Our View

Our View

What will Earle do when the well runs dry?

With Arkansas’ government as large as it is, with all it’s layers of bureaucracy and its supposed checks and balances, it is extremely difficult to understand just how a situation as bad as it is in this once thriving city of Earle in Crittenden County continue to be tolerated.

For well over a year, this dying city under the highly controversial leadership of its mayor, Carolyn Jones, there has been nothing but serious issues that now threaten its ability to financially provide the basic services its residents not only require but also demand. Earle’s political makeup is not only an embarrassment to this city and county but reveals a flaw in a system on the state level that either fails or ignores inept elected representatives of the people they have been sworn to service.

For all these months we have reported in this community newspaper the controversies, costly lawsuits, the major disputes between the mayor, city council, and now residents are now preparing to vote in a recall election to decide whether Mayor Jones stays or goes.

Just what more can we say about this deplorable situation other than to simply point out some of the latest financial issues that has placed this city in a near crisis default situation. And, oh by the way, we’re talking misuse of the citizens tax dollars which will sooner or later have a negative impact on how this municipality provides basic and critical public services.

For instance, Jones has signed off on cashing in a $50,000 Certificate of Deposit (CD) last year to just pay bills and had to cut $36,000 in order to balance the 2016 budget. City Treasurer Cynthia Conner informed elected city council members the other day the city has brought in $426,113 and has spent $461,651 – a deficit of $35,538.

Even an elementary student with basic math skills knows this situation is unsustainable and fiscally irresponsible.

Repeated written warnings from Conner have apparently fallen upon deaf ears with Jones placing most of the blame for this financial crisis on city council members.

And, just the other day during a special city financial meeting, city officials were forced, for the second time, to cash another $50,000 CD after being informed by Conner that the city has $19,127 in bills that it simply can’t pay.

Conner went on to say the General Fund account has just over $4,500 in the bank and there is simply not enough revenue to make payroll. Even elected officials have come to the realization that cashing CDs to pay bills and payroll is disastrous. The time has long past for the taxpaying citizens of Earle to take a visible stand, fill city hall in protest and absolutely demand that Jones either shows some ability to bring these financial matters under control or relinquish her position at once.

As we’ve already pointed out, the real victims in all this are the just over 2,000 citizens of this rural incorporated city who are predominately low-income African Americans.