| Sourced From Paragoulddailypress.com |
State Sen. Robert Thompson told the Northeast Arkansas Regional Solid Waste Management District board Tuesday he believed an agreement on the methane gas-carbon credit project would be reached within the next two to four weeks.
“Our negotiations are ongoing,” Thompson said. “I don’t think we’ll have any big issues. I think we are close to an agreement.”
Executive director Jim Abbey and engineer Keith Page pressed the board to ratify the agreement as soon as possible and allow an e-mail vote by signature as soon as negotiations were complete, but the board rejected the move and said they favored a more measured approach.
On Paragould Mayor Mike Gaskill’s suggestion, the board agreed it should have an opportunity to thoroughly review the agreement and a special meeting to ratify it could be called if negotiations are completed well in advance of the Nov. 17 meeting.
“I’m just thinking of you,” Page said. “It’s your money.”
“And we appreciate that,” Gaskill said. “We think it’s a good deal, but it’s only a good deal if it works for us.”
In other business, the board passed motions to ratify $229,102.55 in revenue bonds pay-off and to approve additional payments of $74,000 to CEG Construction for the construction of a class 4 landfill and storm water sedimentation pond.
In August, Glenda Dean, corporate trust officer with Simmons First Trust Company in Pine Bluff, said the district will save more than $19,000 in interest payments by paying off the bonds early.
The budget committee also presented its 2010 proposed budget, which the board decided to table passage of until the next meeting in order that non-committee board members be able to adequately review it and ask questions. Abbey and Gaskill both stressed the budget is a proposal only at this stage until passed by the full board.
