For the second time this year the Mountain Home City Council has failed to pass an increase in the contracted water rates with its wholesale purchasers. The city has contracts for the wholesale purchase of water with the Northeast, Gassville/Cotter and Lakeview/Midway districts.
The proposed ordinance made it through three readings in the council’s Thursday evening meeting. However, passage of the ordinance failed to secure the vote of at least five council members. Members Jennifer Baker, Eva Frame, Carl Graves and Nancy Osmon voted in favor of the measure. Members Dave Almond, Rick Pierce and Don Webb voted against the measure. Councilman Wayne Almond was absent from the meeting.
The council first tried to increase wholesale water rates in April, along with two other ordinances that would have boosted water and sewer rates for residential and commercial customers in Mountain Home. All three ordinances resulted in a 4-4 tie.
City Clerk Brian Plumlee, acting as mayor pro tem, was given the option on all three ordinances to cast a vote to pass the ordinances. Plumlee elected not to cast a vote all three times. Baker, Graves, Osmon and Pierce voted in favor of the ordinances. Dave Almond, Wayne Almond, Eva Frame, and Don Webb voted against the ordinances.
In other business Thursday evening, the council unanimously approved auction items from both the water/wastewater and street departments.
An ordinance permitting municipal employees and officials to conduct business with the city was placed on its final reading, with no action taken. The proposal is set to come before the council at its next meeting on August 16th.
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