its services, saying it strictly adheres to all applicable laws and social media platform agreements, "including protecting privacy even at the cost of model accuracy," and it "aims to protect vulnerable people of different ages, social groups, and demographic areas."
"Our solution scans content. We do not monitor. We do not surveil. We do not perpetuate biases," the website states.
City prosecutor approved
Another unanimous vote appointed Eric Marks as city prosecutor. Marks will replace Thomas Potter in the position; Potter recently was elected Miller County district judge.
Marks is a partner in the White and Marks law firm that has offices in Arkadelphia, Hope and Texarkana. He is a Texarkana, Arkansas, resident who has practiced law in Arkansas since 2012 and works as a part-time prosecuting attorney for the Arkansas' 13th district, in Calhoun County, twice a month, according to an application letter he sent to City Manager Kenny Haskin.
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