City Council - Regular Meeting

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As long as you didn't swipe right and make the snap. We had a coffee. Yeah, you told us. Really? Did you order that? You told us we need that. Would that be nice though? But you got your percentage in a little bit. Yeah. when you want to look at the piece of paper.

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Send me that link in case there anybody that signed in for us. Actually, we just texted people.

How's everybody? Good. Hi. Good. Good to see everybody. Be thankful we could be in the Northeast with three foot of snow. She does read. He's still taking care of always always on duty. Well, hi. The name place right

how are you?

Yeah. In theory, the QR code made us faster, but if it doesn't pop up, that's going to be a problem. Oh, there it went. Okay. Welcome to the 20 February 24th city council meeting number I'm We're going to get started and we'll try to back as we do roll call. Um, again, please make sure if you've if you uh want to speak on an agenda item that you've signed in through our QR code if possible. And then if you want to speak on an agenda item after our agenda meeting, there is an opportunity for that as well. That I'm going to call us to order for our February 24th city council meeting. And I don't think we have a scout here over this. So if you'll please stand with me for the pledge of allegiance and remain

standing for a moment of silence for our military afterwards. Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Thank you. Please here

we want to make sure she's not out in the hallway for some reason.

Here. It's right here. See here? Yeah. Most her four phones are here. Phones right here. Here.

Okay. I'm going to go ahead and go with um an approval for the We've got a quorum which comes in um for the approval of the minutes of the February 10th, 2026. Second question in a second. Roll call, please. Patterson. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Mr. Would you like to go ahead and make your motion further? Sure. I make a motion to suspend the rules requiring ordinances be read on three separate days and further move all ordinances and resolutions. Do you have a title only? Motion second roll call, please. Yes.

Yes. Yes. Yes. Move to committee of the whole and I believe I'll turn it to Chris as your chair. So, I think our only item of business would be a consent agenda, unless anyone has anything they'd like to.

Okay. So, um items we could consider for consent would be new business number five, excuse me, we cannot do five, six, seven or eight. So, new business item number 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, and utility board item number one and item number six, seven, and eight. Um, can we do that again? Is there anything And are you

questions on the Bell Vista water? We can leave that one off. Thank you. So omit, let me go through it one more time. Okay. Um item number new business item number 9 10 11 12 13 14. utility board one, six, seven, and eight.

So, I will tell you we do have public comment. I can't they chose an agenda item, but they've not necessarily indicated exactly which one. So, when you put these on consent agenda, can't exactly tell if any of those are how public comment with them, just so you know. I mean it would just be as easy just to read the read and do it probably than but first it relates to those items again you're it would be changing procedure though

so someone signed up but didn't say what they were signed up for says agenda item and it says number or topic It's not written on here. So, I'm just ask the consent agenda. I can't tell you if there was somebody signed up necessarily to speak about that. So, we could ask agenda. Yes, you can ask on that. How many are there? Is there are there several? No, I mean on the that signed up for itend is it just one

group of agenda items? No, this looks like four for non agenda. Yep. Items. So, if you want to do the consent and sign up, we can add. That's my motion. The motion and the second.

Yes. Yes. Yes. Thought we were going to ask first setting the agenda then. Oh, okay. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.

Okay. That we're going to go to new business item number one. I think for clarification, let's do the consent agenda items first instead of wait until we get to one on the agenda and read those. If anybody has So I have nine, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15 under new business on consent agenda. Correct. 15 John

not 15 that's the building and then utility board one 678 it council now committ the yes

okay consent agenda new business item number nine a resolution authorizing the mayor and city clerk to enter into an agreement with springdale tractor company in the amount of $48,48287 for a U7 mini excavator in attachments for park maintenance and for the purposes. New business item number 10, a resolution approving an amended agreement with Craftton Toll and Associates, Inc. in the amount of $224,000 for the design of phase 2 of Philips Park and for the purposes. New business item number 11, a resolution authorizing the mayor and city clerk to enter into a change order with GTS, Inc. in the amount of $56,684.90 for additional testing at Gateway Park and other purposes. New business item number 12, a resolution authorizing the mayor and city clerk to accept a grant from the Arkansas Division of Aeronautics in the amount of $200,000 to construct an aircraft parking a Bentonville Municipal Airport amending the 2026 budget. further purposes. New business item number 13, a resolution authorizing the mayor and city clerk to enter into work order number eight with Garber Engineering, amount of $43,900 for design of the parking apron at the Bentonville Municipal Airport and other purposes. New business item number 14, a resolution adjusting the 2026 budget for the wastewater development fee revenue bond and further purposes. Utility Board item number one, a resolution authorizing the mayor and city clerk to enter into an agreement with Stribbling Equipment LLC for the purchase of a steer and associated attachments in the amount of $132,64.17 plus taxes and further purposes. Utility Board item number six, a resolution authorizing the mayor and city clerk to enter into a contract with Oz Lawn and Lane for tree clearing operations associated with the future Bentonville Shoemaker Sewer Improvements Project in the amount of $49,9932

and other purposes. Utility board item number seven, a resolution approving amendment three with Garver LLC and amount not to exceed 1,916,752 and further purposes. Utility board item number eight, a resolution authorizing the mayor and city clerk to enter into an agreement with River City Hydraulics, Inc. for the purchase of a Ram Back E HX12 hydro excavator in the amount of $584,35 and.74 cents and further purposes. I move that we approve those. Second have a motion and a second real quickly.

There's a typo in one of those just number seven. I don't know if that's problem solution, but there's an extra. It's supposed to be a comma. It's 1 million. I think we all know what it is. You read it correctly. I believe. Yep. It should be a They've got a should be a comment.

Okay. Okay. So, let me just let me just clarify. I don't think we have public comment, but I would ask if you have a public comment on any of those items. Council is choosing to put those on consent agenda and vote on all those on the consent agenda. So, if you do have a comment to be made on any of those items, uh this would now be the time to do that. I don't see any. So, with that, roll call, please. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.

Okay. Item number one is a resolution for recognized Captain Tony Marbio on his retirement from the city. Do you want to come forward? And then um I always like to read the resolution because I think it gives um I mean you can come with him if you want. Oh, like to read the resolution because I think it gives you a good history of their career at the city of Bendville. Resolution reads as whereas Captain Tony Marveo was born in Fateville, Arkansas and graduated from Silent Springs High School in Silent Springs, Arkansas in 1991. And whereas Captain Tony Marviggo joined the US Army First Cavalry Division Fort Head, Texas in January of 1993 until January of 1997. And whereas Captain Tony Marvigo began his 28 plus year years of law enforcement career by joining the Silent Springs, Arkansas Police Department in April of 1997 and became one of the first bike officers for the Silent Springs Department in 1998. And whereas Captain Tony Marvio joined the Bettonville Police Department in August 1999 as a patrol officer where he served as a founding member of the Special Response Team Bike Patrol member and K9 officer from 2001 until 2002. And whereas Captain Tony Marvigo left the Dentville Police Department to serve with the United States Border Patrol in January 2002 and returned to the department as a patrol officer in July 2002, receiving the officer of the year award in 2003. And whereas Captain Tony Marveo served as a ship super shift supervisor in the rank of corporal from 2006 and until 2009 after which he transferred to the criminal investigations division where he continued to serve as corporal and was subsequently promoted to sergeant and later to lieutenant in 2011 within the criminal investigations division. And whereas Captain Tony Marvigo spent the next 10 years in the criminal investigations division where he

demonstrated exceptional expertise in the field of criminal investigation, successfully solving numerous cases that pose significant safety concerns and earned recognition from the United States Attorney's Office for his outstanding contributions and dedication in joint investigations. And whereas Captain Tony Marviggo successfully completed several advanced leadership courses, including the Trilogy Award from the FBI Law Enforcement Executive Development Association. And whereas Captain Tony Marvega was promoted to patrol division commander in 2021 and assigned to operations division commander in 2023 where he continued to faithfully serve until his retirement and through his countless activities and accomplishments delivered to the Bentonville Police Department and the citizens of Bentonville an unparalleled level of professionalism and service. Now therefore, be it resolved that by the adoption of this resolution, the city council of Bentonville hereby commends and congratulates Captain Tony Marveio for his 28 plus years of dedicated law enforcement service to include his 26 years of service to the Bentonville Police Department and the citizens of Bentonville. And we wish him health, happiness, and continued success in all future endeavors. I'm going to

City Council appreciate it. Mayor's office appreciate all support. Very appreciate it.

I hope it's not going too far. So item number two is um anformational item. It's options for improvement enforcement of noise regulation. We do have a couple signed up um to speak. Our intent really tonight was just to get some information, but we'll we'll be happy to um have the public speak as well. My suggestion would be is we we give you information and then the thought process was if you guys want to have let us present what we have and then if you want to put on future agendas more discussion about it we could do that. So that was kind of the thought process. So with that I'm going to turn it over to uh Tyler I believe and his team are presenting.

Hi good evening. I have been working with um Chief Shasted and he's here and he can kind of provide some additional information but we were asked to present to you some options. Um we continue to have some um complaints in regards to noise. Those are primarily related to um sound sound amplification devices, some construction work. Those are kind of the key um issues that we're having. Um, we are looking for opportunities to try to um streamline or improve that process a little bit, make it a little bit easier to enforce. There's a couple of different things that we can do. The memo um in the uh packet talks about one being to make some amendments to the noise ordinance itself. Um, just a note, uh, there's a couple things that we're going to need to amend anyway if we, um, get the new Bentville Community Code adopted because it references zoning, specific zoning districts that are changing. So, there will be an amendment coming anyway. And so, that would be the time to do it if we decide to. Um, we did look at um, some of the other cities in the area. Um, we've have been, um, kind of leaning towards what Rogers does with a very specific cut off time for sound amplification devices. It makes it very clear after a certain time they have to be turned off. That's easy to enforce. Um and then a couple of other options. Um one is we do have the bis business registry. Um it's there. Um one option would be to basically uh resend their registration, but we don't really have a process for doing that because it's just a registry. So there's no real approval process for that. Um so it's not really um a great solution. um if you were to take that to the next level, make it a license, whereas the review approval, you could actually pull the license, you have some type of tool there for that. Um but again, that's something that's going to require um some additional work on that particular um ordinance in relation to uh business uh registry. Um the final one is

something that we have been doing um working with ABC in regards to liquor licenses. um there are certain requirements we can lean on them to enforce those. Um the only issue with that is that it's sort of a supplement because it doesn't apply to those businesses that may be making noise that are not selling alcohol. So um so we need to kind of make sure those are working handinand. So we really just wanted to present you with some options. They may not be the only ones. They're the ones that we've identified. Um we think that um just some minor amendments to the code um and continuing to work with ABC are probably the best choices. Um but we're we're open to your feedback, but we wanted to present this to you before we bring any like amendments to the ordinance to you to see if that's even a direction that you wanted to go.

I have a question. Have we considered the fact that as part of our event park, we are putting an amphitheater in there and if we are going to allow outdoor music in that amphitheater, you know, we're not I would hope whatever we do won't provide an exclusion for those type events which are downtown and in around, you know, in the middle of neighborhoods also. So, is there going to be any kind of special provision in there for this? I don't know that it would be treated any differently than any of our other events that we have um downtown. Your your farmers markets, your first Fridays, your races, your runs, it would be treated um similar similarly.

