The Leslie City Council on May 5 approved a resolution establishing a $300 petty cash fund for the town water system and reviewed the system’s Consumer Confidence Reports, which officials said show drinking water results within regulatory ranges.

The petty cash fund is intended to provide change for customer cash payments and to cover small, necessary water-system expenditures such as postage, delivery fees and minor office supplies. The council packet cites Arkansas Code Annotated 14-59-106 as the statutory authority for municipalities to establish petty cash funds for handling small expenditures.

Under the approved resolution, the initial $300 will be funded by a check drawn on the Leslie Water System operations and maintenance fund; the fund is to be maintained at municipal offices. The resolution states the petty cash may not be used to cash employee checks, purchase employee meals, or make personal purchases. Paid-out slips must be completed and retained for each expenditure, and when the fund requires replenishment a check will be drawn to petty cash supported by the paid-out slips. The city clerk or a designated financial officer is responsible for the fund’s maintenance, security and documentation.

Council members discussed internal controls: monthly counts of the petty cash balance and a witnessing procedure for recounts. Staff said the practice is intended to match municipal accounting guidance and to ensure the fund will withstand routine audit review.

Council members also reviewed the town’s Consumer Confidence Reports (CCRs), which are required by state and federal drinking-water rules and must be distributed to customers. Officials said the reports will be posted on the town website and a link will appear on water bills. Council staff noted that measures commonly used to determine disinfection byproduct controls — total trihalomethanes (TTHMs) and haloacetic acids (HAA5s) — remain within expected ranges and that no regulatory exceedances were reported in the materials reviewed.

No vote tally for the resolution was recorded verbatim in the publicly available transcript; minutes show a motion and second were made and the meeting proceeded to the next agenda item.