Fiddlers Jamboree to Seek Grants

June 6, 2023
By: Dwayne Page

The Smithville Fiddlers Jamboree Board of Directors will be seeking grants to help support the annual festival.

Kim Driver Luton, President of the Jamboree Board addressed the Smithville Aldermen Monday night to ask their blessing on the Jamboree’s efforts to obtain grants.

“We would like to apply for two or three grants that will be available July 1. One of the grants is from the National Endowment for the Arts and there will be enhancement grants, and others,” said Luton.

In order to obtain the grants, the Jamboree will need the city to make application on its behalf. If approved the city would not bear any matching grant costs. The Jamboree would pick up that expense.

Luton said the Jamboree is hoping to get a grant for a new cover (canopy/awning) for the stage which is an expensive project. The Jamboree has been without one since 2019 when a summer storm just days before the annual festival blew down and damaged the canopy and support beams.

City officials said no action was needed by the mayor and aldermen for the Jamboree to proceed.

“Thank you (city leaders) for what you do for that two-day weekend because we know it’s a very busy time for you providing sanitation, police, and fire protection,” added Luton.

June 6, 2023
By: Dwayne Page

Permits are now required for anyone wanting to have a Yard Sale in the City of Smithville.

During Monday night’s monthly meeting, the Aldermen adopted on second and final reading a new Yard Sale ordinance which requires yard sale permits and limits them to four per year (per residence/applicant), up to three consecutive days at a time (12 days per calendar year) during the hours of 6 a.m. until 6 p.m. There is no cost to obtain a yard sale permit and they may be requested in writing or by calling city hall.

Mayor Josh Miller said at the first reading in May that the new ordinance is not an all-out attack on those who want to have an occasional yard sale. Instead, he said the ordinance targets those, and only those who are basically operating nearly every day from their front yards as a business or flea market in a residential zone without a license and calling it a “yard sale”.

The applicant or applicants for a yard sale permit must provide their full name and address and a statement that the goods to be sold are their own personal property and have not been acquired or consigned for the purpose of resale. The permit is to set forth the time and location of the yard sale and no more than four such permits may be issued to one residential or non-residential location, residence, and or family household during any calendar year (January 1 through December 31). There would be a minimum of 30 days between sales at any one residence, premises, or location. Times for the yard sales must be between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. for up to three consecutive days. Members of more than one residence may join in obtaining a permit for a yard sale (for the group) to be conducted at the residence of one of them. However, such permit shall be considered as having been issued for each and all such residences (in the group).

The term yard sale in this ordinance applies to “garage sales”, “lawn sales”, “attic sales”, “porch sales”, “room sales”, “backyard sales”, “patio sales”, “flea markets”, or “rummage sales”.

Under the ordinance, goods in the yard sale may be displayed outdoors on the property after 5 p.m. on the day before any yard sale is lawfully held and must be removed by no later than 8 p.m. on the date that the yard sale is held. The yard sale goods may only be displayed within a residence, in a garage, a carport, a driveway, or in a front, side, or rear yard. No personal property in the yard sale shall be displayed in or on a public right of way. A vehicle in the yard sale may be displayed on a permanently constructed driveway within such front or side yard.

Signage promoting a yard sale is also regulated under this ordinance.

Only the specified signs may be displayed in relation to a yard sale. Two signs of not more than four square feet shall be permitted to be displayed on the property of the residence or residential site where the yard sale is being conducted. Two directional signs of not more than two square feet are permitted, provided that the premises on which the yard sale is conducted is not on a major thoroughfare, and written permission to erect such signs is received from property owners on whose property such signs are to be placed. No sign or other form of advertisement shall be exhibited for more than two days prior to the date the yard sale is to commence. Signs must be removed at the close of the yard sale activities. No yard sale sign shall be posted on any utility pole, street sign, or other public property.

The ordinance will not apply to court-ordered sales by executors or administrators in settlement of estates, a person selling goods pursuant to an order of process of a court of competent jurisdiction, sales of personal property which are advertised by newspaper or radio for private appointment only; all businesses and establishments properly licensed to conduct retail or wholesale sales, any sale conducted by any merchant or business establishment on a regular, day to day basis from or at a place of business where such sale is permitted by zoning regulations of the City, or any other sale conducted by a manufacturer, dealer, or vendor when such sale is conducted from a properly zoned premises and when not otherwise prohibited by other city ordinances.

Anyone found violating provisions of this ordinance could be subject to having their yard sale terminated by the Smithville Police Department and would be subject to a civil penalty in city court of up to $50 per day for each day the violation occurs plus court costs. Police are also authorized to terminate a yard sale if it is found to impede traffic flow or cause a traffic hazard in the City of Smithville.

June 5, 2023
By: Dwayne Page

Four new full-time employees will soon be added to the City of Smithville payroll.

The Smithville Aldermen Monday night during their regular monthly meeting adopted on first reading a budget ordinance for the 2023-24 fiscal year which includes the addition of a new police officer, fire fighter, and two public works positions adding to the budget more than $175,000 per year in recurring expenses for these new salaries including benefits. City officials said the positions are needed.