Ellien, the amendment, potential amendments, it mentions 8:00m in residential areas. How would we define residential area? Like how that again that is a suggestion that's something that we'd have to kind of get into. It can go um there's a couple different things. You could go by zoning district um residential zoning districts. Um you could go by within so many feet of a residential structure. Um so there's some different different ways to do that, but we would kind of lean on some of the other cities to see how they're uh clarifying that. So

Shel, do we do we have a process now for just thinking of like special events when we close the street for example, right? with the noise ordinance might we have because I'll take a a large concert at the momentary as an example that's not a nightly event right and typically there's quite a bit of advanced notice residents who are local to that area know and sometimes choose not not to be you know that but that's really different than today but we currently

I'm not advocating for a permit but is there any effort to notify residents or could we add something like that in because I I feel very strongly that the times is a much better approach than the decibel measurement and the if the noise is audible and bothersome to a neighbor. It should be addressed feel very strongly about that as well. Um but I do want to acknowledge that there's been investment in intentional development of certain infrastructure that is wonderful for our economic development that wouldn't necessarily fit within that but it's not every day and that's the difference. Um, and so if if we might and I don't know what add something that would allow for that to be okay, but that feels very different than a business that's operating daily or the majority of the days and has no restrictions on the amplified noise that's that's coming

right there. There's a couple of things on that. Um uh right now we do um allow um venues like that that have been brought through the large scale development process that intend to do outdoor music that they um take into consideration um sound attenuation and that needs to be part of their approval process. So that is how we address specific um venues like that that's currently in place. Um, right now we have a conditional use permit um for um it's used mostly for construction after hours. That's something we're going to have to address though because with the new code that we're looking at, we don't have conditional uses anymore. So, we may have to go more of like a temporary permit or something like that. So, that's another thing that we're going to have to kind of make sure that it's aligning with the new code once it's adopted. I think that would be super helpful because it would allow then a resident to publicly access whether there is indeed a temporary permit that's been issued for whatever

without even going through the the police department. It also allow the police department to say yes, they have permission to be making noise or to be doing whatever they're doing because the temporary permit was issued. It also says making that noise is outside the norm of what we would like to be occurring, but it is a special circumstance for this reason rather than this is okay to do on a daily basis. So, I I really appreciate the memo and would strongly support the hours and the audible noise as opposed to decibel measurement.

We do have a Oh, sorry. Go ahead. My other question was you say you do amendments but you haven't specified what kind of amendments you're looking are we talking about decibel there's a couple of days are we talking about time I just need a little more

oh it absolutely does we just wanted to see if that's a direction you wanted to go do you want us to look at amendments and then present those amendments to you those proposed amendments there's a couple of different ways um we mentioned adding the cuto off time um Rogers does not have the decibel limit and just kind of leans on like if it's audible and it is disrupting the piece and creating a nuisance that there are some ways to address it that way. Um that may be a way to go. So we could present you with a couple of different options to see what you're the most comfortable with if you want to make amendments to the ordinance itself. the distance to residential area is is challenging because there is a tremendous amount of new development in residential that's going around our venues purposely and so I don't know how we would do that. So I'm open to seeing how that can be established. But

there's so much redevelopment around these is areas that are mixeduse, commercial. We're even encouraging mixed use with commer nodes, so to speak, where residential is incorporated in that. I I I'm I'm not sure, but I'm I'm open to what you can come up with, but I it's going to be really challenging in our in our in our bubble around these mixed uses and nodes that we have. And so I'm I'm just open to what you can come up with, but I'm just challenged right now trying to think how that would work.

I I think that's um that's a really good point because the the future land use map and the new code does promote some of those mixed uses and so we have to find a way that the um the regulations related to noise can be um applicable there and also enforceable. So that is something we take a little deeper look at. My two cents on that as I was I was mentioning is we've seen some persistent offenders and some persistent issues is the difference between daily use with high noise volume and eventbased noise volume. Those are those to me are not the same violators.

Seen that delineation not but I just so I'm just I'm thinking about what's unique about our community and the types of venues that we are talking about because it's not dozens and dozens of places. is very specific places and it hasn't been as big of an issue when it is irregular use. The issues that we've seen come before council is daily disruption to the peace and quiet that our residents deserve in their homes and and especially after 8 9 10 11 p.m. especially on a week night. And so I we do have to make a choice as a body if we want to make that restriction or if we want to allow what's currently occurring. And I I don't it to me it's not tenable not to make that restriction. It's not a blanket restriction. There's there's exemptions to the restriction, but daily use businesses that are continuously every day, not once a week, not once a month, not once a quarter causing that disruption to me doesn't reflect the character of the community. And I don't think the economic benefits are worth the tradeoff that is creating the kind of disruption that I've heard from a number of neighbors about a number of different businesses.

Not totally happy with the presentation that you uh did for this uh item. Uh I have been very noisy against the noise because it is it is really that it is it is a it is a aspect or a situation that is generated uh by the citizens in some cases against other citizens in the community and this uh to me there is no distinction between a daily event or a extraordinary event because it is a disturbance to the neighbors. If that is the case, then the event has to be stopped in whatever way it is necessary or it has to be restricted. It has to be limited because this noise is very disturbing to some of the neighbors. So I'm very much in favor of restricting the level of noise, the hours, etc., etc., in the way that you have presented it. And the key concept is if it is noisy, disturbing to the community because it disturbs the peace and it is impossible for people or to think that people are going to leave town because their neighbors are making it. It cannot be accepted in that manner. So it has to be regulated by the city in the sense of there has to be a limit in the hours, in the level of noise, in the type of noise and everything. that it is coming because we cannot uh make those neighbors suffer because some others are having problem.

I I would like and I I agree with you mostly. There are event centers and and nodes of business here that we have encouraged to create events, create music, uh that they've invested millions and millions of dollars with our permission to do this. Um, so I do want to be hesitant while I can appreciate what you're saying, but if you say everybody, there's a lot of people out there that have funded things with our permission to build these venues that isn't the same as somebody deciding to open up a commercial center that is doing something that that is, you know, and I we also have to clarify because a lot of people run music every night. have that we allowed in the code.

So I I I don't think we should we can do a one paintbrush because

we have commercial nodes. We're going to have more of them. They're going to be mixed in with residential and if you have a restaurant and it has music, uh we have to be cautious of that. We also have to be making sure that it's not a nuisance. But a blanket time frame across the board for everything is not going to work in our in our city because that's not what we have approved and what we encouraged. And millions and millions, hundreds of millions of dollars have been invested to bring that experience to our city. And I think we can accommodate those that don't find that experience tolerable. and we can try to adjust that. But I'm I'm concerned about doing an overall paint brush for everything.

If you guys are okay, I'd like to get um we do have some individuals signed up to speak, although that wasn't really the intent for tonight, but I think we need to hear from you. And then um

what really tonight was about because we are doing the code was to just get some information in front of you and then you guys give us some feedback because as you can see it is complicated, right? And we're trying to find something that also gives good clear direction to our officers or whoever's out there having to deal with it so they treat everybody fairly around the same standard or whatever um that we come up with. So do you want to add anything chief and then we'll have speakard? I think just to answer some of your questions, there are some exceptions in here and I think under section H and it's a facility used for the production, display and promotion of indoor and outdoor music events that has been designed and built with inherent architectural design, landscape and topography measures to reduce sound and minimal intrusive levels and has been approved by the planning commission. So there are some exceptions in here. The airport's an exception. Uh city functions and activities same as a school. Uh I'm going to just give some facts on on the calls for service that we have. So out of 2025 we had 447 noise complaints. 2024 about 504. In 2023, 42 they're kind of in line with each other. Uh if you throw barking dogs in there, you can add another 208 barking dogs, 211, 121, and uh 2025. uh the heat maps and everything else, it does show where our our businesses are going downtown. Uh where that if you go out here on a Friday, Saturday night, it's busy and and people are using those facilities and uh attending concerts, attending these these events. I think location is huge. That's why I appreciate Shelley and Tyler in the work, but uh we're working together on this as a whole. It's not just an enforcement piece. We're trying to look at a better plan on moving forward with developments and what that looks like with locations. Uh but out of the 51,000 calls, actually out of the 53,25 calls, uh that kind of gives you a number uh that we're responding to for

noise complaints. A lot of times we get there, it's after the fact. I don't the noise meter is not always the best and efficient way to to capture it. I could put the noise meter in this room right now and it's going to have a level that may even be in violation as we sit here and talk. Um and so as cars drive by, as things happen, doesn't always measure that base that may be disturbing to the residents. And so it is uh it is hard to to do that enforcement mechanism on there. And so that's where we started the discussion of times. Um is that easy or just that that one two or three times a a call you get and you're like hey listen we're done now. Uh there's also a component on our end on the enforcement especially when you get into public establishments that we just can't go in there and flip a switch. Uh we can issue citations to the manager. uh right now uh probably uh the proposal number four on there working with ABC it it takes time uh I have I've worked with them regularly we are on the phone regularly and it usually fixes the issue but it's not immediate um and so that that has worked for us it has helped with certain establishments getting back into parameters or even closing uh but it it's not an immediate fix that a lot of people are looking for right then so if you have any questions for me I'd be we're happy to answer them. But, uh, I will say this is something that we we're working together as a team on this to try to come up with the best solution. We value your input on this. Uh, and how we want to move forward.

I have a quick question. You said the calls of the 53,000 calls. Are those 911 emergency calls? Those are all incidents. That's everything that we do. Everything. The noise calls for 400. It's 447 calls out of the I just wanted to make sure because I know I encourage residents to call the 9 and you gota think some of those complaints it could be people like starting a cutting grass at 7 in the morning that might disrupt people right

the construction construction noise uh we could be having a race on the square people are upset about that race going on it started at 8:00 or the half marathon you you name it there are going to get noise complaints that get logged in our system and so that gets really difficult on the enforcement piece you know it's like well we hear your complaint we know there's a race going on there's a thousand people on the square getting ready to run. Uh we're not going to go shut off the music and and and everything else that's going with it. Do you flag businesses that get multiple calls? We do. We know exactly. 10 in a day, 20 in a week. Yes, sir. What is the And what do you do?

Well, one, we're complaint driven a lot of times. So, it's not like a proactive deal where we're just standing there waiting for it to happen. So, we get a complaint. Uh we go out there, we get a reading. Sometimes it could be an hour later before we get to it based on the call priority. And so sometimes means may be off, sometimes they're in compliance. Uh we have wrote citations to those businesses. So I will say also because I've had them pull readings for me sometimes when I'm like how is that not a vi like I've sat there and listened to it but it will not read on that. Yeah. At the level that our code says it is I mean it and honestly it you just have to experience it and have two sedans.

We pay $6,000 for this meter. It's about $1,600 a year to reertify it every year and we have one and uh it's exciting to use the authors enjoy using it I can tell you but I certainly I can hear things that my wife can't my wife can hear things you know they just do have a question the the base piece of that those do not read well at all and so we recognize the concern we we do hear the neighbors when they we understand the concern on it. That's why we're constantly coming together looking at a solution.

So, just to be clear though, if we said we have a time frame 9:00, 10 o'clock, can't have music after that. If we have a repeat business offender that does it every night for a month in a row, we issue citations. Go out every night. What are you going to do to stop? I mean, what can we issue citations? If they don't stop, then what do we do? Issue citations eventually. Uh, I mean, we deal with this with barking dogs. I can't But I would say this is my understanding of it. So like legal might want to step in here, but my understanding is citations. They have to go to court and the judge would kind they would take that into if they have

five different workations. They're going to take that into consideration, but it's really at that point they would work through that with court. Chief in your experience with ABC what is you say it's a lengthy process or can be a lengthy process have we've been through that process and had it could be a while it seems like they just start they come in we have been through that with a couple establishments

uh I don't want to talk about any specific establishment tonight but uh we have gone through that process and I can tell you ABC has been great to work with uh we'll go back and look at their original permit see what they listed for their activities if they're operating outside of those activities, they could be in violation. Uh they're required to maintain and be in compliance with city ordinances. If we're having other criminal activity and other calls go there, uh all that gets taken in consideration. Uh we submit all that to ABC. Uh if we've had DWIs, public inxes, everything come out of that location and uh ABC attorneys get involved. And so we I will say we do that regularly to make sure and most people are compliant. uh we we ABC will do a visit with them and uh they may issue citations and these people don't want to lose their alcohol license or their license. It's her it's their business.

