Council: No taxes, no service?

By Staff
Jason Houston Acting Publisher
After a lengthy executive session, Russellville City Councilman Tinker Malone Monday night requested to place on the May 15 agenda a motion to rescind all taxes and withdraw all services from the city's police jurisdiction.
Controversy has abounded since late last year when the city council passed a new package of taxes and business license fees on businesses in the city's police jurisdiction, which extends roughly three miles outside the city limits. City officials said the taxes were put in place to recover expenses the city incurs from providing services to residents in the jurisdiction.
Jerry James, owner of Franklin Homes, a business in the police jurisdiction, subsequently filed suit against the city and last week saw Circuit Judge Sharon Hester rule in his favor during a hearing in circuit court. Hester's ruling enjoined, or prohibited, the city from collecting fees and taxes in the city limits while the lawsuit goes forward.
Malone said Monday night that due to the lawsuit and Hester's ruling, he wanted the council to vote on rescinding both the taxes and the services.
"Based upon Judge Hester's ruling, the city can no longer collect fees from the businesses located in the police jurisdiction, and based upon that fact, the city council felt that it was no longer appropriate to make the citizens of Russellville pay for protection of businesses and residences in the city's police jurisdiction," City Attorney Jeff Bowling said.
If the council withdraws services in the police jurisdiction, residents in that area would no longer be covered by city fire services, putting them in the territories of the county's various volunteer fire departments and in some cases considerably increasing their insurance rates.
Also, some of the area's public service buildings would no longer be covered by the Russellville Fire Department, including the Department of Human Resources, the Franklin County Health Department and the new Franklin County Jail. The jail, which is still under construction, would be covered by the Blue Springs Volunteer Fire Department if the council votes to withdraw services, according to city officials.
Councilman Craig Grissom said the motion was placed on the agenda for the May 15 meeting in order to give the county 911 board time to go through the police jurisdiction addresses and find what volunteer fire departments would cover them.
In other action Monday, the council:
The council's next scheduled meeting will be held May 1.