Council deliberates and announces internal investigation

At the Nov. 4 city council meeting, the first order of business was to move the closed session closer to the end of the meeting.  Council members Allen Hicks, Gabby Kinnett, Mayor Nathan Murrell and Alvan Reasoner were present. Councilman Logan Friar was absent.  City Manager Bruce Rogers and newly appointed Custodian of Records Britany Spencer and City Attorney Race Lieber were also in attendance.

Cory and Whitney Gayman approached the council about land they wanted to sell. They said they had a buyer but were concerned with the lack of a water, sewer and electricity to the property. The property is on North Main (Hwy 82), north from Hainline. Rogers said city policy was not to not to hook up sewer without the property being annexed.

Whitney Gayman approached the council and asked if there was anything the council could do to protect local businesses from outside venders. She mentioned specifically the food truck that comes to Wood’s parking lot periodically. She said that when food trucks come to town, local eateries lose money and sometimes workers have to go home because there is no business.

A man from Jerico Springs approached the council and said that he had a dispute with his neighbor who came onto his property and beat-up his dad. He said he couldn’t get any kind of resolution from the prosecutor and wanted the council to do something.

He was told to talk to the sheriff and that El Dorado Springs had no jurisdiction in Jerico Springs.

The council entered into closed session, emerging after about an hour to state that the at the advice of the city attorney they would conduct an internal investigation due to the recent vacancy in the city clerk position.