The city of Fayetteville agreed April 19 to use just over a million dollars in its reserve funds to cover items that were not needed during last year’s budget cycle.
Finance Director Mike Bush said the total represents about 13 percent of the city’s $6 million in reserves. He also noted the city had put $1 million in reserves last year, because the city’s expenses were kept down by City Manager Ray Gibson.
The money will fund a variety of needs including a new $175,000 roof for the police department.
“When it rains, we have coolers all over the department to catch the rain,” Bush said.
Other needs included more than $300,000 to help fund a federal grant to add 12 more firefighters to the city’s staff, $70,000 for legal costs attached to the Tidal Wave carwash lawsuit, along with a $325,000 reimbursement to the city’s Downtown Development Authority for property purchased downtown by the city.
The city also approved a new Main Street logo. Interim Director of Economic Development Brian Wismer said the previous logo had been used for 20 years and it was time for a change.
The new logo uses the weather vane on top of the courthouse to emphasize the transformation strategies of Main Street. The four points of the weather vane represent economic vitality, design, promotion and organization.
The City Council also heard from Richard Shultz who voiced concerns over the markings in the lanes of the roundabout near Pinewood.
Schultz said one lane indicates a straight and left hand path, which could be confusing for drivers.
Public Works Director Chris Hindman explained the left signal was a fishhook left signal and is regularly used in roundabouts of multiple lanes. Since the roundabout will eventually be expanded, the markings were painted.
City Councilman Rich Hoffman said he had been through the area many times and never noticed the markings.
“Of course, I think you could put a naked woman in that roundabout and 70 percent of the people wouldn’t notice,” he said.
