The State of the City: 2021 - City of Helena-West Helena, Arkansas

The State of the City: 2021
                                 Helena-West Helena, Arkansas
                                     Mayor Kevin A. Smith
                                        March 31, 2021

                            A Year of Crisis & Opportunity

        I submit this address to the members of the Helena-West Helena City Council, our City
Treasurer, City Clerk, City Attorney, and to the citizens of our community.
        This is the annual report regarding the status of our city and covers the highlights of the
last year, since the last annual report submitted a year ago today.
        We did not know last year, as we entered a new decade, what a challenge the coming
year would prove to be. The last 12 months have seen multiple crises, including the Covid-19
Pandemic, a series of record-setting historic weather events, highlighted by the Presidentially
Declared National Disaster during Easter, ice and snow storms, challenges both national and
local regarding race relations, and two major municipal water emergencies. Tragically, this year
also saw the loss of Officer Travis Wallace, one of our own and the first police officer killed in
the line of duty in over twenty years.
        However, it has also been a year of newfound unity and common ground, of shared
hardship, and new opportunities.

A Year of Crisis
        COVID-19 Pandemic: Last year, I reported that a century ago our best sources indicate
50-100 citizens died in our city from the 1919 Spanish Flu, the last pandemic.
        In 2020, on April 4th, our city was one of the last communities on the Mississippi River to
see our first case of Covid-19. On April 12th, we were among the last to see our first death.
Today, March 31, 2021, our total Covid-19 Pandemic numbers for Phillips County, according to
the Arkansas Department of Health, are as follows: 37 fatalities; 1,737 total cumulative cases;
and 1,697 recovered cases. I’m happy to say that our current active cases of the virus, in
Phillips County, now total only two cases.
        By comparison, in Coahoma County, Mississippi, across the river, there have been 75
deaths and 2878 cases; in Bolivar County, Mississippi, to the south, there have been 125
deaths and 4,749 cases; in Lee County, Arkansas, to the north, there have been 34 deaths and
1655 cases; and in Arkansas County, there have been 36 deaths and 2,072 cases.
        Clearly, our city’s early and rapid public response to this pandemic helped save lives.
We declared a public health emergency a day after the Governor declared one for the State;
appointed a local pandemic task force that has met nearly every week since; began a rigorous
virus testing program; adopted curfews; closed public parks; approved mask ordinances;
enforced State mandated requirements by closing events that exceeded the number allowed to
congregate; and much more. Meanwhile, our public health workers have been our front-line
heroes, exposing themselves to much danger to help keep the rest of us safe.
        Today, it is a race against the clock. Unlike last year, we now have several vaccines to
immunize our citizens against this virus. Presently, Governor Hutchinson has activated the Army

National Guard, and they are in our city working with the Arkansas Health Department to
vaccinate our community. In addition, our local pharmacists, Helena Regional Hospital, UAMS
East, East Arkansas Family Health Clinic, Walmart, and many others have worked hard to help
get us safe once again. We remain vigilant as new variants of the virus are spread, and
students and others return from Spring Break. We are trying quickly to get enough citizens
vaccinated, so that we can reach “herd immunity” and finally win the war against this virus.
         Governor Hutchinson is now removing the State mask mandate, and opening up
vaccinations to all aged 16 and over. We are keeping all local mandates in place, until we are
confident a second spike of the virus can not shut us down all over again. This is where we are
today. It is my prayer that we shall see no more death here, and that we get this evil virus
behind us.
         Natural Disasters: On April 12th, a Sunday evening, our city and county were hit with
straight line winds that -- in minutes -- devastated much of our city. This storm led to a
Presidentially Declared National Disaster for us, and for Phillips County, destroyed many
homes, many of our oldest structures, including two buildings on Cherry Street, and the historic
Centennial Baptist Church. In the first hour after the storm, electricity was out, roads were
blocked going into and out of the hospital, our 911 Emergency system, our police radio system,
and our telephones were all down. Even cellular service was knocked out in those early
moments of confusion. Many were blocked by fallen trees inside their homes. Streets were
blocked off by trees and live electric lines were sparking in the streets. The entire roof caved in
at Centennial Baptist Church, and two of our oldest storefronts fell into Cherry Street. It was one
of the longest nights of my life, as I drove around the dark, dangerous and tree littered streets.
         Within minutes, our first responders, our street crews, and many volunteers were out
removing trees and assisting those in immediate danger. Within days, hundreds of volunteers
poured into our city to help, including over 200 dedicated volunteers from the Arkansas State
Baptist Convention Disaster Relief Team, the Arkansas Food Bank, the Salvation Army, and
more. The conditions of the pandemic made the situation even worse, as many organizations
that typically show up were not allowed in the field to help. However, many people did show
great sacrifice and personal risk in helping us at our worst hour. I do not have time here to
adequately mention every organization and volunteer, but during a week that saw power
outages lasting over seven days, water, internet and other utility services disrupted, and more. I
cannot describe my relief when so many arrived to help our community. I want to express how
deeply grateful we are to those gave so freely of themselves to help their fellow man during this
disaster. Later, after an exhaustive process of cataloging every fallen tree and home impacted,
the Governor declared this event an Arkansas Natural Disaster. Moreover, we were eventually
included in the President’s Nationally Declared Disaster, making us eligible for additional funds
from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
         Many other natural disasters and unusual weather events plagued us all year, beginning
with unusual amounts of flash flooding in the spring, record heat in the summer, and ending with
a record snow and ice storm in the winter.
         Racial Reconciliation: In June, violent protests erupted in our cities throughout the
country, our state and region, in response to multiple cases of what seemed clearly to be
racially motivated police brutality and abuse on the part of White officers, leading even to death
in some cases. My response as Mayor was to reach out to leaders in our local African American

