Sprouse presented a proposal to the so-called "Finance Committee" (which by the way is just the current city council members), that the money be used to to give city employees a $600 bonus. What possessed Sprouse to hand out bonuses at the same time we are the only city in the area showing decreased sales tax revenues is beyond me.
According to Wyman Morgan, the increased census revenue will total $336,000 and the cost of the proposed bonuses would be about $294,000. No word yet on Sprouse's plans for the remaining $44,000, but I'm sure the Chamber of Commerce has their hands out.
The NWA Regional Planning Commission is currently working on the stretch of trail that will be going through the heart of Springdale. As people travel through our town, they will be hit in the face with the stench of the sewage treatment plant right before they get to the algae cesspool that is currently Lake Springdale. Ron Moore of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission said the extent of the algae bloom this year is cause for concern and could cause a fish kill. Won't that make a stunning backdrop to your nature walk? They won't be able to jog through this town fast enough.
The bonuses the city employees receive will most likely be spent at one of the malls (in Rogers or Fayetteville) or on restaurant row anyway. They might recoup a cent or or two in sales tax revenue from Shave Planet at the top of the hill - if they're lucky.
Springdale needs funding for the animal shelter, Meals on Wheels, Ozark Transit and more code enforcement officers who will follow up and do something about the enormous number of violations. It wouldn't hurt you to give back the funding you cut from the library and Shiloh Museum either.