Chief, is there a fine structure associated with the noise? It's very minimal with the noise and that is something that we probably need to have the discussion on is we could take a look at there needs to be probably a pretty good penalty when people were issued a citation. not a $20 fee, but it should be significant that they would the second, third, or fourth or fifth time. It just So, that would be a recommendation we might come back with city council on working with legal. We'd have to work with legal on this. And and to your point, it has to be

that's $20 isn't going to do anything. But also, if it is the third, fourth, fifth offense, I would expect that to start to change. Um, and it's just a point of leverage. you know, sometimes we'll be able to collect that, sometimes we won't, but it's certain I think a fee um a fine is a better way than just deferring to if any action is taken. Um let's put another two or three zeros to the fine 100%. We'll continue to work with legal on that. What they might be able to do. There's also sometimes that it's just not

Thank you. Of the 400, this is a wild estimate. you really have the same offenders in some cases of the 400. It's narrowed down to not events but basically operations that are continually having those calls. Could you narrow down what we're really talking about? Is that 100 out of the 400, 50 out of the 400? I think so. Establishments may be on that time frame might be 50 out of the the 400. So yes, we can show those locations. Exactly. Those would be multiple of the same locations. Yes. Not 50 out of the 400. And so you might narrow down that there's

there's 15 offenders. Yeah. To answer your question, we can pinpoint exactly where the noise is coming. Whatever format is easy and appropriate to share with council because you share the heat map or heat map that you're referencing. Again, like without adding extra work, just whatever you're able to see. Yep. I'll email it to you and I'll take this one and pass it around tonight. That would be great. You know, I I grabbed by some places that I'm like, I gota roll up my windows because it's I'm sitting on the street. Imagine living. Yeah. Asked if we have um in the audience that want to speak components.

Tom Hoen, uh 206 Southwest Street, Bentonville. Uh, I'll be I've written this down to keep in my three minutes, so you got the clock. All right. Uh, good evening, mayor and city council members. Uh, first, let me thank you for taking up this issue of updating the city's uh, noise regulations. We really, really appreciate the body of people here do as well. Uh, the work you're considering um, is solid progress. So, Shelley, Tyler, Chief, thank you so much for uh, digging in on this. And I just wanted to weigh in with five points for your consideration. You've heard some of my issues. I've sent them to each of you, I think, ahead of time, but let me just um go into five really quick. Number one, the barber, I said it at Northwest AR, Northwest A and Northwest Second Street has been the source of numerous complaints, including excessive noise. It's been the bane of the neighborhood residents for months, and its thumping base starts around 8:30 and continues to 1:00 a.m., as evidenced by me hearing them announce last call when I'm laying in bed at 1:00 a.m. And it just is exhausting. And Councilman Birkhard, you mentioned how many calls and this that is it a repeat offender. I will tell you the the neighbors are fatigued that we're not calling every single night either because we're not seeing a lot of change. So I think it'd be a false

blow up my window that I mentioned.

Well, I think it'd be a false number if you really looked at the the gravity of it if you're using that as a barometer. Number two, according to the National Institutes of Health, exposure to low frequency noise, LFN, that's a term I didn't even know existed, um, is shown to cause a myriad of health issues. It's a thing. Number three, the sound measurement methodology, I've heard us talking a little bit about that, has three frequencies. There's DBA, B, and C. And A is the one that is cited within the the regulation. And unfortunately, A filters out the lowle sound, which is actually the issue. Um, the frequency filter of DBC captures that, and you'll see a dramatic difference in the decibel levels when you look at that. So, if indeed we're going to go down the route of measuring decibel levels, I would really look at, and again, I can't believe I'm having this conversation with you. I no way did I think I was going to become an expert on this or something I'd ever have to learn. But I would ask us to really look at all three frequency levels. I even have that on my phone. That's how I'm measuring these these decibel levels. I'll walk over there and I think some of you got an email for me on Christmas Eve. I'm over there at midnight measuring decibel levels and it's just not where I should be on Christmas Eve or anyone else around here. Number four, taking measurements from the property boundary is also a more accurate approach. I know there's been some discussion about is it at the property boundary like on the sidewalk outside or is it at the source of the complaint like my house and I've I've seen some of the patrol people out in front of my house on the close by the Baptist church and I'm like that's not really the best um methodology. So I think if we align on where we do the measurement too is going to be important thing and I was happy to see that in the work it says that it's uh at the property boundary. And then finally, you know, as you're as we're considering zoning and things like this, and a little bit of this has been talked about already, this establishment is different than the other places in

downtown that serves alcohol. It is more of an entertainment venue than a bar or restaurant and should be separately. Public comment exceeded three minutes. Thank you for your time and your work navigating Bethville's growth. Yeah. I think uh or next you can do it. Yeah, whoever you want to do it. Go ahead. I don't even know what order I'm in. I'm so out of order.

Uh my name is Rustin Krisco. I've been around town for a long time. A lot of y'all know me. Um my wife and I live for 28 years at 224 North Maine, which backs up to the um Splash Park. So, and when we first came here, that was just wide open nothing. Uh, so we've seen the the evolution around town and uh 21C was the first um uh really big commercial establishment that moved into our area and they did a a phenomenal job. They were really quite communicative and they prevented us from having a lot of the sleepless nights that that Tom has had. They would they would play music till 11:00, but they made sure that it was uh at a tolerable level and we greatly appreciated that. I'm here more to speak on um the downtown uh barber shop. I was there one evening. I got rookked into coming in and meeting a friend there. Uh, which is not a place I would normally be. But as I was sitting there, they were playing some sort of trivia game and there were families walking by and the guy just started dropping fbombs right there on the street with families walking by at with a microphone, very loud, loud enough that it carried a long ways. and the Methodist church of which I'm a trustee there is directly across the road. So I feel a very strong need to speak out that perhaps listening to the chief a while ago I was thinking maybe a a progressively higher um monetary fine if you decide that you want to deliberately not follow the ordinances within the town. It would

seem to me like that that would be the most logical approach and that's what I would advocate for. There was another incident that I know of personally. I wasn't there, but the the lady that was there, I completely believe her and it was and I'm sure that the chief probably knows about this two or three years ago. Uh there was a bar here in town um just a little ways south that um played progressively louder music every night. And uh the neighbor uh called the police department uh because I think her um Airbnb was directly across the road and they was disturbing the folks at the Airbnb. She she got some uh marks that were not what she wanted and so she called the police on them and police showed up. I think may have issued a citation or two left and they put a song on the radio. F the police full volume of order public comments reach three minutes.

I think you catch my gist. I don't think that we want to become Beiel Street um or Bourbon Street. Thank you. I'm Ramsey Ball. I live at 212 Southwest 2nd Street. I also office at 110 Northwest Second. And uh office is above Sunny's East as part of uh um co-working space there. And so I'm bracketed u or I guess the barber is kind of the fulcrum point between where I live and where I work. And um so the barber is the reason I'm here. I love music. We support a lot of music and outdoor events. We don't support noise. Okay. And so um I've uh gone and with a decibel meter stood outside the barber on the sidewalk public 108 dB. Okay. And that's not uncommon. is typically in the 80 to 90 range there. Um I think that uh you know my suggestion is you you measure from the adjoining sidewalk or the the street there. Okay. I mean that's pretty easy. I might have to put a maybe have to box it in be able to continue. Um I do think that the you know having progressive fines uh you need a stick. Okay. To to get people to try to move forward. Um it is a daily event almost. Sometimes they crank it back a little bit, but most of the time it's every night. Um and so we've worked with the ABC or sent information to them. Won't get into the other issues. The golf cart that's parked there, people that go around into

the alley to urinate from over serving or other things that are going on there. But the noise if we can get that amp back that would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. I think that's everybody. If we have signed up that wanted to speak on this item.

Anybody else come to the microphone? So I again really tonight was just to get give you some information. You were getting um emails and and I had our team kind of looking at some options to bring forward. What I'd like for you to do is kind of think on this. Um reach out to us. It sounds like a tiered uh at least fee structure is definitely something I think we still we need to have still have some conversations about making sure from a if we're going to use decibb or we're going to use and I and I agree with what Tom said because like I said I've had them show me on their meter and I'm like this does this doesn't make sense to me of what it's reading. So, um I think we need to have um maybe some feedback on that too piece of it that you would like Brooks and that seems like the two things from here that I'm taking. So, we'll bring something back around that.

Can I ask one clarifying question, Chief? I think this might be for you. Um so, there's noise and then there's lights and I understand certain level of light use is appropriate. I happen to be in the accessibility space really concerned about people with disabilities in my day job and strobe lighting or flashlighting can be really triggering um and really disruptive for certain folks. Do we have any um any regulation against that? Yeah. Yeah, I mean I I don't I don't quite know or maybe it's a sh but I know what you're talking about and that been addressed uh with ABC and so that was part of the

but but I just mean in in Bville does our code at all look at or say just because it is you know I'm thinking particularly if cars are seeing those lighting that type of lighting and you're driving by quite dangerous and so I just don't know if we have anything on our books in terms of we we do uh we have um what is essentially called a night sky ordinance. Okay. And it and it does

particularly addresses um new developments coming in and making sure that their uh lighting fixtures are full cut off, they have shields, they're lighted directly within the property itself, um not providing glare onto the roadway. Um we have had a couple calls um for code enforcement with that. A lot of times what we do is we just simply talk to um uh the property owners and and try to get them to direct their light onto their property so there's not spill over onto adjacent properties. And so that's something that could be submitted through code enforcement. That's how we address that. Thank you. We also don't allow it for um signs, lighting for signs. We're very specific about flashing moving.

I'll make a note of that. Thank you. We're going to we're going to go to the next item which is an artificial AI update. Again, this was just sort of anformational item. I do think we have maybe one person or two signed up to speak on this item. Thought process again was to give you some information. If y'all want to put it on a future agenda for more discussion, we can do that. So, is Dennis you ready? So on uh tonight's agenda um I've provided you a courtesy review of the uh artificial intelligence and automate decision tools policy. So the policy is developed in response to act 848 which is it requires public entities to establish rules for how artificial intelligence may be used in government operations and in our case for our city. The goal of the policy is not to necessarily promote or expand uh the use of AI but clearly define how it may be used in our city. U so the policy prohibits uh certain uses of AI including political activity, lobbying, uh illegal activity and misuse in city systems. It includes training required for employees and requirements the policy to be made available to the public. Most importantly, the policy requires that any consensual decision affecting a person may always be made by a human. And so, this has been presented as a courtesy. Um, I also provided you uh I thought it was important to show how um how the policy that we've written aligns with act 848 just to make we're not all lawyers, so it's good for us to see how we're how we're making those two uh align. And um we'll be um it's it's not a up for vote tonight. This is purely just an idea for you to see that

uh progress is being made and that we'll be providing that to you as an item that you can uh vote on for adoption in a forthcoming uh meeting. So thank you. You're welcome. Uh Dennis, can I ask a question?

Yes. So I I really appreciate you sending act 848 protect for the policy and I don't have any issues with the policy but I know we've communicated a little bit about sort of there's two sides to the coin of of AI in use for example by our staff here in Bentonville. One is that we want it to be used appropriately and in compliance with the law. This policy covers parts of that. The flip side is it does create tremendous opportunity for efficiency, process improvement, saving staff time, etc. And so my concern about the policy only and I just may not have visibility to ways in which want to be delicate with not saying the word promoting but being clear that there is value added um use of AI by our employees that my read of the policy if I wasn't familiar with tools would make me less likely to use those tools. Um, and so I just want to understand how we're balancing what is appropriate in the policy with ways in which we can drive efficiency and process improvement by leveraging new technology.