community, including many young people organizing a local march, to listen and open lines of
communication. Our meetings resulted in many healthy exchanges, and positive change as
well, including: a city-wide Day of Prayer and Reflection, the first every city-established official
holiday recognizing Juneteenth; and especially the establishment of a the Racial Equity Task
Force, chaired by Naomi Cottoms and made-up of a diverse group of leading citizens. This
committee has made recommendations that have been approved by the City Council, including
local ordinances and resolutions on hate crime, adoption of a new police policy manual, the
creation of a financial mentorship program with our local banks, and many other things. The
march held locally was held peacefully, and without danger or a lack of respect for public safety
and property. I am proud that our city has grown from a troubled history to one of racial healing
and growth. We have demonstrated to others that – even though we still have far to go – we
have also come a long way already. This experience made me proud to represent you as your
mayor. I am confident that we will continue to see growth on these issues through our taskforce,
and in other ways as well.
          Officer Travis Wallace: On the evening of November 12, 2020, Officer Travis Wallace
of the HWH Police Department was gunned down and murdered in the commission of his duty
to protect and serve our city. He was chasing down a lead about a suspect from a gun crime a
week earlier. Officer Wallace located the suspect but was killed at close range while trying to
apprehend the suspect. That suspect is now in Arkansas custody, awaiting justice, along with
his accomplice. His death in the line of duty was the first death by a police officer here in over
20 years. Our community responded, once again, with overwhelming support for the memory of
Officer Wallace, his family members, his loved ones and his colleagues in Blue. Chief Patrick
Smith called me that night, in tears for his fallen officer. He immediately helped coordinate an
impressive Federal, State and local manhunt that saw those responsible in custody by the next
morning. Chief Smith, having experienced this as an officer with the Memphis Police
Department in the past, also contacted his former colleagues in Memphis and across Arkansas
to come to Helena-West Helena in honor of a fellow officer down. The resulting week was
literally one of the most moving celebrations and show of support I personally have ever
witnessed, including the Sea of Blue caravans across the city, the candlelight vigil at the police
station, the funeral itself and procession to the cemetery and, of course, the burial ceremony,
with bagpipes, a 21 gun salute, and the presentation to the family. Governor Hutchinson flew
down to meet with the family. Later, Senator Keith Ingram, Representative David Tollett, and
Rep Reginald Murdock would honor his sacrifice before the Arkansas legislature. As I said at
the time, I hope the sacrifice of Officer Wallace serves as a day of reckoning for us regarding
the challenges of gun-crime on our streets, and that we resolve to fight this evil lurking among
us as bravely as did Officer Wallace, who gave his own life for our safety.
          Water Emergencies: In the last year, we have had three boil orders declared by the
Arkansas Health Department for our Helena-West Helena Water and Sewer utility company.
Each time we have a boil order, businesses lose money, residents are inconvenienced, and
confidence in our water supply and treatment is severely damaged. In two cases, large sections
of our city went without water at all, sometimes for days. This is simply inexcusable, especially,
since just last year the city raised water rates on customers.
          What are we doing about it? First, we are in the process of making dramatic
management changes at the water company. Secondly, I have declared two water emergencies

