KINGSLAND - While an offer is on the table for the City of Kingsland to merge its water and wastewater systems into a three-way consolidation with the Outside Kingsland and West Saline water systems, Mayor Sharon Crosby told the Kingsland City Council last Thursday that there are still a lot of details to sort out before making any decision.
The Kingsland City Council held its regular monthly meeting two weeks early last week so the council could approve a resolution allowing the city to receive $300,000 in state street aid money to pave portions of Bear State and Holman Streets.
During the meeting, Crosby told the council that she and Kingsland Water office manager Betty Graham attended a meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 9, at the West Saline Water Users Association office in New Edinburg to discuss the merger offer. Kaleb Parker, the West Saline water operator, made the offer for the city to join West Saline and Outside Kingsland during the citycouncil's December meeting. Parker is currently serving as the Kingsland water operator on an interim basis.
In addition to Crosby and Graham, last Tuesday's meeting at New Edinburg also included members of the West Saline Water board as well as a representative from the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission.
Should the city ultimately decide to merge with West Saline and Outside Kingsland, Crosby said the city would have no authority over the water system since it would be a separate entity from the city. She noted that the merger would also include the city's wastewater system, which neither West Saline nor Outside Kingsland operate.
She also said there would be a consolidated board to oversee the system, noting that she preferred there be an equal number of representatives from each of the existing water system on that board.
Crosby said the city council needs to decide two things before pursuing the merger: first, agreeing to do it, and second, figure out what asset...
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