Second reading action will be scheduled at a special called meeting of the Mayor and Aldermen on Monday, June 26.

The city property tax rate will remain at the same level but water and sewer rates are going up again as recommended by Buddy Petty of RateStudies based in Hermitage who recently conducted a rate study for the city to determine what rates should be to keep the water and sewer utility financially solvent as required by the state.

The water and sewer rates, which were increased by 4% last year and 2% the year before, will increase by 3% this year. Tap fees are also being increased by 3%.

Even with the rate hikes, the water and sewer fund is projected to barely show a surplus by the end of the 2023-24 fiscal year on June 30, 2024 at $2,874 if all budgeted expenses are met. Likewise, the general fund is estimated to run close with only a projected surplus of $2,619 by the close of the 2023-24 fiscal year on June 30, 2024. If the city holds the line on spending during the year, the bottom line in both water and sewer and general funds could look better by year’s end but for now, the city’s financial advisor Janice Plemmons Jackson said there was little wiggle room in either fund.

The new rates for city water customers will be $7.94 per thousand gallons of usage (up from the current rate of $7.70 per thousand). Rates for customers outside the city limits will be $11.90 per thousand (up from the current rate of $11.55 per thousand. City sewer customers will pay $7.39 per thousand (up from the current rate of $7.17 per thousand).

The budget projects city metered water sales to be $1,380,720 for the year 2023-24, up from the actual collections of $1,299,151 for the 2021-22 year. Sewer charges are budgeted to bring in $1,133,000 for the year compared to actual collections of $1,057,797 for the year 2021-22. Projected water tap fees are budgeted at $38,000 for 2023-24, down from the actual collections for water tap fees of $74,868 for 2021-22. Sewer tap fees are budgeted at $35,000 for 2023-24, down from actual sewer tap fee collections of $69,636 for 2021-22.

The city property tax rate will remain at 0.7523 cents per $100 of assessed value which is expected to generate $1,355,000 which is not much growth from the 2021-22 fiscal year which ended on June 30, 2022 with $1,312,363 (actual) property tax collections. The city is projected to end the current fiscal year (2022-23) on June 30 with $1,350,000 in property taxes.

According to the budget, the city general fund is projected to finish the 2022-23 year with a surplus of $21,660 on June 30, 2023 but only $2,619 at the end of the 2023-24 fiscal year on June 30, 2024. The city ended the year 2021-22 with a surplus in the general fund for the year of $218,774 (actual). The water and sewer fund is expected to finish the 2022-23 year in the black by $67,455 on June 30, 2023 but projected to show a surplus of only $2,874 at the end of the 2023-24 fiscal year on June 30, 2024 after making allowances for various factors including grants and depreciation. For the year 2021-22, the city ended with a surplus of $143,747 (actual) for the year in the water and sewer fund.

In addition to adding employees, the city has identified other projects in the budget for which funds have been allocated for the 2023-24 year.

City employees will get a 3% pay raise in addition to whatever step increase they may be entitled to receive on the city’s wage scale. Pay will be increased for lifeguards and part time pro shop workers at the swimming pool and golf course from $10.00 to $12.00 per hour. The pool was unable to open this year due to a lack of lifeguards. Employees with Commercial Driver Licenses (CDLs) will get a one dollar per hour increase in pay.

A total of $30,000 has been budgeted ($20,000 new money) for consultant expense as the city makes plans to hire someone to succeed longtime Certified Municipal Financial Officer Janice Plemmons-Jackson who will soon be retiring. This money will be to train her successor if needed. The new CMFO will be paid $65,000 per year once he takes over.

The Smithville-DeKalb County Chamber of Commerce will receive more money from the city. The allocation to this non-profit will go from $15,000 to $25,000.

The new budget also includes the following:

*The addition of a fourth paid full-time firefighter (budgeted salary $36,342 plus benefits)

*The addition of another full-time police officer (budgeted salary $41,056 plus benefits)

*The creation of a new public works city maintenance position. (Budgeted salary $44,109 plus benefits)

*The addition of a new public works “floater” position to be filled by someone cross trained to fill in as needed in various city departments ($44,109 plus benefits).

*Tire changer ($10,000- carry over from current year) for the public works department.

* Police department-one patrol car and related equipment ($52,700) and two radar speed indicator signs ($6,200)

*Street paving ($150,000)

*New irrigation system at Golf Course ($191,400)

*The purchase of 100 new replacement trash cans for sanitation department ($8,000)

*Security cameras at Green Brook Park ($20,000)

*Fire department- portable radios ($5,000), extra fire hose & equipment ($12,000), outfitting 2022 pickup truck ($2,500), site work for training site ($10,000), fire hydrants ($40,000)

*New jet washer on Ford F-550 diesel chassis ($256,156) funded by the city’s water/sewer fund ($128,078) and street department ($128,078).

The General Fund Debt Service for the new police department building is projected to be $167,500 for the year including $100,000 in principal payments and $67,550 in interest on long-term debt.

Ending cash by June 30, 2023 in the general fund is estimated to be $6,470,563 and $6,976,763 in the water and sewer fund.

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