City, County, and Local Affairs - House and Senate

We'll call this meeting of the city county local joint meeting to go or to order. Are Are referred the item on the is we need a motion for this September seventh two thousand twenty two meeting minutes for approval. I have a motion and a second. All in favor say aye. Those opposed say no. All right. E. we need a motion to review. Of. Okay we need a motion. To the. Okay okay item D.. We have a overview and comments by the sponsor of the representative Aaron Pilkington you make it on the table identify yourself and proceed after that. Thank you chairman fight Today we have a review of the small town Economic Development Act for those who do not remember during the last session we wanted to update this part of of the code so with building to sum up total cumulative fair market value not include site does not exceed a hundred thousand dollars we want to change that to two or fifty thousand dollars what happened was I had my mayor come to me and let me know that several small projects in their downtown they're looking to complete but when they came back and had we're trying to fall this law the best they could they were coming back with exorbitant fees and and requirements for architects that come in and so what they said is when this you know originally when you look back when this was. Came into being your hundred thousand dollars back then was worth around with two hundred fifty thousand would be today we ran that's all we were simply doing is updating the. The announcmenet in the code from hundred thousand ten fifty thousand dollars but one thing to put in it was that they would come up for review like it is today and we just wanna make sure that when we were doing this that there was any sort of negative impacts to our communities as we're building this and and updating the amount that we required so for my knowledge I'm unaware of any negative incidences that occurred I I've only heard good things about about this from small people or small communities some people from within them and including my job the mayor Clarksville who we've seen a lot of great wonderful things happened or downtown an invite you to come and come and look at them And that's that's kinda in Civil shorts we I know there's other people here to talk to present on and they can speak a little more intelligently to it but that's the general gist of of why we're here today reviewing this is part of the the deal when I present it was that I would include this review of the legislation you know is happening at the end of session and I just you know a lot of things happen it's going to be good steward that we all got a chance going to look at this and not put something in place that would that would never get changed and so here we are doing this part of the deal. You read for questions yes. Okay any questions committee. Represent college you're recognized. Thank you Mr chair so I'm just wanna make sure I understand procedurally what we're doing so and maybe this is a question for staff but are we deciding today whether or not we're going to keep it at the two hundred fifty level or reverted back to the hundred thousand dollar level or we just looking at it as a sort of an advisory in an advisory role to my understanding is there will be a motion day either to keep it at the two fifty R. letter referred to her house okay quick follow up and but if I'm incorrect please correct me okay I'm just wondering about this you know delegation of authority from the full legislature to this committee and have we is this proper to delegate the authority to decide whether it's a hundred thousand or two hundred and fifty thousand from the full legislature bill signed by the governor to this committees that will if we pass this law this is part of it and so you know I would say that we took action back in session to give this committee that authority. And that's been reviewed for being a proper delegation. I can't answer that question I'm I believe it is but I'm not hundreds and causing Page Aaron Fike and. If. Yes. Would you like because the bill are over here to answer that question. Good idea okay. Okay we have we have the attorney here. Okay. Please identify yourself for the record and proceed good afternoon Michelle Davenport with pure of Legislative Research I've brought the actual language of the bill to clarify that issue for you represented Collins. The effect was that in a lot of cases what we do is we delay and implementation date because of this we flipped that so we allow the implementation but it will take legislative action next session to keep the amount as what it is it would be. Providing that legislation with the recommendation of this committee to keep it or to revert but it would require legislation to maintain the amount but there would be a motion from this whether you approve that as a committee or not. Thank you. Yes. Okay no I have sent Senator Hendren and proper yes. Thank you Mr chairman of so representa contend as I look at the bill here Senate review is due on or before October the tenth. Did we miss that what we did eight I think it's an oversight everyone's so busy so we're all law breakers now was that so we're all breaking the law now. Thank you. Sorry. is the part of police here a. Vote Senator enter maybe I can answer that question yeah when when representative Pilkington brought this to our attention we went to the bill are and ask them to research it and they came back and said it would be proper to review it okay and and I just want to again make sure I understand to represent Collins question into what you just said from staff we already have approved the two hundred and fifty but it's going to go right back to a hundred and fifty unless the legislature takes action to continue it is that right. Yep I believe so sorry I I misspoke when I first answered the call to questions you clear it up yeah so we're make the recognition we want to keep it here but what take actions in extension sorry about that I'm I'm I'm. Indication. Representative Dalby you're recognized. Thank you Mr I think that I think Senator Hendren S. the question that I was curious as to the October tenth