Shelter not listed in 2019 city budget

Council plans to discuss finances again on Tuesday

BENTONVILLE — Those wanting the city to build an animal shelter will have to wait a couple of more months to see whether tax dollars will be used to pay for its design.

City Council and staff members recently discussed waiting until the new mayor takes office in January before allocating money to the project. Mayor Bob McCaslin didn’t seek re-election. Stephanie Orman and Jim Webb are in a runoff election Dec. 4. Both have expressed support for the animal shelter.

City staff first need to provide input on how the shelter will be run, said Jake Harper, director of finance and administration.

“When you start talking about how you’re going to design it, that goes hand-inhand with how you’re going to operate it,” he said.

Bill Burckart, council

member and animal shelter task force member, told the council Nov. 13 about the task force’s last six months of work looking at what it would take for the city to have a shelter.

Council members discussed next year’s budget for the first time at the meeting. No vote was taken. The council plans to discuss the budget Monday with tentative plans to approve it Tuesday.

The city is in the first of a three-year contract with Centerton to take lost and stray dogs to its shelter.

Burckart said design work would cost about $350,000

and have to begin by January to have the shelter built and open by the time the contract with Centerton ends.

Centerton Mayor Bill Edwards has said the partnership between the two cities is a great one, and Bentonville could continue to bring its dogs to the Centerton shelter if the construction deadline isn’t met.

The total cost of the shelter isn’t known yet, Burckart said. The designs will provide an estimate.

“With the leadership change coming in January, and that being such a big capital project and go-forward expenditure, I think we’d be doing Mayor McCaslin and the new mayor the benefit of waiting until January to have a budget adjustment,” Chad Goss, council member, said about money for the design.

A capital campaign to raise money for the shelter will be needed, and a nonprofit organization will have to partner with the city to provide services, the task force determined.

OTHER BUDGET PRIORITIES

The 2019 budget includes $16.2 million in capital improvements, 27 new full-time positions and one additional part-time position.

One of the full-time jobs is for a chief building official in the Building Inspection Department. The position’s base pay would be $66,747.

“I really thought we’d be looking at additional building inspectors,” Burckart told Shelli Kerr, interim community and economic development director.

Burckart recalled conversations between council members and planning employees earlier this year about the inability to keep up with the workload because the department is understaffed.

“What we’re wanting to do is basically have a position that could help us in all areas,” Kerr said.

Kerr said she initially considered adding an inspector, but permitting, plan review, building inspections and code enforcement have needs. A chief building official would have experience with more than just inspections, which would allow the inspectors to be in the field more, she explained.

Other positions in the proposed budget include six firefighters with a base pay of $39,139 and two fire inspectors with a base pay of $50,752. The pay for the eight positions would be $336,338 annually.

Large capital improvements include $2.2 million for a seventh fire station, $2 million for a public works maintenance facility and $300,000 for an inclusive playground at Citizens Parks.

The budget also includes a 3 percent cost of living increase for each of the city’s more than 500 employees.