SHERWOOD - A Sherwood alderman is accusing some city officials of participating
in a private meeting behind closed doors to discuss the city's options on
electricity providers.
Last Tuesday Alderman Toni Butler says Mayor Virginia Hillman, the
city attorney, and two city aldermen walked in to the City Clerk's office
following a public utilities meeting.
"We've got two Aldermen and we've got a mayor sitting here and
there's no press," said Butler, remembering her thoughts. "[They said] ‘Oh we
don't need it.'"
Butler then joined the group in the office and listened as Hillman
discussed her desire to re-up with the "more expensive" North Little Rock
Electric, rather than sign with Entergy, like Butler had hoped would happen.
Butler alleges Hillman overlooked a franchise agreement drafted
for North Little Rock Electric that was pre-approved prior to last night's
public meeting.
"They did not know how the vote was going to go but it was already
set up the way they wanted," she adds.
Also discussed, she says, was the necessity for the $470,000
promised to Sherwood by North Little Rock Electric if they reached a deal.
"I feel like they went behind the public's back for $470, 000,"
said Butler.
Mayor Hillman aggressively dismissed the controversial
accusations.
"Sour grapes," she said of Butler's claims. "You don't get your
way and you get upset I guess."
Butler was one of the three aldermen who voted against keeping the
provider Tuesday. The council ended up voting 5-3 to approve a 20-year
extension with North Little Rock Electric to cover the southern part of town
nearest to North Little Rock.
Hillman acknowledges the group met in the city clerk's office but
that it was continuation of the public utilities meeting scheduled for last
Tuesday.
"Miss Butler went herself," she said. "If she thought it was such
a problem she should have stood up and said, ‘Hey this is illegal.' But it wasn't
illegal."
It would take Hillman to veto last night's vote for Butler to get
her wish of an alternate provider.
