TONTITOWN -- A public official facing felony theft charges resigned unexpectedly this week.
Recorder-Treasurer Alicia Collins, 32, turned in a handwritten note Monday saying she resigned her position immediately, according to a copy of the letter provided by the city.
The letter states Collins has moved out of Tontitown.
The City Council approved her resignation Tuesday, according to an audio recording of the meeting posted on the city's website.
Collins' resignation comes days before a Sept. 8 court hearing in which Collins faces charges accusing her of stealing more than $25,000 from the city and crediting her own water and sewer bill without the city receiving payment on the account. Nonpayment on those services is more than $1,000, according to an affidavit.
The City Council fired Collins from her bookkeeping and managerial duties after her arrest but couldn't remove her from her public position because state law prevents it.
Collins earned $41,742 with taxes and benefits as bookkeeper, city records show. She earned $600 a month as recorder-treasurer.
Tontitown officials asked a judge to remove Collins from her public position. Police also cited Collins under a state law prohibiting city officials from using their positions to get free or reduced-price utilities from the city.
Collins missed six months of City Council meetings and other special meetings since her Feb. 12 arrest. Aldermen said repeatedly she wasn't fulfilling her duties and expressed frustration the city continued to pay her.
Collins left Tontitown without paying her bill, said Nicholas P. Corcoran, an attorney for the city, in email Thursday. Collins owed the city $150 for her August water bill, according to city documents provided Thursday.
The water to her home was shut off Aug. 25, city records show.
The city didn't withhold money from Collins' last payment as recorder-treasurer, Corcoran said. State law provides cities with a procedure to collect unpaid water service fees, he said.
Aldermen had little to say Tuesday about the resignation. The City Council is expected to appoint someone to the position vacated by Collins during the next City Council, Corcoran said.
NW News on 09/04/2015