WARREN, Ark. – 5-13-25 – The Warren City Council met Monday night at the Warren Municipal Building for its regular May meeting. Mayor Gregg Reep presided. Council members Hooper, Burks-Frazer, Henderson, Tolefree, and Moseley were present. Council member Atkins was absent due to illness.
The Council approved the minutes from the April meeting. Mayor Reep provided an update on the proposed Biochar plant, stating that while things are dragging, the project is still alive and the city should know something soon.
The Council passed Ordinance No. 971, allowing Council member Memorry Burks Frazer to manage the Warren City Pool this summer. The vote was 4-0, with Burks Frazer abstaining.
The mayor also reported that repairs at the Depot are now complete and the building is available for public rental. Grant applications are being pursued for upgrades to both the Council chambers and the city pool. Another potential grant is being explored to purchase additional Flock cameras for the police department.
Doug Thornton, owner of Redneck Gourmet, addressed the Council regarding the recently passed food truck ordinance. He said he was very disappointed in the City. He said the food truck industry has been a valuable asset to the area. He went on to state he was “done with the City of Warren.” He said his biggest problem was the $1,000 per year fee and that it was running people out of business. He said Warren went ten times the rate of Monticello’s food truck fee. He stated several issues he had with the ordinance and said he didn’t understand the logic. He emphasized that his main issue was the amount of the fee.
Jill Dawn with Sandy’s Home Cooking also spoke against the ordinance. Kenneth Dawn, also with Sandy’s Home Cooking, noted the high price of insurance on his vehicle, fuel, and food costs as obstacles. He said if he has to pay $250, he’s pulling out of Warren.
Local citizen Jeff Johnson spoke, also spoke against the ordinance. “These (are, the food trucks) the only people that you can really eat at in Bradley County that smiles at your face every time you support them,” he said. “You can eat anywhere else in Warren, and you get rude service.” He indicated that Monticello is about to get all of our business once again.
Raquita St. Nicholas, another Warren resident who spoke on the food truck ordinance, stated the City of Warren has no place to go sit down to eat. She stated that food truck supports would follow the trucks to Monticello. She stated that everyone doesn’t want to eat Pizza Hut or McDonalds. “What are we growing besides pine trees and tomatoes?,” she asked. She also stated that the Council made this decision without inviting any of the food trucks to the table. All meetings are open to the public.
Council member Memory Burks Frazer addressed the issue after the public comments portion of the meeting. “We are listening to you all, but everyone says the food trucks didn’t have input. The ordinance was on the agenda for months.” She reminded those in attendance that the agenda is discussed monthly, and it was publicly available knowledge. “It’s probably been close to a year we’ve been looking at this ordinance, and not one person has come forward and said one thing, until we took action. And then that brought everybody in.” She encouraged people to come to meetings and take part when the Council is in the process of discussing these issues before action has been taken. A full video of the meeting, in which you can view all of the public remarks, will be uploaded soon. Mayor Reep also noted that all of the meetings are recorded and are publicly broadcast.
Later in the meeting Council member Hooper made a motion to send the food truck ordinance, No. 970 back to the Community and Economic Development Committee to consider any potential changes. The vote was 5-0 in favor of sending it back to the Committee for further discussion. Mayor Reep stated that because the ordinance is set to go into effect before the committee and Council has time to meet again, his intention is to not start enforcing the ordinance until the committee has had a chance to meet and bring any recommendations back to the Council.
Mayor Reep told Saline River News following the meeting that it’s possible the Council may reassess the amount of the fee. “My administration’s main concern is that we cover the cost of garbage pickup for food trucks, which the City has been taking on at no cost.” He noted that his top concern was that food trucks pay for their garbage pickup, “because currently, their garbage is being picked up free, and therefore is being subsidized by the taxpayers of Warren.” He stated that the City needs to be able to verify that every food truck operating in Warren has the proper health department approval and a sales tax permit from the State of Arkansas and are collecting sales tax.
Police Chief Shaun Hildreth reported that some of the new cameras will help monitor traffic in high-activity areas. He added that the cameras can be set on timers, which may help monitor places like the City Park. Council member Burks Frazer noted the City is actively looking for patrolmen for hire.
The Sanitation Manager reported all equipment is operating well. The Council voted 5-0 to accept a 4.6 percent interest rate bid from Commercial Bank to purchase new residential garbage containers. The mayor added that the sanitation department removed 12 junk cars from around the city in the past month.
Street Foreman Month Hearnsberger reported that the Street Department has already started preparations for the 69th Annual Pink Tomato Festival and is currently spraying weeds along streets, which is a constant battle. Mayor Reep noted that many residents voluntarily take on the task of spraying the weeds along the streets by their home, which is a big help to the City.
Parks and Recreation Director Kyle Wagnon reported that baseball, T-ball, and softball seasons have wrapped up. He said he is now working hard on the pool and that the shooting range will be fully staffed starting this weekend.
Council member Tolefree reminded the public about the second annual Polish the Pink cleanup event, scheduled for May 31. Council member Atkins is leading the event, and Tolefree will be cooking hotdogs for volunteers. Volunteers are welcome and encouraged to attend.
The Community and Economic Development Commission received approval (5-0) to purchase 15 tables and 100 chairs for the renovated Street Shop and Old Armory for use during community events.
The proposed Ordinance No. 972 regarding tiny houses was referred to the Community and Economic Development Committee for further research and discussion.
In new business, a street drainage issue at the corner of Kelly and Bragg Streets was referred to the Street Committee. The Council also discussed road improvements for the industrial road leading to Ouachita Hardwood.
Reminders and Announcements
- Warren High School graduation will be held Thursday, May 15, at 7 p.m. at Lumberjack Arena
- No garbage pickup will occur on Memorial Day
- The 69th Bradley County Pink Tomato Festival is scheduled for June 13-14
- The Arkansas Municipal League Annual Convention will take place June 18–20
The next Warren City Council meeting is scheduled for Monday, June 9, at the Warren Municipal Building. A full video of this month’s meeting will be available later this week.