deadline so I'm good thank you for. Any other questions. C. none none you are dismissed thank you. All right this time Jonathan Bryant executive director of the Arkansas state board of architects landscape architects and interior design Wesley walls of a ID president and Daniel Parker general con. Counsel for Arkansas. His name products also board of architects landscape and architecture. Arkansas department labour in last. If you would the identify yourself and if you have opening statements you'll go ahead and proceed with those. Thank you Mr chair the work. Thank you Mr chair my name is Wesley walls on the current president of the state board of architects landscape architects and interior designers. yes anyone to sell. Hello I'm saying a brand the executive director of the Arkansas state board of architects landscape architects and interior designers. And I'm Dan Parker on the chief legal counsel for the department of labor and licensing the architects Board is one of the occupational licensing entities that is now under the Department. A Mister chair I just wanted to offer our comments on the representative director as a representative of the state board of architects that we do not take any objection to Act five six eight is proposed and so we're here just to express our satisfaction with the way this is been prepared and written. Here the statements no Sir. Okay questions. Yes yes I have just one question was closed do you have any idea how much of dollars lost value since nineteen eighty. Dollars values lost in what was the dollar has lost in value since nineteen eighty I do not doubt and thus Arkansas seventy one percent. So Mister Pilkington was. Pretty much spot on when he said you know on a two hundred fifty thousand is worth about a hundred thousand yeah so I just want to point that out the dollar is not what it's worth what it used to be that that's correct. Okay any other questions. As Senator Hendren recognized. No I I appreciate your coming forward and saying that because really that's unusual from and from an industry so I guess what I would ask you that is two hundred and fifty is okay a would five hundred be okay we'll where do you see the threshold being where it begins to become a problem. I think our to our discussion amongst our borders been that we feel caught with with this announcmenet I think if it were higher than that I think that might warrant other discussions about that primarily what I want to state is the function of our board is regulatory and our mission is to protect the health safety and welfare of the citizens citizens of Arkansas to the dollar amount has to do with concern about the type and size of buildings where people's life safety comes into effect and so that would be Arkansas primary concern. So you think again two fifty is where it needs to be I do Sir yes Sir okay. Representative right you're recognized thank you Mr chairman rashness or the way this is written let's just say that you had a business that wanted to open up it was will cost four hundred maybe five hundred thousand dollars could we could they use this to fifteen to offset. Abortion that. All set up for swelling okay give an example let's just say this is a half of a million dollars it that's going to go within a business in that once used both billing. No no. Buildings. J. C. no other questions what is the. Okay I thank you. I see no other questions we appreciate your testimony today yes Sir thank you Mister chair. Of it this time we have to signed up John Wilkerson Fuhrman instability and also work with more from the association of counties. If you would please state your name for the record and then proceed. Please identify yourself the record of mark with four sessions and counties John Wilkerson Arkansas Municipal League. You have statements well we do of last session prior to the session or county judges are charged with looking at this issue we actually had a bill is senator called will represent Holcomb the child opted and low it raised or the contractor bid limit to a public works construction of and the threshold for betting and the engineer trash out now we were looking at the engineer for the architect threshold this hundred thousand. And has along with the it was several decades old yeah could justify the increased it like representative Pilkington yeah we actually did not pursued at the time so it be studied and then representative Pilkington of stepped up to play you all rise to two fifty and the county judges to support a continuing that raise some of the things that you have already heard. If you're looking for a. Redoing the bathrooms at a courthouse a hundred twenty thousand dollars there's a hundred thousand dollar debt limit you're gonna have trouble finding an architect not to mention the delay of Justin doing that type of work and the call so I think I don't know if you've noticed but inflation since two thousand twenty one has been remarkable construction inflation has been even more so so the idea of raising the two fifty we how we support that continue that that. Two fifty instead of going back to her house. For the cities and towns we we've had there's nothing negative about this at all just pauses special would the Rockies mentioning the inflation rate the way it is so we with full support of course as well keeping it under fifty thousand dollars. Okay I appreciate the brevity of your remarks. All right you orders dismissing no questions. What is a recommendation of the committee. Representative Dalby you're recognized. Thank you Mr chairman of the of the committee consider at five sixty eight reviewed with the following with the language to remain at two hundred and fifty thousand and not revert back to the hundred thousand. I have a second. Any discussion on the motion. Seeing none all in favor say aye. Okay we have a now The Addams II. US senator Hammer could not attend the meeting today ISP two thousand one dash one thirty three. Will be discussed at a later meeting we need a motion to adopt the ISP wanting twenty one dash one three three. A motion the second. I have a second all in favor say aye. Seeing no the media business come before this committee we are adjourned.