Signs in downtown Charleston showed opposition to the prison earlier this year. Photo: Worth Sparkman/Axios
Ozark's City Council voted against starting discussions with the state about the possibility of supplying water for the proposed 3,000-bed prison in Franklin County, the Arkansas Advocate reported.
The big picture:Test wells drilled on the site this summer only produced about 130 gallons of water per hour, roughly 1% of projected needs. And a report commissioned for Fort Smith said the city doesn't have the capacity to meet the expected needs of its growing population and the prison.
State of play: City Council reviewed the matter Monday because Ozark Mayor Roxie Hall had been told the state required a letter from her asking to start discussions before they would talk to the city, the Advocate reported.
Council member Randy Melton told the Advocate on Tuesday that the vote didn't mean the city wouldn't talk to state officials, but that those working on the prison would have to be the ones to initiate talks.
Flashback: Ozark's City Council approved a resolution earlier this year opposing the prison project.
Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders told Axios earlier this year that she believes the location is the best place for a new prison in Arkansas.
