Happy Holidays Community Members!
I hope you all have a safe and joyous holiday season. See you in the new year!
Local Events
No specific callouts - just going to encourage everyone to explore the outdoors and spend some meaningful time with friends/family over the holiday season. Recharge those batteries!
Municipal Government Awareness
Bella Vista
Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Jan. 21 at 5:30 p.m. (2483 Forest Hills Blvd) - work session; first meeting with newly elected council members
Items of Note:
The city has a new app! Search Apple or Android app stores for “City of Bella Vista” and download for free to your smartphone.
Bentonville
Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Jan. 14 at 6 p.m. (305 SW A St.)
Items of Note:
Applications are now being accepted for a Bentonville position on the XNA - NWA National Airport Authority Board of Directors. The deadline to apply is Thursday, January 2, 2025. Interested residents should fill out the online application HERE.
Learn more about the Bentonville City Clerk role and it’s current elected representative, Malorie Marrs, in Heather McCombs reporting for The Bentonville Bulletin HERE.
The city is reviewing the current water system costs to evaluate if rates will need to be changed in the near future; read Heather McComb’s recap of the city council discussion from earlier this month in the Bentonville Bulletin HERE
Cave Springs
Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Jan. 14 at 6:30 p.m. (134 N. Main St.) - Work Session
Centerton
Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Jan. 14 at 6 p.m. (210 Municipal Dr.)
Items of Note:
A position is open on the Centerton Planning Commission to serve until June 30, 2027; after which, the position may be extended for a 3-year term. The City of Centerton is accepting applications until Monday January 6, 2025 (5:00 PM). Applicant must live within the incorporated city limits or planning area of the City of Centerton. Regular meetings are held on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday at 6:00 PM of each month with compensation pay of $200 per meeting. Learn more HERE.
Decatur
Next Council Mtng: Monday, Jan. 13
Items of Note:
Decatur’s Chamber of Commerce President, Cody Tosta, was appointed by the mayor to the Ward 3, Position 2, vacant city council position. He’s replacing John “Mike” Price, who had moved out of the ward. All Decatur city council positions are two year terms.
Gravette
Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Jan. 14 at 5:30 p.m. (202 Main St. NE) - Committee of the Whole
Lowell
Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Jan. 21 at 6:30 p.m. (216 N. Lincoln St.)
Items of Note:
From Gael Langdon in the NWA Dem Gazz, “The Bishop Vineyards subdivision is under development on 33.39 acres on Old Wire Road. There are 191 lots for single-family homes in the three-phase development plan, according to Planning and Community Development Director Karen Davis”
Pea Ridge
Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Jan. 14 at 5:30 p.m. (911 Weston St.) - Committee of the Whole
Items of Note:
If you have a subscription to NWA Dem Gazz, read Annette Beard’s reporting about 11 year old Ben Davenport, “Boy’s passion for pickles leads to playground purchase in Pea Ridge”
The Garage Youth Center will be open to kids ages 12-17 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Dec. 26, 30, 31 & Jan. 2 & 3rd (make sure your teen is registered HERE)
Rogers
Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Jan. 14 at 6 p.m. (301 W. Chestnut)
Items of Note:
Pro soccer stadium will be built in a different location than originally planned, read more from Jeff Della Rosa in Talk Business & Politics HERE
Siloam Springs
Next Directors Mtng: Tuesday, Jan. 7 at 6:30 p.m. (400 N. Broadway)
Springdale
Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Jan. 14 at 6 p.m. (201 Spring St.)
Items of Note:
Read more about the $50 million pickleball facility planning to be built in Springdale from Jeff Della Rosa in Talk Business and Politics HERE
Alex Golden from Axios NW Arkansas broke down Springdale’s recently approved 2025 budget HERE
City Clerk/Treasurer Denise Pearce will retire at the end of the month after serving the city for a total of 46 years, including 29 years as the appointed and then elected City Clerk/Treasurer. Read more HERE.
County Government Awareness
The Greater Bentonville Area Chamber of Commerce held a luncheon last Tuesday for an economic development panel with representatives from Bella Vista, Bentonville, Centerton, and Pea Ridge. Read the recap of the items of focus for the mayors of each of those towns in Kim Souza’s coverage for Talk Business and Politics HERE.
Benton County Quorum Court
During last week’s Quorum Court meeting, the justices unanimously voted to accept $100k grant from the Walton Family Foundation to assess the county’s response to the Memorial weekend storms.
Upcoming County Government meetings at the Admin Building in downtown Bentonville:
Quorum Court Organizational Meeting - Jan. 2 at 6 p.m.
Finance Committee Meeting - Jan. 14 at 6 p.m.
