JPs to hear options for Open Space Plan

FAYETTEVILLE — Justices of the peace will hear options tonight about how Washington County can raise money to pay for land conservation.

Elizabeth Bowen, project manager with the Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission, plans to answer questions about the Northwest Arkansas Open Space Plan at the Quorum Court meeting.

The plan is meant to protect natural, cultural and otherwise significant property from rapid development, according to the commission’s website.

The Trust for Public Land released its funding study last month. The three best options, according to the report, are capital improvement bonds, sales tax and property taxes.

The Quorum Court could ask voters to approve a special-purpose sales tax for land conservation. For example, a .25 percent sales tax would raise nearly $10 million per year. Another option is to increase the property millage rate. Raising the rate from 3.9 mills to 4.8 mills would raise about $3.4 million per year, the study shows. That option doesn’t require voter approval.

Justices of the peace decided not to raise the millage rate last year. The option was brought up to help plug a $5 million shortfall in this year’s $68 million budget.

The commission is still gathering data, Bowen said.

The next step will be a poll to gauge public interest, she said.

“This report helps us to be a few steps closer to determining if [the plan’s] feasible or not,” Bowen said. “It’s just data. We are not recommending anything.”

Benton and Washington counties’ leaders in early 2016 endorsed the Northwest Arkansas Open Space Plan, which has a detailed map of the parks, woods, streams and pastures holding the most value to the region’s people and wildlife. As of July, cities and other groups had bought or been given at least 1,000 acres to conserve.

No decision on funding is expected yet, but at least two justices of the peace said they are skeptical about the options.

The county already has a list of needs, said Justice of the Peace Eva Madison, a Democrat representing northeastern Fayetteville.

Justice of the Peace Harvey Bowman, a Republican representing northern Springdale, said setting aside land is admirable, but Washington County is trying to balance its budget.

Also, it’s unclear who owns the property once it’s donated, said Justice of the Peace Tom Lundstrum, a Republican representing northwestern Washington County. Lundstrum has voted against the plan previously.

“I think we’ll be able to make it without some little group of people owning a bunch of land,” Lundstrum said.