that allowed us to make many changes immediately to help prevent future boil orders and
shortages. Thirdly, we have begun the process of implementing long-overdue maintenance and
infrastructure problems with our system. Finally, we are working with outside assistance to plan
a longer-term replacement of our most critical weaknesses in our aging water and sewer lines.
We are also evaluating a better customer service response system, to improve our customer’s
experience with billing, water leaks, and more. We have made much progress in the last year
regarding the stopping of water leaks, but had a major set-back with historic low temperatures
this winter that resulted in a new set of even more serious leaks. The good news, thanks to the
new rates that are more in line with other cities, we are no longer losing $1 million a year at the
water company. Instead, we are now paying old debts and have transitioned into new
relationships with the Arkansas Rural Water Association, and others, to move forward on
solving our problems. For example, in the last year, the Delta Regional Authority and the Natural
Resources Commission approved additional funding that allowed us to fully complete the
restoration of our Helena sewer treatment ponds, a long-term project that was once in danger of
becoming a national news story if untreated raw sewage made it to the Mississippi River.
Moreover, the agreement with Entegrity begun under my predecessor, Mayor Jay Hollowell, has
been completed. As a result, last year last year together he and flipped the switch on what is the
largest solar field powering a municipal water company in Arkansas. We have also completed
the new Hydromantic booster station for those living in South Helena, including Military Road,
Arkansas Street and that area which has experienced so many water pressure issues.

A Year of Opportunity
         Even in a year of back-to-back crises, we have managed to find opportunity. For
example, we were disappointed to see the closing of the newly opened Dragon-Woodland
hardwood processing plant, scuttled in-part due to the closing of ports in China after the
beginning of the pandemic. However, we later regained the 40 or so jobs lost when Dragon-
Woodland closed. Envirotech, located at the Helena Harbor, expanded to over 100 jobs in
response to the nationwide demand for production of more hand sanitizer. Likewise, even
though more people than ever began to shop online in response to Covid-19, new laws
requiring the collection of local sales taxes from online shoppers resulted in more revenue for
the city. We continued to see sales tax growth from the new regional marijuana dispensary on
the bypass, and were also able to see the increase of new businesses, including two food and
health drink retail restaurants, the first offering of Delta Dirt Distillery, a clothing story off Cherry
Street, and more. Although we lost several historic structures, we also saw investments in such
historic landmarks as the Tappan Pillow Home by Laine and Kevin Berry, the couple behind Our
Restoration Nation, and a renewed effort and attention to finally focus on what is left of
Centennial Church, for possible future uses and designations. The devastation we saw on
Cherry Street has galvanized others to finally refocus efforts on saving perhaps our most
significant place that defines to others who we are. Our hospitality industry has taken a big hit
here, as it has everywhere, but at the same time people all over the nation have made it clear
they want to continue our biggest event, the Kind Biscuit Blues Festival, donating even for the
virtual event held in place of the actual live event. We also hit a homerun with a new source of
national and statewide local tourism by taking our catfish tournaments to a new level of
recognition as one of the best Big Fish destinations in the country. The legendary Bill Dance