State Government Awareness
95th General Legislative Assembly:
Here are some additional filed bills to keep an eye on in the coming weeks
SB12 from Sen. B. King (R-Green Forrest) - an act amending Arkansas’s Freedom of Information Act to ensure communications with members of the Board of Apportionment are considered public record <CEJ commentary: good FOIA bill>
HB1060 from Rep. Scott Richardson (R-Bentonville) and Sen. Jim Dotson (R-Bentonville) - an act requiring the “perils of communism and autocratic governments” to be taught in public schools. <CEJ commentary: I cannot roll my eyes hard enough at this one; they’re in a hurry too - set to be implemented for this school year (2024-25) and they want the instruction unit to be taught annually for 7-12 graders and focused on Soviets/Russia, China, North Korea and Argentina>
HB1063 from Rep. J. Mayberry (R-Hensley) - amends existing Arkansas code § 20-3-103(4) to extend the disability certification for an individual who becomes blind or disabled to the age of 46 from 26. <CEJ commentary: this will expand eligibility to the Arkansas ABLE tax-advantage savings program>
HB1069 from Rep. S. Meeks (R-Greenbrier) - an act for Arkansas to observe standard time year round and to no longer participate in daylight savings time
And for a bit of fun: HB1070 from Rep. John Carr (R-Rogers) - creates standardized rules for candidate draw order for each county ballot. <CEJ commentary: I think this bill exists because of me 🤭- I may have drawn #1 ballot positions for multiple Dem candidate draws since 2018>
Governor Sanders:
Latest news from the governor’s office:
Governor’s press release for the following appointments to position vacancies due to the November General Election can be read fully HERE; these are the highlights
Cole Jester (27 years old) will serve as Secretary of State for the remainder of Thurston’s term (2 years)
Supreme Court Justice Cody Hiland will be reappointed to fill yet another vacancy on the court - this one from Justice Hudson Goodson (who was elected to a different Supreme Court seat early this year); this position will be up for election in 2026
Solicitor General Nicholas Bronni will take Justice Baker’s position as she moves to the Chief Justice position; this position will be up for election in 2026
From Worth Sparkman’s reporting in Axios NW Arkansas, “Gov. Sarah Sanders unveils plan to save Arkansas $300M” - <CEJ Commentary: I think a healthy bit of skepticism is warranted from the savings “found” by consulting firm McKinsey & Co>
From Tess Vrbin at The Arkansas Advocate, “USDA should prohibit “junk food” purchases with SNAP benefits, Arkansas governor says - State officials will seek federal waiver to incentivize using food stamps to buy fresh, locally grown foods”
Prisons:
The current plan to build the new 3,000 bed prison in rural Franklin County has generated outrage from county residents. The organization For AR People has published a Franklin County Coalition Guide for Arkansans interested in joining the effort to oppose the construction of the facility in Franklin County.
Keep up with important prison related items:
Read Worth Sparkman’s reporting in Axios NWA, “Staff turnover is staggering in Arkansas' prison system” and
Read Tess Vrbin’s reporting in The Arkansas Advocate, “Arkansas Department of Corrections set to spend up to $5.2M on overtime pay, pending final approval” - and ask yourself if we’re already having trouble staffing existing prisons….
Read Rich Shumate’s opinion piece published in The Arkansas Advocate, “Arkansas prison opponents demonstrate value, strength of public records law -State FOIA helps Franklin County Davids stand up to state Goliath”
Election Information
Spring School Board Elections
I know you’re not going to believe this, but the next election filing period is coming up soon! Spring school board elections for at least one position in all school districts in Benton County (except Bentonville) will be held May 13, 2025.
Candidates are eligible to file to run from noon on Feb. 24 - noon on Mar. 3. Candidates must be registered to vote in the school zone, collect 20 signatures from voters in that same zone, and not work for the school district. More details HERE.
All positions (unless indicated otherwise) will serve 5 years and are unpaid 😦.
Positions up for election in 2025: Decatur Zone 1, Decatur Zone 4 (term exp. 2029), Gentry Zone 1, Gravette Zone 2, Gravette Zone 4, Pea Ridge Zone 2, Pea Ridge Zone 3 (exp. 2026), Rogers Zone 3, Rogers Zone 5, and Siloam Springs Zone 5
Hickory Creek Fire Department
The Quorum Court will likely approve an ordinance calling for a special election for the Hickory Creek Fire Department to raise dues from $40 to $100 annually. Sound familiar? This is the same question voters weighed in on last month. The vote split was 57 for and 57 against. Since there was no majority, the requested increase failed. The item will appear on ballots in the fire department coverage area (east of Lowell/Beaver Lake) again on May 13th.
Hot Off the Press!
A federal judge has struck down sections 1 & 5 of Arkansas’s Act 372 of 2023. This legislation from Dan Sullivan (R-Jonesboro) was the one allowing criminal charges to be brought against librarians and booksellers who provide “harmful” materials to minors. Read Worth Sparkman’s recap in Axios NW Arkansas, “Federal judge declares part of Arkansas' library obscenity law unconstitutional”.
Odds & Ends
Read Axios reporting (including local reporter Worth Sparkman), “Meatpacking industry supports Trump but braces for deportation fallout”
Check out the Bitter Southerner piece from Boyce Upholt, “The Wonderful River of Oz - America’s wealthiest family has long been refurbishing its hometown of Bentonville, Arkansas. But when the Waltons cast their eyes east, toward one of the most beloved rivers in the Ozarks, they found themselves in troubled waters.”
In case you needed a reason to throw your phone, read Peter Wade in Rolling Stone, "Absent GOP Congresswoman Found in Assisted Living Home: Report - Rep. Kay Granger has not cast a single vote in Congress since late July”
For the civics nerds (I found this fascinating), from Drew Penrose and Deborah Apau on the If You Can Keep It Substack, “Where will they all sit? An interactive vision for an expanded, modernized House of Representatives”
From Canopy NWA, read about a Syrian refuge who arrived almost a year ago and is living in NWA, “A Journey of Resilience: A Conversation with Abdullah Over Tea”