Rezones, appointments among CC work session agenda topics

Members of the Bella Vista City Council prepped for next Monday’s regular session with a work session on Monday night at the District Courtroom, a work session that detailed the regular session agenda, which contains five ordinances and five resolutions on which the Council will vote.

The first ordinance waives the requirements of formal competitive bidding and authorizes a contract with Superior Automotive Group in the total amount of $74,570 for the purchase of two 2023 Dodge Charger police vehicles for use by the Bella Vista Police Department. The vehicles will replace two existing vehicles.

The second ordinance will amend Section 28-1 Sewer connections-required of the Code of Ordinances of the city of Bella Vista to require a sanitary sewer connection when service becomes available within 100 feet of a house lot or adjoining lot, and for other purposes.

Mayor John D. Flynn submitted the ordinance.

“In a prior month I had mentioned, or suggested, that the ordinance would be within 100 feet in any direction, which is what Village Wastewater asked for and now it says 100 feet in the front yard,” he said. “There are people where the sewer is right in the backyard or on the side because our streets are so unusual.”

The final three ordinances on the agenda deal with rezoning requests being made by the Bella Vista Property Owners Association and Chief Operating Officer Tom Judson.

Parcel No. 1 is for property at the Metfield Cart Barn with a request to rezone it from P-1, Conservation District to C-1, Neighborhood Commercial District.

Parcel No. 2 is for property at Riordan Hall with a request to rezone it from R-1, Residential Single Family District to C-1, Neighborhood Commercial District.

Parcel No. 3 is for property on the west side of the Riordan Hall location, which is currently the site of the Riordan Hall playground, and the request is to rezone this property from R-1, Residential Single-Family District to C-1, Neighborhood Commercial District.

The first three resolutions on the agenda call for approval of appointments made by Flynn to the Bella Vista Arts Council and Bella Vista Tree Advisory Board.

The first appointment is of Gina Porter to the Arts Council

for a three-year term ending April 22, 2026. The second is of Elizabeth Duncan to Position 5 on the Tree Advisory Board for a three-year term ending May 1, 2026. The third is of Graham Edwards to Position 4 on the Tree Advisory Board for a three-year term ending May 1, 2026.

The fourth resolution to be considered authorizes the mayor and city clerk to enter into a contract with Garrett Excavating, Inc., in an amount not to exceed $1,247,056.10 for asphalt street resurfacing (hot mix overlay), while the fifth authorizes the mayor and city clerk to enter into Amendment No. 1 to the contract with Hight Jackson Associates, PA, in the amount of $49,350 related to large-scale development requirements for the Street Department was bay to be located next to the Street Department’s offices on Forest Hills Boulevard.

The Council also had four items on the work session agenda. All were scheduled to be discussed at the end of the meeting before its adjournment, but one of the items, a discussion of the city’s financial statements led by Finance Director Kim Hall, was moved to the first item on the work session agenda.

The other discussion items included:

• Setting up Street and Wastewater/Septic Committees

• Citizen request for review of current parking ordinance

• Re-organizing citizen input section of meetings based on agenda items (suggestion from public input from March meeting)

The regular session is scheduled for Monday, April 24, at 6:30 p.m.