hosted one of his tournaments here. Even with the many State mandated Covid-19 restrictions
on the crowd, Dance was so happy with the response not only is he coming back this year, he
has filmed two segments on Helena in his world-wide syndicated ESPN fishing show. He has
also helped me promote Helena as the focus of big river catfishing on radio, in statewide sports
stories, and other venues. Helena is already benefiting from this new industry, which sees the
average expenditure of over $2500 per tournament entry in the local economy. Our Helena
Advertising and Promotion Commission deserves immense credit for recognizing early the
benefits of building a new recreation and tourism brand for our city, and helping to fund these
tournaments accordingly. Finally, we have also begun a new partnership with the City of Marion,
and the Sultana Disaster Museum, being planned as a national and international destination.
Over $100,000 has already been pledged on behalf of our city, which will drive tourists here to
see new kiosks and exhibits both in Marion at the museum and here in Helena, which features
prominently in the Sultana story. Although we saw many challenges with racial issues, I am
proud that our city is being recognized not as one filled with racial strife, but as a city that has
learned from our troubled history, and is now confronting honestly and fairly with issues of
diversity. It is my hope that companies and individuals looking to invest here, move here, or
expand here, will begin to see us not for our past problems, but as the progressive, modern and
inclusive city we are seeking to become. We saw the completion of a modern and new airport
runway. The State Highway Department and Atlas Asphalt have completed most of the
resurfacing of Highway 49 Business through town, a project that grew to be $7 million.
It was approved after State Representative Chris Richey and I successfully lobbied the
Governor, and Highway Commission Chairman Robert Moore, Jr., who is a big friend of Helena,
to include the HWY 49B project in the Governor’s new highway program. The finishing phase of
that project should begin in the summer of 2021. Chairman Moore also agreed to my request
that the commission begin a planning process for replacing the Helena bridge with a new four
lane bridge, and include the possibility of a four-lane from Brinkley all the way to Sardis,
Mississippi, relieving traffic pressure on Interstate 40, and connecting it to HWY One South,
HWY 61, Proposed Interstate 69, and Interstate 55. That, along with all the recent progress and
new designations at our Port Authority, will go a long way towards addressing future.

      City Finances: I am very happy to say that the state of our financial health for the City of
Helena-West Helena is sound, and that the last year saw continued improvement from where
we were when I came into office in January, 2019. Here are the numbers:
       In 2020, Arkansas Legislative Audit confirmed in the FY 2019 audit what I had
          already announced publicly, that we had paid off our operating debts
          inherited in 2019, confronted our long-term debts, and were no longer on the list of
          at-risk cities that we had been placed on the year before. This was the result of a lot
          of prudent and conservative fiscal management on the part of the administration, and
          sharing in that success should be all our elected officials, as well as our department
          heads, our employees, and of course our citizens. This was a big achievement.
       In FY 2020, we continued to see dramatic improvement in our financial status as a
          city. We ended the year with the second surplus in a row, with an end of year
          balance of $225,028.45. The audit for FY 2020 is being conducted now and, as
          always, will be made public and on our website.

   For FY 2021, we adopted a budget of approximately $8 million for the city, and $2
    million for the water and sewer department (accounted separately), by the extended
    deadline required by State law. I am proud to say that – thanks in large part to good
    financial stewardship in 2019 and 2020 -- I was able to include a Cost of Living
    Increase of 3% for every employee in the budget that I submitted, and that was
    included in the final approved budget. I also included raises in some specific areas
    based on merit, and the city council approved a COLA increase on top of the State
    mandated minimum wage. We completed an employee evaluation process, and
    made other reforms to help improve retention, training, and recruitment for key city
    employees. I continue to hope the city council will restore the promotions, and raises
    that correspond to those promotions, for both the Police and Fire Departments, as
    well as those for others recommended on merit.
   Thanks to funding from the Cares Act, and the hard work by Chief of Staff Helen
    Halbert, who worked with the Arkansas Municipal League on our application process,
    we received approximately $486,000 in Cares Act Relief one-time funding. Due to
    these funds, we were able to provide a one-time Pandemic Relief payment to our
    first responders and all city employees. Although eligible, I refused to accept a
    pandemic payment for myself. I want to say, however, that it was a very rewarding
    experience for me to personally hand each employee their pandemic check, right at
    Christmas time when it was most needed, after a year in which most of our
    employees faced exposure on behalf of our citizens. Cares Act funds also helped
    pay for technology updates, long needed to protect us from future ransom ware
    attacks and other common IT problems. It has also helped us pay for SkyCops, and
    helped with a broad communication plan to get our city vaccinated.
   The first Federal audit done in years came back demonstrating good financial
    stewardship of the Federal funds we received. We were removed from the Federal
    Offset list of cities a year ago, following my first visit to Washington as Mayor. All of
    our audits are posted on our website at www.hwh.ar.gov
   Outlook – We continue to brace ourselves for what could still be a downtown in local
    revenue due to another Covid-19 set-back, and also due to the loss of almost
    $500,000 a year in sales tax revenue that was diverted by popular vote to the
    construction of the Phillips County Detention Center. We are concerned about the
    impact of an undercount of the 2020 Census, and how that impacts our finances. We
    remain optimistic, though, and continue to plan for the worst and hope for the best.

