TURRELL, AR-Turrell, Arkansas Mayor Franklin Lockhart says city council members finally approved a new budget, but city business is still at a standstill.
March 20, 2009, the doors of Turrell City Hall were locked. There is still a "closed" sign on the door. Mayor Franklin Lockhart says the city council fired the two secretaries who kept city hall open. Lockhart says city council members accused the two women of writing illegal checks. The mayor denied having any knowledge of the transactions.
Also on the city council chopping block, the Turrell police chief's job. Mayor Lockhart says Chief Greg Martin was fired after he was accused of moonlighting as a security guard at Turrell Meadows Apartments, while on the city clock. Lockhart says, "To me, he's the best chief we ever had." For now, the Crittenden County Sheriff's Office is providing protection for Turrell.
Mayor Lockhart tells MyEyewitnessNews.com the Turrell city council has stepped over its bounds. Lockhart says, "Legally speaking, they don't have the authority to fire. I thought I had the authority to hire and fire and I'm the only somebody."
As for other city services, Lockhart say water and sewage workers have been regularly testing the water supply and he says it is safe.
In terms of trash pickup, the city's one garbage truck made its rounds on Tuesday, March 17, 2009. The trash was also supposed to be picked up Friday, March 20, 2009, but the mayor says a brake line is damaged on the truck so the sanitation workers parked it at city hall. The mayor says he has purchased a part to fix the truck but is unsure when it will be back in service.