So um I think so very good. Yeah. And what you you're probably seeing in some of the industries and companies that you're working with there's a tremendous improve like increase in the use of AI. Um the the slight difference that we have to be we're taking a measured approach right now. uh mainly because um the private sector has opportunities. They they're obviously in there to for investing. They're in there to to have cost savings. We all are. But we have a certain level of um governance that the state puts upon us to follow certain guidelines. So our so firstly the the first step of the of our initiative is to set the guidelines so that our staff and the city is using it in the in the in the lines of what the law requires us to do. So this is kind of the first step is making that policy. We make sure that our staff understand the use of AI how to use it ethically how to use the right the the right tools. Um and then once we've got that framework in place, we make sure everyone understands the the acceptable use just like everything else. Uh and then we start then we can start looking into um how we can actually uh adopt and how we can utilize AI safely within the government. But our first step is making sure our citizens information is protected, making sure we're making the right decisions for our citizens as we're are using our uh are using this technology. And I think you'll see some departments bring forward and budget for next year some AI technology they'd like to see used. They're they're vetting those around the policy though. So they're asking questions around that. So

yeah, I'm crystal clear. I just and we can we can we can agree to disagree on this and in so far as and I can give plenty of examples. Filtering 311 data is maybe one of them. There's just efficiency in utilizing tools we've already purchased within our software contracts.

Absolutely. So, I I am concerned that we're moving too slow, that we're not leveraging new technology, and as a result, we're creating inefficiencies. And so, I just I just want to voice that. And I know you and I have gone back and forth on this. I do work at Walmart, so I may have a biased view that is private sector influenced, but I've sat on council for five years, and I can point to many, many areas in which the use of restricted and appropriate artificial intelligence technology can save our staff time that they desperately need. Absolutely. So, I just want to make sure that if we're talking now just about the 2027 budget for tools, that's a that's like a lifetime from now in the arc of technology use. So, my two cents is could we move with a little bit more speed once the policy is finalized? I do understand and agree why we want a policy in place first, but I just feel like we are not taking advantage of things that could really help um the incredible constraints that our staff continue to tell us they have on their time.

Right. It's my two cents. Others on the council may not agree. I just would love to see us leverage those. Yeah. And you'll see just just so you clear this is this is just the first step. you'll we'll we'll be uh fully transparent with you and show us the progress that we're making towards that and the initiatives that we're doing. There's with our AI committee that we've got we have meetings that we have uh planned that will go into once we get beyond the ethical use and what the law requires then we can start building upon that and and and start looking at the initiatives that

that would be great. if we could get a quarterly update on council in committee of the whole. And I asked because there are there are peers of ours, other municipalities that have leaned in in ways that have really advanced their their work and and I I don't see us doing that yet and I see that movement. So, thank you for your leadership. You're welcome. And would love to get those updates. Just have a quick comment. I um I work in higher education and obviously this is

kind of like Walmart. But one thing that I appreciate and that we or what they did was they um found a cooperative platform for everyone to use. Now it it is specific for higher education but you know it it there was it brought together a lot of consistency training that type of thing. Is there is there something that is designed specific for government that is available out there?

If you're talking about an AI product, not not a single product um right now and that and that's what you're going to see and and guys probably seen this more a lot of the products that you're seeing right now in in what we think of as AI generative AI they're really helping and focusing the individual to do their work better. So you'll see things along the lines of how it may take a document and make it fancy a document up so it looks looks nice to a particular audience or give you an opinion on something. So what we're seeing with with with AI or generative AI, it's helping the individual where the where we're seeing a challenge is is there's not a city of Bentonville AI that's going to help all the different the different aspects and the different sectors. But with training and once we've got this policy, we start on initiatives, we can start educating our staff on how to utilize those tools more effectively, how to speed up a response to a customer in a compliant way in making sure they've read it and reviewed it. So there's there's definitely tremendous opportunity, but as a government entity, unfortunately, we have guard rails and governance in place that we have to follow. But I think we can do it in a way that can um we can have a good relationship between being compliant and also being progressive. I I strongly feel that's a possibility as well.

Again, we can we can bring an update with some of the AI technologies that different departments are looking about. Some there is things that I would tell you I think are they're AI. They just haven't always been called that that we use currently. And so I think there's a lot of that too. Um that'd be great. Thank you. Thank you, council. Okay. Item number four, the public hearing an ordinance with vacated drainage ement. Was that one comment? Oh, I'm sorry. I thought somebody signed up to talk on that item. It was listed as a Christopher Dale.

I didn't know I was approved for it. Um, thank you. My name is Christopher Dy. I'm homeless here. And uh just just on that, I I find it um well, I should qualify myself. if I'm call myself a stuff pseudo intellectual um as a joke because I'm I'm not truly an intellectual but um the AI I do see positivity in the AI and the correlation like with quantum physics and Neil's boore and such but just on a for me just on a superficial level um but uh what I what I wanted to point out that I came down from Joplain uh being homeless just recently and up there they're having the uh AI data center controversy of um they maybe putting one in annexing annexation and having the u well let me just speak to the point um what I brought up with the Joplin city council is that the um I think a good idea with AI particularly with um the the loss of wildlife habitat when these large structures go in would be to do it in correlation with the wildlife crossovers program and right now before Congress the US Congress Congress, they have u uh HR6078 um which is the reauthorization act of the wildlife road crossings program and it's currently being considered in in Congress. So I just checked on it 3 days ago and it's still in the consideration process. But if people could support that to uh contact Congress and support HR6078 making wildlife crossings a permanent solution for people and animals alike because it protects people and the wildlife and it's a public safety issue um where it can improve it can help save people's lives and reduce wildlife and vehicle collisions at the same time is promoting AI you know and in the helpfulness of AI if you do it in such a way that's helpful and it shows that it's mitigating the harmfulness to wildlife you That's like a really

positive thing and I think that's where a lot of people have uh uh you know they're kind of have some opposition against the AI is particularly you know with the the loss of wildlife habitat. So if you can do that I think you could win people over you know if you can do that in conjunction with the wildlife crossovers program. And just one last point is that there was a red flag for me is that the uh this bill HR6078 is is sponsored in large was sponsored in large part by the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Society which is consists of hunters. You know, they believe in hunting as a as a means of animal animal wildlife management. So, I'm like, you know, it was just a little bit of a uh suspicion for me regarding that this is coming out of the Trump administration. And it's President Trump that put the freeze on the federal grants that made this in part necessary because from January of 2025 when President Trump did the freeze on the grants, this has been on hold. The wildlife crossovers program has been on hold. They haven't been receiving their grants. So um I just want to bring that to your attention. Thank you.

I'm about observation in relation to the crossing of wild animals in the city of Bentville. It was several years ago when a neighbor complained about a lot of deers crossing on and uh the person that person came to the uh safety commission safety traffic commission and uh it was uh requested to have some signs. The signs were uh authorized and were added to that particular place because somebody had concern about a specific uh point about that item.

Item number four is a public hearing an ordinance to vacate a drainage easement. New business item number four, an ordinance vacating a drainage easement located at lot 73 of Providence Village, phase 3 of the city of Bentonville, Arkansas, Benton County, Arkansas, VAC25-00003. Second motion in a second. Roll call, please. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Item number five is a resolution setting a public hearing for a utility easement vacation. New business item number five in the city council for the city of Bentville, Arkansas.

Again, any other discussion? All in favor? Any opposed? Item number six is a resolution setting a public hearing for a utility easement vacation. New business item number six and the city council for the city of Bentville, Arkansas. Motion and a second. Any other discussion? All in favor? I. Any opposed? Unanimously. Item number seven is a resolution sunny pup hearing for an alley rightway vacation. New business item number seven in the city council for the city of Bendville, Arkansas. Second question and a second. Any other discussion? All in favor?

Any opposed? Unanimously. Item number eight is a resolution setting a public hearing for a utility easement vacation. New business item number eight in the city council for the city of Benville, Arkansas. Second. Motion in a second. Any other discussion? All in favor? I. Any opposed? Passes unanimously. 9 10 11 12 13 14. We're all on consent agenda. So what item 15 M which is a resolution authorizing the Bella Vista Village Property Owners Association who postale contract.

New business item number 15, a resolution authorizing the mayor and city clerk to enter into an agreement with the Bella Vista Village Property Owners Association for the sale of water and further purposes. A motion. Do we have a second? A motion and a second. Any other discussion?

During the finance committee, we had talked about if you're looking at the agreement, uh, page two, line five, there is a quote, a paragraph in here, a subp paragraph in here that states that uh, Bella Vista can run their own cost study. We're not obligated to to in no way and actually it says in no way binding upon the city. Uh and both parties agree to work together to resolve this. Uh the act that we're we're we have a paragraph in here that says they can do their own cost study. Uh but yet we're not binding to that doesn't seem to be. So we're providing a service. They can always go out and do their own cost service analysis. Uh, I think it opens up conflict where there's none needed. And to have something in here that says they can go do something, but it's not binding to us, I think just would lead them to believe or adds the possibility of conflict. Uh, I would just eliminate that paragraph, line five through the end of that because it's nothing that we're bound to. It doesn't take any performance away from us or our fee or anything other rate structure. But I believe that if if I had this in my contract, I would believe that hey, I'm going to go do my own cost analysis based on my beliefs and I'm going to bring this to you for a point of argument. Uh I just think that it's uh it's not necessary to have in our contract. They have renewal periods that we can discuss that they can always do their own if they choose to. uh which since we're not obligated to this, I don't see the reason for it being in the contract. I'm just bringing it up. We similarly felt that in the finance committee. So, uh if if anybody has any questions, some questions here. Uh but I would like to

make a motion to amend the agreement to remove that from there. Everything else being the same. I already do have a motion to second on this resolution. amending that. Are you proposing to amend the motion to eliminate that paragraph? Yes, sir. I sure why I brought it up. Yeah. So, I've got David Bailey on the line, too. So, he can he's the one that's been helping me review this contract. So, I think David could speak to whether this is a requirement or needed in this contract. So, be David, would you mind? Sure. Y Good evening everybody. Can y'all hear me? Okay.

Yeah. Yes. Okay. Um yeah, Preston and I spoke after the finance committee. I looked at that paragraph five and I don't have any problems removing it. Uh I believe frankly it was probably just a hold over from the uh previous contract that we've had for 20 years that we're for now at least working under. I believe it came from that. Um I agree with uh Bill that it's not u binding on us in any way, but it's kind of an unnecessary paragraph, you know, after looking at it uh with that set of lenses. So um I have no re no objection to us removing that. Has it already been removed on the agenda online? It looks

because it's skipped. So I just want to make sure the five is over. Oh, there's Yeah, there's a formatting error. So in the middle of that paragraph. So if you look at 4B and then 4 A, it's in the middle of that paragraph. So it's after the United States Labor Statistics or its successor, there's a number five. That's where it's so it's just not indented down. Yes. Okay. So that is what we're just Okay. I'm sorry. I was paragraph five that is embedded in the B. So paragraph five and everything following to the period up till paragraph six. We have a motion to amend. I'll second that. I second that. Okay.

A motion and a second to amend and take that paragraph. David, are you clear on what the motion is on what's to be removed? Uh my understanding they're wanting to move remove paragraph five. Um and of course we need to renumber the paragraphs. starting with it'll necessitate some reddrafting, but uh I think that's the village. Yes, ma'am. I just want to make sure we're all on the same page as to what's being removed. Yeah, we'll just need to do some reumbering obviously the paragraphs that follow. But, uh I think that's the that's as I understand that's the motion.

So, to clarify the motion, it's removing paragraph 5 and refor formatting the the numbering on the on the contract. Making other necessary adjustments. Yes, sir. That would be my motion. I sec or she seconded it. And I think David would agree that this language is not relevant to terms of service, but it could possibly create some confusion about an expectation. I just think it's cleaner if we remove it and I would ask everybody's support. We have a motion and a second roll call on a on the to amend it. Yes. And then we would have a vote on the actual matter. Yes.

Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. You want to read the resolution? A resolution authorizing the mayor and city clerk to enter into an agreement with the Bella Vista Village Property Owners Association for the sale of water and for the purposes. Second. Motion and a second. Any other discussion? All in favor? I.