Public Safety Helena-West Helena Police Department -- By the numbers (source, the
RPS Crime Reporting System, also used for compiling FBI Crime Data):
 Homicides -- So far this year, we have had no homicides, compared to one homicide
   this time last year, and four this time two years ago. For the year 2020, we had a
   total of 12 homicides, which matches exactly the number of homicides from 2019.
   Eight of those 12 homicides have suspects that have been arrested, and four are still
   under investigation.
 Joint Federal/State and local Activity -- Working closely with the FBI and State
   Police, HWHPD was able to submit cases to the US Attorney that resulted in seven

Federal indictments of local violent criminals involving weapons, drugs and gang
           activity.
          HWHPD patrols responded to a total of 15,106 calls in 2020, down 16% from the
           17,923 calls responded to in 2019.
          Violent Crime, which was down in 2019 by 35% compared to 2018, dropped a further
           14% in 2020, compared to 2019. This contrasts with national statistics, which have
           demonstrated increased violent crime that experts connect to the pandemic.
          HWHPD recovered 267 guns in 2020, compared to 181 weapons confiscated in
           2019.
          The first successful Gun Buy Back Program was initiated, one of many planned.
          Seized items included one kilogram of Methamphetamines (ICE), 65.6 gams of
           marijuana, 37.3 grams of prescription pills and one truck.
          Received a 36K grant from USDA for the implementation for three SkyCop pole
           cameras with gunshot recognition and tag readers.
          Replaced existing duty issued weapons with newer Glock 17 Gen 4.9 mm handguns.
          Ordered a new fleet of police cars to replace aging and out of service police units
           (due to arrive this summer);
          Revised and Implemented the departmental policy and procedure manual with the
           approval of the City Council (see also above);
          All employees of the department completed all state and departmental continuing
           education requirements for 2020
          Chief Smith is the first HWH Police Chief in our history to complete the prestigious
           Northwestern University Staff & Command School, graduating at the top of his class
           of 250 students from around the nation and Europe. This is a tremendous
           achievement and it deserves celebration here that we have a chief of this caliber.

        In addition: Arkansas Child Abuse Hotline calls were made for 12 reported cases,
compared to 16 last year, and nine reported to DHS for child endangerment, compared to seven
last year. In 2020, there were 79 narcotics and weapons cases and 79 arrests (90 Narcotics and
Felony Weapons Law Violations in 2019); 7 Sexual Crimes and one arrest (17 in 2019); 16
robberies (18 last year), 66 burglaries (86 last year), 72 breaking or entering (62 last year), with
22 arrests collectively (10 last year). In 2020 we had 19 arsons with four arrests, and 111 thefts
with 10 arrests: 58 Batteries and Assaults with 12 arrests, and 63 forgeries and frauds with 8
arrests. Internal Affairs saw 13 complaints resulting in 5 founded cases, 8 unfounded, one
exoneration, and one resolved inquiry. Overall, there have been 503 total Felony Incidents, and
147 total Felony arrests, in 2020.

        Chief Smith has done an excellent job rebuilding our police department into a true 21st
Century Police Department. In addition, bringing on Assistant Chief James Mayfield is providing
support for the department, as we complete what was a difficult year. I cannot say enough how
grateful I am for Chief Smith, Assistant Chief Mayfield, and our men and women in Blue. Thank
you very much.

Fire Department – The past year saw some leadership changes at the department, but I
am happy to say we ended the year with a stable and steady professional fire department.
        In June 2020, Roderick Brown became our new Fire Chief, and Demarcus Borum was
promoted to Assistant Fire Chief. In addition, we completed some goals, and continued to work
towards a lower ISO fire rating to lower our insurance rates for property owners. Thanks to a
generous donation from Partners Bank, we were finally able to complete the Cherry Street
Station Expansion, to make room for the new ladder truck. Thank you, Partners Bank,
        In 2020, thirteen Firemen were promoted, now becoming Engineers, Lieutenants and
Captains. It is my hope that the city council will soon restore to the budget the appropriations to
go along with promotions, and raises, scheduled in my original budget.
        In March 2020, Fire Chief Roderick Brown received The Cleo Stroger Dunning’s
Leadership Award from The Mu Chi Omega Charter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc, an
important honor.
        The H.W.H.F.D responded to a total of 650 Alarm calls in 2020, including the following:
         Structure Fires: 150
         Vehicle Fires: 34
         Grass Fires: 52
         Medical Calls: 126
         Motor Vehicle Accidents: 39
         Alarms: 123
         Controlled Burns: 8
         Other Misc (snakes, gas leaks, etc…): 118

