Fort Smith Times Record
If the Booneville mayor has his way, starting pay in the city will increase for the first time since 2013 and all employees will see a $1,000 pay increase.
Mayor Jerry Wilkins said that there has just not been money to give raises and any increase would have to be included in the city s budget and passed by the city council.
“Well the reason is there’s just not money there to do it, Wilkins said.
He said if the city receives more federal and state funding, he would more likely be able to give people raises.
The amount of money the city gets is based on population, and Wilkins is waiting to see if the 2020 U.S. Census numbers mean an increase in the amount of money Booneville receives.
River Valley animal advocates push for spay, neuter law
Fort Smith Times Record
Officials at local animal shelters said having a law that requires people to spay and neuter their pets would solve the overpopulation problem within the area.
Spaying and neutering pets prevents unwanted litters and prolongs the lives of the animals, said Jo Ellen Banhart, president of the board at Almost Home Shelter in Van Buren.
Both Banhart and Steph Ostrin who runs Deserving Dogs Foster And Rescue, which facilitates dog adoptions in the Booneville area agreed that having a law that calls for people to spay and neuter their pets would benefit the area.
Fort Smith Times Record
The room was filled with gray hair and wrinkled smiles. The walls were white but sprinkled with paintings to cheer the room.
People shuffled into the Fort Smith Senior Activity Center, eagerly awaiting the day s lunch special: lasagna.
The seniors sat two to a table to keep social distancing practices and donned their masks when they weren t eating.
Amid the meal, people chatted among themselves, occasionally hollering a joke to another table.
These people are a part of the nation s fastest-growing age group. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as baby boomers age, the 65-and-older age group is skyrocketing, growing by more than a third during the past decade.
City, school district to use solar power
The city of Booneville and the Booneville School District both plan to begin using solar energy.
The move allows Booneville to save about $11,000 a year. The Booneville School District will save about $17,000 a year, said John Coleman, the regional business development director with Entegrity, the company that is building the solar farm.
“It’s important that we’re good stewards of our finances, Booneville Schools Superintendent Trent Goff said.
Entegrity is building the solar farm at no cost to the district or the city. They will just have to pay for the energy once the project is complete.