BENTON – Benton Mayor Lee Messersmith swore in Sydney Henson and James Williamson as the city’s newest police officers at Monday night’s City Council meeting.
They will both head off to the police academy Sunday and spend several weeks learning and training. They will graduate in early December.
In other business at Monday’s meeting, the council approved purchasing the city’s first actual commercial copier.
Mayor Messersmith says the average cost a year using a stand-alone printer in his office and one in City Clerk Brook Craig’s office for everyday items comes out to just over $267 a month. The cost does not include other offices that use stand-alone printers in City Hall.
The city will lease the copier for three years with unlimited prints, toner, parts and labor, faxing, collating and stapling for around $287 a month.
Hours of operation were approved for Capitol Park and Malkovich Park. It will be open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Signs will be posted. Police will remove anyone found there after closing. The mayor explains what led to this decision.
The council also approved giving the city’s non-union/non-contractual employees a $250 clothing allowance.
Finance Commissioner Christopher Kays told the council.
Kays says this allowance will cover the Police Department’s administrative assistant, City Treasurer, Code Enforcement, City Clerk, Water Department and Zoning Administrator.