          Public Works: In the past year, we continued the process of combining our departments
into one public works department, in order to create efficiencies, save money, and also to build
a more responsive and effective public works effort for our city through cross training and better
synergy between common goals. The Director of the HWH Public Works Department is Bobby
Jones, and includes the Street Division, Sanitation, and the HWH Landfill. In the past year,
Bobby was also detailed to work with the Water and Sewer Department on a special team
designed to get us caught up on a backlog of water leaks. He also assists on animal control,
code enforcement, and more.
          Administrative Savings: Combining departments and cross-training has resulted in a
large part of the savings the city has needed to get our budget problems under control.
Combining department heads alone has saved us $55,000 a year, and another $50,000 if Parks
and Recreation is included. Combining and cross-training two CDL positions (prior to
consolidating we had CDL drivers that were not cross-trained on multiple trucks) has saved us
$62,400 a year. In addition, by delaying the hiring of a land-fill manager after that vacancy, and
with Mr. Jones overseeing activities until a new manager could be hired, we saved the city tens
of thousands more. Even while saving money, however, we managed to do more, with less,
which is exactly what I asked of my department heads to do when I took office. I want to
congratulate Mr. Jones, his deputies, and all those with whom he works on doing a great job.
          Sanitation: Last year the City purchased three used Sanitation trucks at $26,000 each.
Initially, the plan was to purchase two new trucks which would have cost in the access of
$225,000. Purchasing the used vehicles saved the City $147,000.00. In addition, new trash

cans were purchased, and are beginning to replace the older ones that are being slowly moved
out of service.
        Street: This year was a major challenge for our street crews, especially regarding storm
damage and downed trees. We also saw record low temperatures and freezing roads covered
in ice and snow for days. At one point, I made a plea to local farmers to bring in their equipment
to help us keep the roads cleared. Our crews also never hesitated to help people get to the
hospital, or to get home health nurses to their patients. The resulting potholes continue to
represent a problem as well, and we are working on these and other challenges, including the
need to dig out and scour our ditches and drainage areas.
        Code, Property Demolition & Cleanup: The Public Works Department assisted the city
and the Code Department with the demolition of 30 properties, according to their reports. Also,
multiple empty lots and code violating residents and businesses were required to comply with
the law. Code Officer Greg Williams began to enforce local code laws on weekends for outside
vendors that come here to operate businesses in empty parking lots, out of their cars. Williams
required them to shut down operations until being properly permitted, like other local
businesses. In addition, the additional focus on business permit collection, other fines and fees,
has increased our revenue to the city.
                 Water Leaks: Bobby Jones and the team at the water company has repaired over
100 leaks, some of which have been problems for up to eight years. We have many leaks to go,
especially after the winter storms, and need to begin pricing total replacements of entire lengths
of infrastructure around the city.
                 Parks & Recreation – Unfortunately, the swimming program usually run by Mr.
Womack in cooperation with other grants and non-profits, was unable to go forward due to the
pandemic. In addition, city parks and recreational programs were suspended. The North Helena
Community Center has been open for limited use, by after-school programs, and we hope to
reopen completely as soon as pandemic conditions permit, along with all other parks and
programs. The city council and I have agreed to work together on a plan for parks and
recreation going forward, in anticipation of reopening parks and picking up where we left off on
basketball programs for youth, and much more. We also look forward to the return of our
summer swimming pool program.
                 Animal Control – Code Officer Greg Williams continues to be our only licensed
and trained officer on animal control, and has been working double duty when called in on
special cases requiring specific restraining methods. He has done an excellent job, even though
he continues to operate with very limited resources for this area of the budget. We continue to
implement a spay and neuter program for stray animals funded by a grant. To date, 14 animals
have been spayed or neutered on our streets, and we can continue the program until funds are
exhausted or replaced. That might not sound like a lot, but according to reliable sources one
dog can produce 67,000 puppies in only six years, and one female cat can produce 370,000
kittens. Finally, the city council has funded the Public Works Department to help us provide a
safe and humane retention areas for dogs picked up by the city, so that it can begin once again
to provide the services required by law to our citizens. I look forward to seeing that completed,
or at least nearly completed, this year.
        HWH Landfill -- The landfill is owned and operated by the city. We are the landfill for
three counties governed in part by the East Arkansas Solid Waste District, and are a major
source of outside income for our city. It brings in approximately $1.2 million annually, with
approximately 33 tons of waste per year. It is also, one of the largest landfills in Arkansas with
the most room for future expansion. Transition has been the main issue at the landfill this year.