Any opposed? Passes unanimously. Utility board number one was on consent agenda. Utility board number two is an ordinance approving a waiver of bid order underground wire. Utility Board item number two, an ordinance authorizing the mayor and city clerk to wave competitive bidding and enter into an agreement with Stuart Herby for the purchase of 1/Z underground wire per unit prices and the estimated amount $348,400 providing for the emergency clause and for the purposes. Thank you. Make a second. Any other discussion?

Roll call, please. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Item number three is the ordinance. Emergency clause. I'm sorry. Section three, emergency clause. The need to make this purchase is immediate and emergency hereby declared to exist and this shall be in full force and effect from the date of its passage and move. Second. Motion and a second. Any other discussion? Roll call, please. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Item number three is an ordinance approving a waiver of bid to order overhead wire

utility board. Item number three, an ordinance authorizing the mayor and city clerk to wave competitive bidding and enter into an agreement with AECI for the purchase of overhead 477 wire per unit prices in the estimated amount of 176,378.95 providing for the emergency clause and for the purposes. Very good. A motion and a second. Any other discussion? Roll call, please. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.

Section three, emergency clause. The need to make this purchase is immediate and an emergency is hereby declared to exhibit in this ordinance shall be in full force and effect from the date of its passage and approval. A motion and a second. Any discussion? Roll call, please. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Item number four is an ordinance approving a waiver of bid to order phase three transformers

utility board. Item number four, an ordinance authorizing the mayor and city clerk to wave competitive bidding and enter into an agreement with AECI for the purchase of 3-ph transformers per unit prices estimated amount of $190,622 providing for the emergency clause and other purposes. Second motion and a second. Any other discussion? Roll call, please. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Section three, emergency clause. The need to make this purchase is immediate and an emergency is hereby declared to exist and this ordinance shall be in full force and effect from the date of its passage and approval.

Second. Motion and a second. Any other discussion? Roll call, please. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Item number five is an ordinance approving a waiver of Fed to order singlephase transformers. Utility board. Item number five, an ordinance authorizing the mayor and city clerk to wave competitive bidding and enter into an agreement with AECI for the purchase of singlephase transformers in the estimated amount of $99,464 providing for the emergency clause and for the purposes. Second motion and a second. Any other discussion?

Roll call, please. Yes. Yes. Yes. No. Uh, yes. Yes. Section three, emergency clause. The need to make this purchase is immediate and an emergency is hereby declared to exist and this ordinance shall be in full force in effect with the date of its passage and approval. Second motion and a second. Any other discussion? Roll call, please. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.

Yes. Item number six was on consent agenda. So we'll go to item number seven which is a resolution to maker phase 2 amendment number three.

Correct. That was on consent. All of those that was eight. Six seven eight were on there. I apologize I didn't circle that one. Okay. We'll go to planning item number one, which is a property line adjustment. Planning item number one, an ordinance accepting a property line adjustment of lot 48 phase 7 and lot 33 phase 8 of College Place subdivision creating new lot one of Vossberg subdivision to the city of Bentonville, Arkansas and for the purposes project number PLA25-000036. Second motion and a second. Any other discussion? Roll call, please. Yes.

Yes. Yes. Yes. Item number two are the lot split for lots 181 through 184. Planning item number two, an ordinance accepting a lot split of lots 155-157 of Kieraw Castle subdivision creating new lots 181-184 of Kieraw Castle subdivision to the city of Bville, Arkansas and for the purposes project number LS26-00001 second a motion and a second. Any other discussion? Roll call, please. Patter.

Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Number three is a property line adjustment of lots five and six of Hunt Bennett Edition. Planning item number three, an ordinance accepting a property line adjustment of lots three and four of Hunt Bennett Edition, creating new lots five and six of Hunt Bennett addition to the city of Bentonville, Arkansas and for the purposes project number PLA26-00002. Second a motion and a second. Any other discussion? Roll call. Yes. Yes. Yes.

Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Four is a property line just at 409 Northwest 7th Street. Planning item number four, an ordinance accepting a property line adjustment of lot six and the west half of lot 5, block 18 of Demings second edition creating new lot 36, block 18 of Demings second edition to the city of Bendville, Arkansas. And for the purposes, project number PLA26-00004. Second motion and a second. Any other discussion? Roll call, please. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.

Yes. Yes. Item number five of the correction of plots lots 10 through 12 of the reserve planning. Item number five, an ordinance accepting a corre correction plat of lots 4, 8, and 9 of the reserve subdivision creating new lots 10-12 of the reserve subdivision to the city of Bentonville, Arkansas. And for the purposes, project number PLA26-00006. So moved. Second. I have a motion and a second. Any other discussion? Roll call, please. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.

Number six is a property line adjustment of lot one of Skylight subdivision. Property item number or planning item number six, an ordinance accepting a property line adjustment of parcel 01-0000934-0000 grading new lot one of Skylight subdivision to the city of Bentville, Arkansas. and for their purposes. Project number LS23-000035.

Second a motion and a second. Any other discussion? Roll call, please. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Item number seven is a lot split of lot eight and nine of T's edition. Planning item number seven, an ordinance accepting a lot split of lot seven of Turks addition creating new lots eight and nine of TRS addition to the city of Benville, Arkansas and for other purposes project number LS25-000039.

Second a motion and a second. Any other discussion? Roll call, please. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Item number eight is a reszoning at 401 North Main.

Planning item number eight, an ordinance changing real estate in the city of Benville, Arkansas from its present zoning classification of R1 low density single family residential to DN4 downtown mixeduse residential. And for the purposes project number RZ25-000051. We have a motion and a second. Any other discussion? Roll call, please.

Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Item number nine is a reszoning at 409 Northwest 7th Street. Planning item number nine, an ordinance changing real estate in the city of Bentonville, Arkansas from its present zoning classification of R1 low density single family residential to DN1 downtown lowdensity residential and other purposes project number RZ26-00001. Second have a motion and a second. Any other discussion? Roll call, please. Yes. Yes.

Yes. Yes. Yes. Number 10 is a planned unit development at Southeast Third Street. Planning item number 10, an ordinance changing real estate in the city of Ventville, Arkansas from its present zoning classification of R1 lowdensity single family residential, DN3 downtown high density residential and DN4 downtown mixeduse residential to PUD planned unit development and for the purposes project number PUD25-00002 and a second. Any other discussion? Roll call, please. Yes.

Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. We are going to move to um state of the city report. Um PowerPoint ready. So get that started. Mayor, do we have some people commenting on non-aggenda items that maybe do we want to let them go before this? I think the city

Oh, I'm sorry. I thought they were on some that we ended up having. Um, we can um This is typically part of the agenda, but we can we can have them because this is pretty long. So, if you guys want to have them speak, we could do that. Okay. Jay Deiror, sorry. And if you could give your name and address and you can keep your comments just three minutes or under, we would appreciate it.

Yes. Um, good evening. My name is Jade Derdorf and I live um in Bentonville at 9779 degree Wayne. Um, anyways, I'm here um this evening to discuss um sidewalk maintenance. Um I am a junior at Bittenville High School and attending um American National American National Government through INWC. And some of my questions um about sidewalk maintenance are tree overgrowth. Um in the area around Apple Glenn, numerous trees have overgrown the sidewalks, forcing pedestrians to duck, step into grass, or walk into the streets. While I've noticed some limited limited efforts, the problem persists. Um my younger brother attends Apple Elementary School and I'm just um questioning uh what is the regular maintenance schedule for trimming trees and vegetation along sidewalks particularly in school zone areas and how can residents uh report sidewalk obstructions and what is the typical response time for addressing these issues. Um these sidewalks are elementary schools walking to and from school daily and safety and accessible sidewalks should be optional in all schools. I appreciate the council's time and look forward to understanding how the city prioritizes pedestrian safety for our younger residents. Thank you so much.

Jade, we don't typically do Q&A, but I I do have your name and my office will follow up with you and try to Okay. Okay. Yes. Thank you. Okay. Started the state of the city. So, good evening and thank you for the capital. You have another one online. It's signed up with the QR code. I don't think it but I know he's okay. Come forward. I do have you on here now. It's popping up. So, Ryan, go ahead. Sorry.

Thank you very much. Thank you for the opportunity to appear before you tonight. My name is Ryan Blue. I live at 3405 Southwest Carter in Bentonville and Willoughbrook Farms phase 2 subdivision. Um, and I am running for Benton County Circuit Court Division 8, a new division created to handle civil, family, and criminal cases. I've been an Arkansas attorney for 27 years. I've been in public uh practice and private practice. I've been in Northwest Arkansas since 2010. Um, in addition to my private practice, I've also been an attorney at Lightam, so I've represented children in custody and visitation disputes. I've been a certified mediator. I've helped families resolve their disputes. In addition to my law degree, I also have a master of divinity, which shapes how I lead as well. I'm also uh passionate about uh organizations that serve to protect children. I served on the board of directors for six years for CASA, courtappointed special advocates. But I want to take a moment to let you know why I'm running for circuit court judge. I'm running because I believe that I understand the decisions made by judges are not just legal decisions, but they affect people's lives. And here's what I believe. I believe that children deserve safety. Parents deserve fairness. The guilty deserve to be held accountable. Victims deserve a voice. And I believe our community deserves a court that's willing to listen carefully and decide thoughtfully. I'm not running to be somebody. I believe the judges are to serve the people, not the other way around. I'm running for a purpose, not for power. I understand these decisions again will affect people's lives for decades. And I'm ready to make those decisions with humility and the wisdom and the integrity that they deserve. Thank you for your time. that we'll start um our state of city. And so just you know this is this is

required that I give this report to you and we will also have a more uh less formal more interactive presentation um the first Thursday in April and we work with downtown Bentville Inc. and the chamber this year to make that presentation. So you will get an invite to that. So put it on your calendars. That will probably be a little more um entertaining than my read tonight. But we do we did put together a PowerPoint to help kind of um go along with what we present this evening. So um good evening and thank you for the opportunity to present the state of the city of Vetinville. In 2025, Ventonville experienced meaningful momentum marked by steady thoughtful progress across the community. That progress took shape through the opening of approximately 35 new restaurants, three new hotels, the new Walmart home office, announcements for a new Bentonville healthcare campus, and a STEM university, the completion of renovations at the historic Walmart Museum and Spark Cafe, improvements at Philips Park, and the opening of the A Street Prominade, just to name a few of the highlights. Continued investment in community institutions and destination attractions such as such as Compton Gardens, Crystal Bridges, and the Amazium further reinforce Bentonville's Appeal as a place where people choose to live, work, gather, and invest. An impact only strengthened further by the opening of the highly anticipated Ellis and Walton School of Medicine, a transformative addition shaping the city's future in lasting and meaningful ways in healthcare. During this period, Arkansas ranked as the nation's number one inbound mover state, and Bentonville played a significant role in that growth, receiving roughly 38% of all inbound moves to the state, according to the national migration stat. Alongside that growth, Bentonville continued to receive national attention as a place people are discovering, sometimes for the first time. Outlets such as the New York Times, Travel and Leisure, Conde, Nost, Traveler, Outside Magazine, Lonely Planet, The Today Show, and many others included Bentonville in their coverage of places to visit, explore, and spend

time. That visibility does not happen on its own. It reflects coordinated efforts across the community, including the work of Downtown Bentonville, Inc., Visit Bentonville and the Advertising Promotion Commission and the Bentonville Area Chamber of Commerce whose partnerships are appreciated and help elevate the city's profile while supporting local businesses and events. This attention brings opportunity and prosperity. It also brings responsibility. Growth places real demands on a city. It increases complex complexity, raises expectations, and puts pressure on the systems residents depend on every day. And it leads to an important question. Can a city continue to grow while remaining steady, trustworthy, and grounded in service? In 2025, Bentonville worked carefully to meet that responsibility. It was a demanding year. Growth brought opportunity, but it also required thoughtful decisions to ensure that core services continue to function reliably as needs increased. Years like this test preparation and judgment. They reveal whether systems are ready, whether planning holds, and whether the organization can respond consistently under pressure. Rather than pursuing growth for its own sake, the city focused on maintaining what works, strengthening systems where capacity was needed, and protecting the level of service residents expect. That work did not begin in 2025. In recent years leading up to this period, the city made steady investments in planning, maintenance, data, and institutional knowledge. Much of this work takes place behind the scenes, but it becomes especially important when circumstances evolve. Tonight, I want to share how the preparation supported the city in 2025 across public safety, utilities, streets, parks, planning, finance, and the many teams who work whose work keeps Bettonville operating day in and day out at a very high level of service. We invested strategically in water, sewer, roads, and other critical infrastructure, ensuring our city can support growth responsibly. These

