City council tables member selection, trails agreement

The Bella Vista City Council tabled a trail license agreement and a resolution to appoint a council member to replace Brian Bahr during its regular meeting Monday, July 23.

The council voted to table a resolution appointing a new member to the city council, who would fill a vacancy in Ward 3, Position 2 created by Brian Bahr’s resignation in June.

The vote came in at 3-2, with mayor Christie casting a “yes” vote to allow the motion to carry. Council members Linda Lloyd, Jim Wozniak and Frank Anderson voted in favor of tabling the resolution while Doug Fowler and John Flynn voted against tabling it.

During the July 16 work session, the council interviewed seven candidates, including Steven Bourke, James R. “Jim” Hall, John A.M. (Jack) Kelly, Stan Moore, J.B. Portillo, Dick Schrad and Richard L. Taylor. All of these candidates said that they would run for re-election if appointed to this seat.

Anderson, who made the motion, said he wanted to appoint someone once the election is passed in November, at which point the council can choose whoever wins the election.

“It did not seem to me that we five people on this city council should be influencing in any way who gets elected,” he said.

Flynn said he disagreed and believed that the council had a responsibility to appoint someone both legally and because the council accepted applications and conducted interviews. People expect a decision, he said.

“I think Arkansas law is pretty clear that we need to appoint someone,” he said. “Besides that, we told everybody we were going

to appoint someone.”

Fowler said he agreed with Flynn’s assessment.

“I went away from that work session fully prepared to make a decision … I’m ready to move forward with this resolution tonight,” he said.

Lloyd said she could see both sides of this discussion, but some lessinformed voters may simply vote for the incumbent selected by city council.

Wozniak said he preferred to wait for election results. Moreover, he said, this isn’t leaving the seat empty for a particularly long time.

The council also looked at a proposed license agreement between the city and the POA that would allow the city to lease a portion of land from the POA for trails to be built in the city’s central portion. This would be a separate document from the current agreement the city has for the Back 40 trail system, which sits on the east side of the city.

Mayor Peter Christie said that the way this has been presented has been confusing and he’d like to see the resolution tabled so a more clear agreement can be built.

That should avoid confusion with multiple documents and any complications that may come from adopting things that are already adopted, he said. It’s important to note, he said, that the city was not discussing an additional $35,000 in maintenance costs; that is a number that was taken from the existing agreement.

City staff attorney Jason Kelley will be working with Erin Rushing, director of NWA Trailblazers, to build a new agreement, he said.

“Clear as mud, I’m sure,” Christie said.

The council also voted in favor of $47,124.20 in funding for police equipment, a $126,404.93 dump truck for the street department and a $168,000 bid for a sand and salt storage building on Trafalgar Road.