Bella Vista doesn’t need its POA

With our rolling hills, majestic trees, pristine lakes, various forms of wildlife and low crime rate, Bella Vista could become our very own Shangri-La. If we could only get rid of the Architectural Control Committee (ACC) and the current Property Owners Association (POA) with the POA’s CEO getting an annual take-home salary of $305,642 and his staff pulling down annual salaries in the six figures, we

could put that money to the better use of the residents of Bella Vista.

We don’t need the ACC; our City Council should be directed to follow the will of the residents as to setting the policies of our city ordinances (i.e. whether white houses or white fences should be allowed).

We do need neighborhood POAs. Each lake and golf course needs its own POA, if for no other reason than to form a neighborhood watch group to prevent unwanted individuals from passing through their property. Another reason is that not all neighborhoods’ wishlists are the same. For example, some golfers in the Highlands have said they would like to turn one of the golf courses into a nationally recognized premier golf course. On the opposite side of town, people in the Metfield area are not interested in creating a national golf course, they simply want to keep the natural beauty of their area and not have it turned into a concrete parking lot.

Each neighborhood POA should have their own unsalaried president and board members and decide what their priorities, monthly or annual assessments should be. This is not an unreasonable plan; in fact, this is the model plan of most cities in America.

Bella Vista is not utopia if 5- and 6-year-old children have to get on a school bus about 6:15 each morning to go to Bentonville to attend class. The children spend two hours of their school day just riding a bus and that goes on for the next 12 years of their early life. Their ability to learn is probably hampered by sleep deprivation and perhaps lack of nutrition. The two conflicting issues here are that the POA is more concerned about attracting nonmember golfers from who knows where to spend their money on our golf courses, while neglecting the educational needs of our children. The POA is all about money, money, money.

JIM PARSONS Bella Vista