Public safety town-hall meetings scheduled
By LEWIS DELAVAN News editor

A series of town-hall meetings to inform the public about progress of Benton's Citizens Public Safety Committee continues Thursday.

Alderman Steve Lee said dates are:

• 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 8, Gene Moss Building in Tyndall Park.

• 7 p.m. Thursday, April 10, Benton First Assembly of God, 1801 Hot Springs Road (Arkansas 7 South);

• 7 p.m. Thursday, April 17, Benton Municipal Complex council chambers.

Public safety panelists are available to speak to other groups, Lee said.

Lee said students from a statistics class at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway are conducting a telephone survey from City Hall through this week to determine public safety concerns. The survey's results will be reported to the panel, he said.

The Benton City Council discussed the group's work at its most recent meeting.

Alderman Joe Lee Richards defended Guffey for asking Citizens Summit topics to be limited to issues not already being addressed by the city.

The summit was held a few days earlier.

Guffey told participants that the issues of broadband Internet, public safety and work force education already are being extensively studied by the city.

Some half dozen public safety committee members were attending the summit, and expressed displeasure about the request (see page 6A, March 26 Voice).

Richards said Guffey "made the right decision."

Richards said he felt the committee members would have dominated the discussion, and the summit's purpose was to develop new ideas. "The criticism was unwarranted," Richards said.

Lee, chairman of the Health and Safety Committee, disagreed. He told Mayor Rick Holland: "You invited that group. It (the criticism) was deserved."

Holland didn't respond to Lee's comment, and moved on to the next agenda item.

The public safety committee's flier says that Benton's population has increased more than 23 percent in the past six years and is projected to grow at that rate or more in the next six years, but public safety is struggling to keep up, Lee said.

The following chief concerns have been identified:

• The fire department no longer provides advanced life support.

• Funds aren't reserved to replace police cars.

• Funds aren't reserved to buy a fre truck.

• Funds aren't reserved for safety equipment.

• Funds aren't reserved to build a new police or fire station.

• Funds aren't available to hire, train and grow public safety personnel.

• Funding is lacking for across-the-board raises for police and fire department employees. The last such raise was in 2004.