Long-time landfill manager Bob Gaston retired, and we began to turn a new chapter. In addition,
with Covid-19, the Easter Storms, winter storms, the need to complete our new cell in a timely
manner, the need to keep our customers happy, and more, we have been very busy.
       I am happy to report that long-time Fire Chief Reginald Wilson agreed to return from
retirement in the new capacity as our new landfill manager. He brings with him decades of
experience running both a department and heavy equipment. Since we have now purchased a
new dozer and another used dozer, it is more important than ever to get our landfill to the place
we want it to be, with new services, better road and hauling conditions, and more.
        Other

         HWH Airport Commission -- This commission supports itself largely from lease revenue
and is largely independently supported and operated. In 2020, the commission completed the
$5 million new runway, funded by a Federal FAA grant, that staff and commissioners have been
working on for many years. Furthermore, the old hanger that has remained in a burned-out state
for ten years, has finally been removed as promised. In addition, the board has reorganized
under new Chairman Eddie Schieffler. I want to thank Johnny Broome, our outgoing chairman,
who has moved away in retirement. Johnny was a long-time leader of our airport and is still
helping, even though no longer on the board. Also, we are excited about new board member,
Zipporah Mondy, who has a lifelong passion and interest in aviation.
         A&P Commission -- Funded by the hospitality tax on hotels, motels and restaurants,
A&P Commission revenue is intended to improve tourism and promote our city. Local attorney
and City Councilman Don Etherly is the new chair of the A&P Commission, and new members
have also joined this commission. Due to the pandemic, activities have been slow this past year.
However, the commission’s financial support of the Bill Dance Catfish Tournament, the
billboards promoting it, and the other related matters, has demonstrated more good things to
come from this commission, as they gear up for a more active year.
         We are happy that the American Duchess and American Queen are returning this year
to our port city, including the hundred of visitors they bring to our shores. They have also agreed
to land here during weekdays, to enhance the local economic impact on our city.
         HWH Phillips County Port Authority & Economic Development: Director John Edwards
continues to work on economic prospects, landing us as a Federally designated port, and yet
another recent infrastructure grant to help improve our access to and utility services for our port
employers and prospects. The PC Chamber of Commerce, THRIVE, Inc, Arkansas Workforce
Services, and the UA Phillips College programs help our local companies and small businesses.
This past year saw the beginning of a very exciting job hiring initiative with Federal Express.
Both Fed Ex Air and Fed Ex Ground have selected us as one of a small number of Delta
communities for which to provide public transportation to those willing and eligible to work at
their facilities in Memphis. So far, over 30 local people have been hired, have access to Fed Ex
transportation, and are able to continue to live in our city and keep good employment with good
pay and benefits at Federal Express. We have held two successful Fed Ex job fairs, and Fed Ex
Ground just asked me to help host a third. Officials there assure us that the requirements for
working at Fed Ex Ground will be a good fit for our community, and that they will provide 100%
of the transportation from our city to their facility at no cost to the city or the employee. Finally, I
am excited that Phillips College has decided to host a job fair also for our local plants, as well as

other plants in the region. We want to build jobs at home but, if we must, we will take people to
the jobs, if they remain a part of our community.

       Conclusion: Shared Hardship and Common Hope
       Last year, I pointed out that we could not yet really know what we were about to face. I
was speaking about the pandemic, but I had no idea just how many other challenges and crises
we were also about to face.
       I also quoted Hemingway, saying that whatever happened, it was my hope that we
would be “stronger in the broken places.” Today, we have indeed emerged stronger in the
broken places. We have emerged a more resilient people, more unified than before.
       I hope that these challenges, faced together as a community, also make us stronger as
a community. I hope that somewhere -- in the shared hardship of the past year -- we find a
common hope for our future.
       In that spirit, I declare the State of our City in 2021 as good, with much promise, and with
much work still left for us to do.
       Thank you.