City council orders cabins razed

The city council, on Monday, unanimously approved resolutions to table a proposal to drop out of an agreement to buy a portion of Centerton’s water system until the Aug. 26 meeting.

A pair of resolutions give the owners of the properties at 9386 Suits Us Drive and 9390 Suits Us Drive 30 days to remove structures the city describes as “dilapidated and unsafe.”

Mayor Peter Christie said the property owners had asked for additional time to dismantle one structure to build another.

“They are asking that we give them time, up to and including the weekend of labor day, when they are saying they will be completed,” he said. “They would like to build, or rebuild 9390 using the wood salvaged from 9386.”

Council member John Flynn said that, in cases like these, the council has granted more time in the past but it never amounts to anything.

“What’s happened with these so far … is the city has messed around with these people forever,” he said. “They come and say something sympathetic, and council feels bad and gives them more time. And after the more time … they never come through. I’ve never seen it happen.”

Council member Steve Bourke said that, while he would prefer to see the buildings fixed than removed, these properties have not been addressed for years.

“The property owners, in this case, have neglected these properties, not for a little bit,” Bourke said. “There seems to be no action behind the words of these property owners.”

Council member Doug Fowler said that it’s time for something to be done with these buildings.

“It’s time to get this done. They’re dilapidated, they’re unsafe, they’re continuing to deteriorate,” he said.

A motion to table a resolution to back out of a proposed purchase of Centerton’s water system passed 4-1-1, with Flynn abstaining and council member Jim Wozniak voting against it.

Christie said discussions for the sale have been going on for years and the city was working with Gravette to purchase a portion of the water system that starts at the intersection of Arkansas 72 and Arkansas 279, extending into Bella Vista and going down Rogers Road and Highlands Road as well as the area near the Bella Vista court facility.

“The original thought was that, with the opening of the bypass, there could be retail opportunities on that corridor, which may still be true,” he said.

The pipes in that area alongside Arkansas 279 are undersized, he said, and would need to be replaced at a cost of roughly $2 million.

Additionally, the sale has been put off by litigation between Gravette and Centerton in which Gravette is seeking to force Centerton to sell to it rather than Bella Vista.

“In the meantime, things have changed here,” he said. “We have put together a comprehensive five-year capital project plan.”

There are plans to replace Fire Station No. 3, he said, which could be covered by the projected costs of expanding the water system, and several other projects are on the list.

The city has a very limited commercial tax base, he said, and it needs to use that money in the public’s best interest.

The small customer base, coupled with the city’s costs, could also lead to increased water rates because the city can’t legally operate the water system at a loss, he said.

“It has to be self-sustaining,”

Christie said. “The 70-odd people that are on this at the moment would see a tremendous increase in their rates. And frankly, I don’t think that’s fair.”

Council member John Flynn said it’s an extremely complex topic.

“We’ve all spent a lot of time studying this and it’s a difficult decision,” he said. “There are so many costs with this and so many hurdles and some of the benefits are so speculative.”

Flynn said he suspects maybe 10% of the general public would vote to buy the water system if it was a ballot issue, and perhaps the best option is to back out without racking up additional costs.

Council member Linda Lloyd said backing out could make it more difficult to expand the city’s commercial tax base in the future.

Council member Doug Fowler said he agreed — the city needs to find avenues for revenue growth to keep up with its growing population.

“We’re boxed in as a city,” he said. “We’ve had virtually no commercial growth.”

It’s important, he said, for Bella Vista to examine every option and every aspect of this prospect very closely before making a decision, and to think further ahead.

Council member Larry Wilms said he believes the water system purchase is important to the city’s ability to develop in the future.

“That’s probably the source of our largest opportunity for increasing revenue,” he said.

Property tax isn’t a huge moneymaker, he said, and if the city wants to build its revenue, it needs to increase sales tax opportunities.

Council member Jim Wozniak said the purchase could cost the city a fair amount of money and it’s hard to say when the water system will be able to pay for itself.

“How long are we going to have to subsidize this before we come anywhere close to breaking even?” he asked.