investments allow a variety of housing and business projects to move forward and set the city up for future success. As we look ahead, we do so with gratitude for the people and teams who carried this work forward, often quietly and with great care and attention. What follows is a reflection on the major efforts of 2025 and how thoughtful consistent work across the organization helped Bentonville meet a year of exciting announcements and growing demands. As Bentonville grows, leadership and community connection must evolve with it. In 2025, the city strengthened several distinct avenues for civic participation, each serving a specific role in how residents engage with local government and with one another. Benville Connections created structured opportunities for residents to engage around major initiatives and long-term planning efforts. These sessions focused on clarity, dialogue, and shared understanding as investment and development continued across our city. Community council brought together current and emerging leaders from across Bentonville. Modeled on community leadership programs, it provided participants with deeper insight into how the city operates, strengthened relationships across sectors, and fostered a shared sense of civic responsibility. The 311 system continued serving as a direct and accessible operational channel between residents and city departments, ensuring service concerns are acknowledged, tracked, and addressed with transparency and accountability. Boards and commissions offered residents a formal role in shaping decisions related to planning, parks, public art, and policy development. Their review and recommendations strengthened both decision quality and public confidence. The youth council continued building civic literacy and leadership capacity among local students, creating early pathways for involvement and long-term stewardship throughout the year. Serviceoriented events such as shreddit day and electronics recycling collection provided practical val value while

reinforcing direct inter interaction between city staff and residents. The annual state of the city and community recognition gathering in early April provided an opportunity to publicly honor residents and employees whose leadership and service strengthen Bentonville civic life while also highlighting city successes. As Bentonville grows in scale and visibility, leadership must remain present and decisions must remain grounded in community perspective. That foundation shapes how the city plans for what comes next. Planning is where Bentonville makes its long-term choices visible. It's where expectations are set, trade-offs are considered, and decisions are made that shape how the city grows over time. Long before individual projects come forward, planning establishes the patterns that guide development, inform investment, and connect growth to the systems that support it. The planning department carries out that responsibility through two core functions. Development services, which guides day-to-day development and zoning decisions, and comprehensive planning, which focuses on long range growth, neighborhoods, and the built environment. In 2025, Bentonville Planning processed 288 zoning and development projects, including 50 large-scale developments, 14 final plots, and 57 resonings. Residential planning activity totaled 640 units, 44 units across single family homes, town homes, and multifamily development with additional projects advancing through preliminary review. Commercial activity included 10 new projects focused on retail services and restaurants. After several years of community engagement, technical analysis, and policy development, the city is bringing forward the next phase of plan BL for consideration. This work represents the city's most comprehensive planning effort to date. Future land use leaves plan connects land use with the built environment through distinct place types, creating clear expectations for development while protecting character, function, and long-term community goals. Building on that work, the city launched phase two, a comprehensive rewrite of

the zoning and development code called the Bentonville community code to align directly with the updated future land use map. Together, these tools are designed to work as a system ensuring that growth aligns with infrastructure capacity, public services, and neighborhood expectations. Formal adoption of the updated Dentmill Community Code will follow council consideration. Planning also operates at the neighborhood level. Our policy translates into daily experience. Through the great neighborhood partnership, 37 neighborhoods participated in programs that strengthen connection, stewardship, and local engagement. Code enforcement reinforced adopted standards with an emphasis on resolution and voluntary compliance. In 2025, the city addressed 564 cases, closing 97% through voluntary compliance, maintaining neighborhood quality while preserving trust. Planning also plays a direct role in protecting what makes Bentonville distinctive. In 2025, the city marked its 27th year as a Tree City USA, distributing 10,000 trees to expand and preserve the urban canopy. Department completed its first condition assessment of 22 city-owned artworks, establishing an ongoing public art maintenance program, and expanding to 50 public artworks across city property through the community development block grant program. Planning also supported low to moderate income families with childcare assistance and services for individuals experience experiencing homelessness ensuring that growth remains inclusive and aligned with community needs. The planning framework is not theoretical. It is v visible in the built environment. It can be seen in the a street prominade which transformed a key downtown corridor into a pedestrian first public space that strengthens connectivity, supports local businesses and enhances the vibrancy of our downtown. and a new Walmart home office campus where generational investment redefineses the relationship between corporate campus and community walkability, mixeduse integration and long-term sustainability and in the establishment of the LSL Walton School

of Medicine where purpose-built facilities integrate health care education and community wellness to expand access to worldclass medical training and research. Ventville's transportation network includes streets, engineering, oversight, transit, and our municipal airport. Each playing a role in keeping the city connected and functioning. The Bentville Municipal Airport continued to grow as an important regional asset in 2025 following the runway extension completed in prior years. The city completed an extension of the southeast taxi way. This improvement allows aircraft to safely utilize the full length of the runway and strengthens overall air for air airfield operations. Construction is also underway on six new aircraft hangers which will accommodate up to 30 additional aircraft upon completion. Expanding capacity to meet continued aviation activity. That growth carries measurable economic impact. An an economic impact study completed in 2025 found that the airport supports 245 jobs, generates 19.9 million in employee earnings, contributes 79.3 million in total economic output, and produces 2 million in tax revenue. While the airport supports regional connectivity, much of the city's transportation work happens on the ground through rapid bus transit, engineering streets, and daily infrastructure oversight. Wrership on ORT increased from 24,517 in 2024 to 42,265 in 2025, a 72% increase. That reflects that growth reflects a transit system that is increasingly being used as part of daily life in Bentonville, strengthening mobility and connectivity as the city grows. Bendville's engineering department is responsible for planning, design, and construction oversight of public infrastructure to ensure safety and long-term performance. In 2025, the engineering team managed more than 13 million in capital improvement projects. This included approximately 10 million in street improvements, more than three million in

drainage system upgrades, and over 130,000 in sidewalk improvements within the Bentonville school district parent responsibility zone. Engineering staff reviewed 1,608 private development projects and 743 permits, completed 488 construction inspections and 795 storm water inspections, and facilitated pre-construction conferences and concept meetings for new development across the city. While engineering plans and oversees the city's infrastructure, the street department ensures those plans function reliably and daily use. The street department is responsible for maintaining Bentonville's public road system and responding to day-to-day operational needs. In 2025, the department reviewed 882 project plans and conducted 393 inspections. Crews paved or seal sealed more than 13 miles of roadway, used 262 tons of asphalt to repair potholes and utility cuts, and filled cracks on nearly six miles of street. Crews also surfaced nearly one mile of storm drains and repaired 658 feet of sidewalk. During the winter weather events, the department spread 372 tons of salt and more than 17,000 gallons of liquid frying to keep roads passable. To support traffic operations and pedestrian safety, the city installed five new traffic signals and 15 flashing crosswalk signs and added 2.5 miles of fiber optic cable to improve traffic signal coordination. Beyond transportation infrastructure, daily reliability also depends on the crews who maintain city facilities, public spaces, and shared assets across Bentonville. Public works maintenance is responsible for the everyday care of Bentonville shared spaces. The work that keeps the city functional, accessible, and dignified long after projects are completed and ribbon cutings in. This department handles the essential work that keeps the Bentonville shared spaces well cared for, including rideway mowing with over 420 miles of linear edging a year, facility and custodial

maintenance, and the upkeep of public spaces across the city. It also provides cemetery services with care and respect, supporting families during some of their most difficult times. In 2025, that responsibility extended into the heart of downtown. public work maintenance was tasked with identifying dead, unhealthy, or missing trees in downtown core, as well as tree grades that posed potential trip hazards or were out of compliance with ADA requirements. Staff identified 23 trees for replacement and 35 tree grades requiring modification to improve accessibility and safety. The work is logistically complex. Downtown Bentonville is one of the city's busiest areas with constant pedestrian and vehicle traffic. Completing these improvements required careful coordination to protect public safety while preserving the character and function of the area. The department is on track to complete this work before March 2026. Public works maintenance also plays a critical role in long-term planning for community needs that are easy to overly overlook but deeply important. In 2025, the addition of a new columbarium expanded capacity at the city cemetery, ensuring that Bentonville will have approximately 20 to 25 years of burial spaces and niches available. This investment allows the city to continue serving families with dignity, dignity, compassion, and foresight without disruption during times of need. Other maintenance reflects the city's long-term stewardship, caring for the facilities and shared spaces residents rely on every day. It preserves the quality and accessibility of Bentonville over time. And beneath those visible spaces, essential systems operate continuously, delivering clean water, managing wastewater, and supporting the infrastructure that makes growth possible. Water and wastewater systems are foundational to how a city functions in Bentonville. The planning behind those systems is deliberate, disciplined, and long range. Using it land use map and unified development code, Bentonville can project the population that will be here at full buildout based on adopted policy and development standards, not speculation.

Water and wastewater capacity are calculated from that reality, comparing long-term needs to existing capacity and investing intentionally as growth occurs. That approach brings clarity. It tells the city what must be built, when it must be built, and how to phase investment responsibly. In practical terms, that approach led to three outcomes in 2025. Expanding treatment capacity, reclaiming lost water, and strengthening our long-term system reliability. In August 2025, construction began on the water resource recover recovery facility improvement project, a multi-year investment aligned directly with long-range population and capacity planning scheduled for sub substantial completion in September of 2029. The project expands treatment capacity, adds clarifiers, and strengthens supporting infrastructure so the system continues to support growth reliably. While this expansion move forward, day-to-day operations remain steady and fully compliant. In 2025, the facility treated 1.17 billion gallons of wastewater, met all permit requirements, and processed 630 metric tons of solid. Staff continue advancing their professional certification, strengthening the depth and resilience of the team operating the system. This is disciplined infrastructure planning, building capacity ahead of demand without interrupting interrupting service. Alongside expanding capacity, the city focused on water efficiency and financial stewardship. In 2025, Bentville purchased 7.24 billion gallons of water, significantly below the 8.89 billion gallons forecasted, resulting in 2.84 million in avoided water purchases. Compared to 2024, the city reduced water consumption by 486 million gallons. Average daily water loss declined by 2.6 million gallons per day. A major contributor to these results with the was the service line replacement program. In 2025, the city replaced 1,346 service lines, investing 6.53 million. That investment now yields approximately

2.84 million in annual water purchase savings, achieving payback in just over two years while permanently reclaiming capacity within the system. Venville also continued strengthening strengthening long-term system reliability and environmental stewardship. In 2025, 112 high priority manholes were rehabilitated with 535,000 invested to reduce inflow and preserve sewer capacity for future growth. At the same time, the city's compost facility continued to lead nationally. In 2025, the facility produced and sold 246 cubic yards of compost while maintaining high operational standards and environmental performance. It received the Arkansas business trends setter award for public works environmental and green management and remains the first facility in the state to compost wastewater bio bioolids using mechanical and vessel technology. The project also received recognition from the Arkansas municipal league for its innovation. The planning approach behind Bentonville's water and wastewater systems reflects how the city plans, invests, and operates across department especially in systems that must work continuously. That same standard of continuous performance applies across all core utilities. Electric service is one of the most constant expectations residents have of their city as to work every day and every season season even as demand grows. Over the past 10 years, Bentonville has experienced a 44% increase in electric customers. In 2025, the Bentonville Electric Utility Department or BEUD reached what's known as 59's reliability 99.999%. An outcome achieved while serving a system that has grown by 44% over the past decade. As the system has expanded, customer outage hours have continued to decline. In 2025, VUD responded to 321 citizen submitted service tickets primarily related to street lighting and installed 1,851 new meters supporting residential, commercial, and construction activity across the city.

