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Jasper council closes 24' budget

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The Jasper City Council, meeting early for its regular January business meeting on Thursday, Jan. 9, closed the books on 2024 and passed resolutions to officially begin conducting new business in 2025.
Council members and city officials are scheduled to attend the Arkansas Municipal League's Winter Conference in Little Rock, Jan. 15-17. The council regular meeting would fall on Jan. 16.
This year's Winter Conference, "Called to Serve: 25," is dedicated to advancing municipal leadership, addressing critical issues, and exploring new priorities for AML’s membership as the Arkansas Legislature begins another session.
Last Thursday's meeting was also convened an hour earlier at 5 p.m. due to the forecast of heavy snow that evening. Snow began to fall in Jasper around 4 p.m. The council conducted its business and adjourned at 5:18 p.m.

Jasper Mayor Michael Thomas touched on on-going projects including waterline construction, sewer plant improvements and a major drainage project that is almost ready to let out for bids. He also noted site preparations are underway for the installation of a new scoreboard at Bradley Park. He said the new scoreboard should be ready for use by the first Jasper School spring baseball game set for March 10.
New business included the passage of two resolutions required for the council to conduct city business in 2025. These resolutions continue the council's Code of Conduct and Rules of Order and Procedure. Those actions allowed the council to then pass a resolution calling for the final clean-up of the 2024 general operating budget. The amended budget includes additional, unanticipated revenues that were raised last year by the Jasper Advertising and Promotion Commission, and the receipt of funds received involving a grant used to purchase a new pickup truck for the fire department. The council elected to sell the existing truck equipped to fight brush fires, however, the sale of the truck did not take place as it had to continue service until the new truck was so equipped to take its place. The mayor said the old truck was ready to be sold, but he chose not to make it available until after the holidays. Therefore, the projected proceeds were not appropriated into the budget. The asset was still in place, he said, so there actually was not a shortfall in the budget as it appears.
The council approved the monthly financial report. The monthly police and fire department reports were not ready in time for the meeting and will be presented in February.



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