Reaching that level of reliability required disciplined proactive system management, the UD uses dronebased thermal imaging to identify potential issues before they affect service, allowing crews to address equipment needs early and maintain consistent system performance. department also is also making targeted invest investments to strengthen long-term resilience. In 2025, the EU began work on a $4 million transmission line connection linking two substations in the southwest part of town. This loop configuration increases redundancy by allowing power to be supplied from multiple directions, improving reliability during maintenance and peak demand. At the same time, BUD is upgrading substation A to ensure that the downtown area has sufficient electrical capacity to support new construction and continued expansion for the foreseeable future. The engineering for this expansion was completed in-house, ensuring careful stewardship of electric utility funds while positioning the system for long-term growth. Together, these efforts reflect an electric system that is scaled deliberately protecting reliability today while building the capacity required for tomorrow. Delivering reliable utility service also requires clear, consistent billing and customer support. Utility billing touches nearly every household and business, and in 2025, that responsibility grew significantly. Utility billing and collections department added more than 1,200 new accounts during the year, representing the largest year-over-year percentage growth since 2019. Over the course of the year, the department issued more than 364,000 utility statements and handled approximately 70,000 customer service calls, an 8% increase over 2024. As growth increased, the department continued to emphasize resolution and customer communication. About 10% of accounts received a pass due notice during the year. In most cases, customers resolved their balances after the initial notice. For accounts requiring additional support, the collections team followed up directly to work toward resolution. As a result,

service dis disconnections remain below 1% of total accounts, well below national averages, reflecting the team's consistent effort to work with residents and keep service active whenever possible. Paperless adoption continued to rise as well. By the end of 2025, 59% of customers had opted into paperless statements despite 4% account growth. This nearly 5% increase in adoption resulted in more than 13,000 fewer printed statements over the year. In 2025, electric service accounted for nearly twothirds of total utility charges. Water, sewer, and irrigation services combined represented approximately 31% and solid waste services making up the remaining 6%. In 2025, the city also competitively bidded solid waste contract for the first time since 2012. The resulting 5-year agreement with her public services avoided a scheduled consumer price index increase for 2025, saving residents re roughly 4%. The new contract also introduced month monthly reporting and expanded education efforts around recycling and landfill diver diversion. Operational efficiency continued to improve through technology investments. The electric department advanced metering infrastructure system implemented in 2024 along with ongoing improvements to water a to the water AMI dramatically reduced the need for manual meter reads. Manor reads declined from almost 105,000 in 2023 to just over 60,000 in 2024 and then just 7,554 in 2025 with more re meters reporting automatically. Only 24% of service orders required a physical visit to a property. These gains allowed the department to reduce meter staffing by 50% with two positions re being reallocated elsewhere within the city. In addition, utility bill bill billing partnered with an external collections agency for the first time since 2016. Beginning in late October, Cedar Financial recovered nearly 8,700 in two months. By year's end, more than four

420,000 in claims had been submitted with an estimated recovery of more than 90,000 projected for 2026. Together, these efforts reflect a department focused on growth management, customer communication, operational efficiency, and financial stewardship, ensuring that as Bentonville grows, its utility billing systems remain reliable, fair, and responsive. With core infrastructure systems operating reliably, the city's next responsibility is ensuring residents feel safe in their neighborhoods and public spaces. Public safety in Bentonville is about preserving the feeling of home even as the city grows. That means maintaining a level of service where residents feel safe walking through their neighborhoods, spending time downtown, and gathering together as a community. In 2025, continued growth increased demand for police services. The emergency communication center processed more than 110 840 police, fire, ambulance related incoming calls, and the police department experienced an 8.14% increase in demand, ending the year with 53,205 calls for service. Those numbers reflect the daily work of patrol response, investigations, traffic enforcement, and community safety efforts that rarely make headlines, but define whether a city feels secure. What matters most is how the department responded. Rather than allowing higher call volume to affect response times or visibility, the department adjusted its operating model to protect the level of service residents expect. In 2025, patrol zones were restructured from three geographic areas to five, including the establishment of a dedicated downtown core zone. This better aligned officers with demand, improved visi visibility, and strengthened response consistency as density increased. These adjustments were reflected in reported crime tren trends. From 2024 to 2025, violent crime declined by 17.83% and property crime declined by 22.04% 04%. While traffic

offenses increased, overall trends in core public safety categories moved in a positive direction. Professional standards also remained a priority. In 2025, the police department completed its accreditation process for the com commission on accreditation for law enforcement agencies or CLA and will become one of nine law enforcement agencies in Arkansas to hold that distin distinction in March of 2026. The emergency communication center is also set to achieve Kalia accreditation in March, making Bentonville one of only four Kalia accreditated accredited communication centers in the state. In addition, the emergency communication center completed accreditation across through the association of public safety communication officials or ATCO international training program receiving a national recognition in July. These recognitions reflect adherence to nationally recognized best practices in policy, training, and accountability. Community engagement continues to complement that operational work. Officers supported more than 140 special events throughout the year and maintained partnerships with schools, churches, and neighborhood groups. Programs such as youth policemies, the citizens police academy, and women's self-defense classes strengthened relationships and trust between officers and residents. Together, these efforts reflect a department that is scaled with growth, protecting response capability, improving outcomes, maintaining standards, and preserving the sense of safety residents rely on every day. Public safety also extends to animal services, which responds to stray animal calls, welfare welfare concerns, and situations that affect neighborhood safety. In 2025, Bentonville Animal Services experienced a sharp increase in demand, responding to more than 800 stray animal calls, up 24% from the prior year and nearly 50% higher than 2 years ago. Microchipping continued to be the most effective tool for keeping pets with their families. In 2025, 224 animals were returned home because they were microchipped. When re reunification

wasn't possible, adoption efforts supported by regional partners resulted in 134 pets finding permanent homes. Through these efforts, Bentonville Animal Services maintained a 97% save rate. Operationally, three officers and a supervisor advisor responded to more than 2,500 animal related calls for service, providing coverage seven days a week and supporting police when needed. As a result, animal services sheltered 455 animals in 2025. Community support played a meaningful role with volunteers contributing more than 3,400 hours of service. Benville Animal Services demonstrates how the city delivers humane care with consistency and professionalism. And when emergencies involve immediate threats to life and property, the fire department is the next critical layer of public safety. While fire services are built around readiness, the ability to respond quickly, skillfully, and safely when conditions are unpredictable. When emergencies happen, residents expect help to arrive ready. The expectation is set long before a call ever comes in. As Bentonville continues to grow, readiness has to scale with it. In 2025, the fire department responded to 16,122 calls for service, a 14% increase from the previous year. Those calls reflect the full range of emergencies a growing city faces, from a medical emergency and structure fires to hazardous materials incidents and trail rescues. As Bentonville grows, demand for f fire and emergency response continues to rise in both volume and complexity. Maintaining readiness at that level requires constant preparation. Firefighters logged more than 42,000 hours of training during the year. Work completed alongside daily response duties to ensure crews are prepared for complex and high-risisk situations. That preparation allows the department to absorb rising call volume while protecting residents and sustaining the level of service the community expects. Much of the fire department's responsibility is ensuring emergencies are less likely to occur in the first

place. Through building and fire safety, the department works to reduce risk before negative outcomes occur. In 2025, that work included more than 160 hours of direct community engagement across 71 events, reaching over 38,000 residents and visitors with fire safety education and prevention efforts. The department also played a critical role in supporting safe growth. In 2025, building and fire safety issued 7 thou or 771 residential and commercial permits representing more than 600 million in construction value and completed over 16,000 inspections. Each inspection ensured that as Bentonville adds homes, businesses, and public spaces, they are built to standards that protect lives and reduce risk from the start. This work is foundational. It is the difference between a city that reacts to emergencies and one that works to quietly prevent them. As the Bentonville continues to grow, the fire department's role remains clear, maintaining readiness, strengthening prevention, and ensuring that emergency response keeps pace with growth. Beyond emergency response, the city also invests in the spaces residents use every day. Parks in Bentonville are intentional and are one of the important city systems residents rely on every day. They support daily routines, youth sports, neighborhood gatherings, major events, and regional visitors frequently all at the same time. and Benville parks are treated as civic infrastructure planned, built and maintain and maintained to perform consistently at scale. This year marked major progress in Bentonville's parks and public spaces. In September, Bentonville Parks and Recreation completed phase one of the Philips Park Sports Complex. This 50 acre site, once donated by Harland Phillips and built by volunteers, is receiving an update into a premier regional baseball complex. The project delivered seven new artificial turf ball fields, improved lighting, restrooms, and amenities designed to support large tournaments while still serving everyday community use. In the fall, the A Street

Prominade opened downtown, a pedestrian only path lined with shops and restaurants with inviting places to sit and gather. The prominade connects key destination destinations and create a calmer, more walkable experience at the city center. The city also advanced two important reinvestments. Updates to Dave Pill Park that build upon its longstanding role as a downtown gathering place while expanding options for community use and a new parks maintenance facility, giving crews the space and tools needed to maintain parks and trails at the standard Bentonville expects. Bendville's signature events continued to bring people together and showcase the city at its best. On July 4th, an evening at Orchards Park delivered a community celebration centered on family and hometown pride. The lighting of the square anchored this holiday season supported by ongoing holiday light additions. Active events also reached new heights. Square to square recorded 3,397 riders and the Run Bentonville half marathon set a new record with 4,88 registered runners representing 43 states. Recreation programs continued to deliver opportunities for residents of all ages. In 2025, more than 761,000 people attended a recreation facility, event, or program. Parks and Recreation hosted 13,344 sports games across organized leagues and tournaments and provided 7,943 instructional lessons including tennis, pickle ball, and swimming. A Bentonville remained a major community resource with children logging 42,300 hours of camp attendance. Parks also retained Bentonville shared gathering spaces. In 2025, the city hosted 2,127 civilian rentals, serving 43,482 people for birthdays, reunions, team celebrations, and community gettogethers. Department also accommodated over 240 special event requests, including the Lifetime Little Sugar Mountain Bike Race, the Bentonville Art Festival, and the Alvin Early Memorial Classic Collegiate Softball Tournament. Connectivity

continued to expand across the city. In 2025, Bentville completed six miles of new trail and and bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure. Construction is underway on key links including Wishing Springs Trail, Wishing Spring Trail, and the Razerback Greenway connects from Bentonville High School to Highway 102. The Bright Road Trail and 18th and Sea Street corridors nearing completion. Our trail counter counters recorded 2,231, 109 total trail uses during the year. Benmill parks are strengthened by community stewardship. In 2025, residents volunteered more than 30,000 hours across parks and recreation, the equivalent of 14.4 14.5 full-time positions, supporting programs, events, and hands-on work that keeps parks clean, safe, and welcoming. Parks and recreation also delivered measurable economic returns. In 2025, estimated economic impacts totaled 6,8557,350 led by baseball and softball tournaments, run Bentonville tennis and pickle ball tournaments square to square and swim meets and trifest for MS. These events supported local hotels, restaurants, and retail while reinforcing Bentonville's identity as a destination community. Beyond outdoor spaces, the city also invests in civic spaces that support learning, connection, and opportunity year round. The Bantville Public Library is one of the city's most heavily used civic spaces, a place where learning, connection, and opportunity intersect every day. 2025 marked the first full year of operation following the library's expansion and renovation, and the scale of use made clear how essential that investment has become. More than 400,000 people visited the library in 2025, an increase of over 77,000 visits compared to prior years, averaging averaging roughly 1400 14,000 employee I'm sorry, that's my 1400 visitors per day. Circulation also grew significantly, increasing by more

than 100,000 items, far outpacing previous annual growth. What's notable is not just that usage increase. It's that library patronage grew faster than population growth. That tells us the library is not simply absorbing growth, but expanding its role in daily life. The library expansion and renovation project continued throughout 2025 with the completion of key spaces including the visit Bentonville community hub and business center, Mary Bagot book lounge, leak family digital lab, and upgraded business center made possible through private donations and philanthropic support. These additions broaden how residents use the library as a place to meet, create, learn, and collaborate. To support long-term sustainability while preserving access, the library implemented a new fee schedule for event spaces and the family maker space. These were intentionally set well below comparable venues with discounts of 50% or more for nonprofits, ensuring cost recover recovery without limiting community use. Programming remained a defining strength. In 2025, the library hosted more than 1,000 individual events serving over 70,000 attendees. Author events continue to grow through partnerships with Two Friends Bookstore, Bentonville Schools, the Bentonville Film Festival, and the Bentonville History Museum. The largest event featuring Read Drummond drew a thousand attendees. The library also supported families and youth at scale. During summer reading club, 4,500 participants logged nearly 64,000 hours of reading. More than 3,000 patrons attended art themed programs and in partnership with Aramark and Bentville schools, nearly 14,000 lunches were served at the library location. After one a one-year hiatus, the library's GeekCon returned with a renewed focus on building community, drawing more than 2,000 attendees and reinforcing the library's role as a gathering place for shared interest and creativity. Taken together, these outcomes reflect a library that has scaled successfully, expanding access, deeming deepening engagement, and operating a as reliable civic

infrastructure in a growing city. Services like these are visible and tangible, but their consistency depends on disciplined financial management behind the scenes. Everything you've heard tonight, planning, infrastructure, public safety, parks, and community services depends on disciplined financial leadership. Finances how Bentonville stays steady when conditions change. In 2025, the finance department played a critical role not just in managing resources but in actively protecting the city's stability and public trust. As revenues fluctuated fluctuated and rebates created uncertainty, finance worked directly to departments across the organization to reassess priorities, adjust spending, and keep the city on track. That work required close coordination across departments and a clear understanding of how financial decisions affect service delivery. Finance helped guide thoughtful adjustments that preserve the level of service residents rely on while ensuring the city remained fiscally sound. This is also where the department's forecasting discipline matters. Each year, findings evaluates revenue trends, rebate projections, and long-term obligations, so decisions are grounded in realistic expectations. That forward-looking analysis allows the city to respond early, avoid surprises, and make adjustments deliberately instead of reactively. At the operational level, finance ensures stability at scale. In 2025, the department oversaw the city's budget, process payroll for more than a thousand employees, and manage the payments that keep city operations running day in and day out. Finance al finance also works to reduce pressure on local taxpayers by pursuing external funding and structuring long-term investments responsibly. In 2025, grant funding supported street projects and carefully structured alternative financing helped advance major infrastructure investments while protecting residents from immediate cost increases. Transparency remains foundational to that work. For the fifth consecutive year, Bentonville received the government finance officers

association triple crown award recognizing excellence in budgeting, financial reporting, and public transparency. This distinction reflects a sustained commitment to clarity, accountability, and trust. Taken together, Bentonville's finance department does more than balance the books. It helps the city navigate uncertainty, coordinate smart decisions across departments, and deliver on its commitments, ensuring that growth does not come at the expense of reliability or public confidence. Financial discip discipline is one pillar of reliability. Modern technology, infrastructure is another. Much of what makes a city reliable today depends on systems most people never see. Information technology is the connective tissue across Bentonville. Bentonville's operations, ensuring that the systems that staff rely on every day are secure, reliable, and working together as the city grows. The IT department supports technology across more than 90 city systems and operations, including city hall, police and fire stations, utilities, parks, and the library. In addition to traditional IT services, the department manages the city's GI GIS mapping and data systems, which underpin planning, utilities, public safety, and service delivery across departments. In 2025, the IT team completed more than 10,000 support requests for city staff. At the same time, the department introduced a structured maintenance program to keep systems updated and patched on a regular schedule, reducing downtime and preventing issues before they disrupt operations. The goal is simple. When staff need their technology to work, it works. Pass control was another priority in 2025. Through our review of phone, cellular, and internet services, it reduced the city's annual communications costs by more than 190,000. Changes to how computers are purchased, including bulk ordering and timing purchases around seasonal discounts saved an additional 75,000. During the budget process, it also worked with departments to review software licensing and eliminate services that were no longer

needed. Cyber security remains a growing concern for cities nationwide and Bentville continued strengthening pro protections in 2025. The city deployed multifactor authentification for all employees adding an additional layer of security across systems. A new cyber security training program improved staff awareness by 70% during testing helping reduce risk through daily behavior as well as technical safeguards. It also began aligning a city aligning city systems with national cyber security cyber security standards and supporting departments including police and meeting accreditation requirements. The city's GIS team continued to expand how data supports decision-making. In 2025, GIS staff dig digitized Bentonville sidewalk network, created more than 2,000 new address points, and produced hundreds of maps supporting planning and zoning cases. GIS also supported utility operations, including including water leak tracking and electric system updates, and processed nearly 1,800 service concerns across departments, helping staff track, prioritize, and resolve issues more efficiently. In 2025, the IT department ensured that Benville's technology infrastructure remains secure, coordinated, and dependable, forming the operational backbone that allows city services to function reliably every day. But technology alone does not sustain a city. Reliability ultimately depends on the people who deliver services and the standards that guide their work. Technology supports city operations, people and sound governance sustain them. Human resource resources supported the workforce behind the every every city function, ensuring departments are staffed, trained and prepared as Bentonville grows. In 2025, HR worked closely with leadership to adjust staffing thoughtfully, protect core services during financial shifts, and plan for retirements and internal transitions in a competitive labor market. That coordination keeps department stable while maintaining morale and organizational effectiveness. At the same time, the legal department ensures the city's actions remain

lawful, defensible, and aligned with policy. In 2025, legal handle handled more than 8,200 criminal and traffic cases in Bentonville District Court. nearly triple the prior years of case load while also reviewing contracts, supporting land transactions, preparing ordinances, and advising departments on risk comp and compliance matters. Together, these functions protect both the people and the processes that allow Bentonville to operate confidently, consistently, and with integrity as it grows. Tonight, you heard a lot about projects, systems, and numbers. But the result is simple. Bentonville is a city you can rely on because the fundamentals are strong. You see that reliable that reliability in everyday life. When the lights stay on, when streets and signals keep moving, when water systems are planned years ahead, when public safety shows up fast and prepared, and when parks, libraries, and public spaces strengthen daily life, and you can see it in the outcomes. Institutions are choosing to build their future here, like the LSL Walton School of Medicine, welcoming its inaugural class in 2025. and employers continue investing at a city shaping scale with Walmart opening its new home office and reinforcing Bentonville's role on a global stage. These are not random wins. They are the result of the steady, often unglamorous work of planning, maintaining, training, budgeting, and executing with discipline. As we look to 2026, our goal is not just growth. It's reliable growth. Growth that protects neighborhood character, preserves our level of service, and keeps Bentonville filling my home. Because the measures of a city is not whether it gets bigger. The measure is whether it remains trustworthy as it grows. And it only happens because of people like each of you who show up, give feedback, and care deeply about this community. As I close tonight, please know this is strong, resilient, and vibrant. Together, we are building more than a city. We're building opportunity, connection, and a

future that the next generation will be proud to call home. We're building the capacity our city needs with a clear plan and purpose by working across departments and partnering with the private sector. We are meeting the pressures of growth headon and with innovative solutions. Our momentum is real. Our future is extremely bright. And with a strong city team and a remarkable community like all of you, Bentonville will continue to grow as a place of opportunity and prosperity for generations to come. Thank you for being part of this incredible community. May God bless Bentonville, the great state of Arkansas, and the United States of America.

Great job. All right.

Um, committee review. Do we want to do anything? Get ready to comment. You want to do we have one person still to do public comment. I get for a second. Are you all good for that? Yeah. Yes.

Forward if you'll give your your name and if you can keep your comments to three minutes or under.

Okay. Thank you very much. My name is Christopher Dialene. homeless here and I'll provide this information to the uh to the city clerk as soon as I'm finished here. Um what I'm regarding speaking on is public safety regarding homeless people particularly with uh medical care and what to do when we're stonewalled when we're stonewalled on trying to receive particular treatment medical treatment that could be very significant in uh receiving um uh medical uh medications to to treat certain diseases. Uh, I'll just uh back up a little bit and point out something interesting regarding this. For me personally, I'm going to talk about myself personally and this is something I'm dealing with here in the city of Bent Bentonville. Many people remember a classical composer Fran Schubert um died in 1828 and it was commonly thought that he died of a bacterial spiral. Um but it's uh on his on on his information page, his Wikipedia page, um Eva Maria Cibolska, a researcher has asserted that it that it was actually due to an autoimmune disease, specifically mentioning Hashimoto's thyroiditis. So, what's interesting about this is that I received it um a radiology report up in Joplain um through the ER, which I wouldn't have been I wouldn't have known of unless I took it upon myself to go and retrieve my medical records and look through my medical records to try to figure out what the heck I'm I'm dealing with. I found out I have an atro atrophic thyroid. So, when I came here in Bentonville and I broke down, my body broke down here and I'm having uh I'm I'm really struggling. I'm walking very very slowly and having a I have numerous things that could be what I could be helped with this and I'm asking the city council's uh direction and help is that I went to the Mercy Medical Clinic today

uh for a visit or yesterday for a visit and today I took the blood test but the doctor refuses to do a uh TPO check for TPO antibodies which the National Institutes of State National Institutes of Health states the most important test for autoimmune Hashimoto styroiditis is the TPO antibbody test, but he refuses to do it. He would only agree to do the TS TSH test and the T4 test, which are general. I have autoimmune disease. It's in my medical records. So, this is very specific to what I'm trying to identify so that I can get the medical treatment that could help me so that I'm not at high risk of a heart attack, which will be the case if I don't receive this. So, when he refused today, I had no recourse. I asked to speak with a supervisor and they said, "None are available." And I've had this sort of thing happen with medical uh situations before where you get stonewalled. As a homeless person, you have no recourse. I've tried to take it through administration, you know, requests for information and, you know, amendments for, you know, medical records. You get stonewalled every step of the way, but I'm asking for help on this so that I can get the test, the blood test that I'm in need of. Thank you so much.

Committee, I don't have anything. Nothing. Okay. I'm supposed to remind you all something and I forgot what it was. Is it the ethics on? Yes. Okay. Ethics U training March 2nd. So municipal will come down is coming down for that. So it will be live in person. So it won't be um the video again. So you may want to attend that. And then um David is wanting to offer a city council tour of the ark uh ne March 3rd, Tuesday, which I think is next Tuesday at 5:30. And so you'll see an invite for that on your email coming. Okay. I think I remembered. All right.

All right.

I just have a couple things for tree and landscape. We met on Thursday and we did acknowledge and discuss the work of the city with the downtown tree and tree grade um protection. That's um been really good program and um they've helped with that in a way of like suggesting trees things like that. So, um, thank you to, um, the work on being that. Um, also the spring tree giveaway is April 11th. Um, so we, as the slide shows, we give away 500 trees. So, it's a lot. So, it takes a lot of planning in preparation and it will be in the same location over um a municipal um, drive. So, um, you can put that in your calendar. Also, we are in the process of reviewing the um tree planning um document that came about after the tornado. Tyler is way more knowledgeable in this and so he will have more of a timeline of when it will come to city council. And then I forgot to mention this last time and I feel so bad, but I just wanted to say thank you to um our street department during the winter weather event. Um the streets and just the clearing um the snow removal was excellent. And so I feel bad that I didn't mention it that last time and they're not here, but um I received several comments from constituents and also just me personally. I hate that I missed that because they did a great job. You did