Regular meetings of the City Council and Planning Commission are streamed live and archived on YouTube HERE

Congratulations to Bella Vista for receiving the Arkansas Business Trendsetter City award for the infrastructure category at the Arkansas Municipal League's Winter Conference in Little Rock. The city won this year for the Street Department's use of the Asphalt Zipper. This is the third year Bella Vista has been named a Trendsetter City

As an FYI: Bentonville Water Utilities has partnered with a leak detection company. The leak detection team will be wearing city-issued IDs and will be working across the utility coverage area.

At this week’s meeting, the mayor will request approval to appoint Kevin Barrington to position 2 on the Board of Adjustment (term ending Dec. 2029)

At this week’s meeting, the council will review the Planning Commission approved Future Land Use Map (discussion and review only); read more about the latest version of the plan from Heather McCombs at The Bentonville Bulletin HERE

The Gravette Fire Department is requesting a special election (May 13) to levy voluntary annual dues on property in the fire department service area outside of city limits. The due will be $50 for each property with a livable structure and $35 for properties without. Read more from Thomas Saccente in the NWA Dem Gazz HERE.

ARDOT to release findings of two highway studies in Northwest Arkansas - One of the three meetings this week will be at Gravette HS on Thursday from 4 - 7 p.m.

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Congratulations to the City of Siloam Springs for being named the 2024 Floodplain Community of the Year by the Arkansas Floodplain Management Association! Read more about the award HERE.

From Tom Sissom’s reporting in the NWA Dem Gazz, “Springdale to save between $7 million and $8 million on westside water projects - Ward said the savings resulted from the use of the "construction manager at-risk" method. Rather than doing the work in-house or soliciting bids, the Water Utility hired a construction manager to work with contractors and suppliers on the project. Once the construction manager has developed his own cost estimates, the company provides the Water Utility with a guaranteed maximum price.”

🚨👎SB3 - Dan Sullivan (R - Jonesboro) - Theoretically this bill aims to prohibit the consideration of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin by any state entity, public school, higher ed institution, or in state procurement, and criminalizes (Class A misdemeanor) any person knowingly violating section 21 of the law.

👍 SJR4 - Sen. J. Boyd 3(R - Fort Smith) - this is a proposed amendment to the state constitution which removes the requirement to hold an annual school election if there are no changes to the school district tax levy. If this proposal is selected as one of the up to 3 amendments allowed by the legislature, voters in 2026 will be able to vote For or Against this change. <CEJ: This is a great cost and time saving measure for counties and school districts. Currently all school districts must pay for an election every year to fill at least one school board position and to have a vote on the current tax levy rate. But if the rate is not changing from what was previously approved, a vote for or against won’t effect the current levy in place regardless of the vote outcome.>

👎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. The bill would be implemented for this school year (2024-25) and the instruction unit would be taught annually for 7-12 graders and focused on Soviets/Russia, China, North Korea and Argentina.

👎HB1139 from Rep. B. McKenzie (R - Rogers) & Sen. J. Bryant (R - Rogers) - Creates an excused absence for students in public/charter school to miss from 1-5 hours a week of regular course time to receive a course in religious moral instruction that is taught by an independent entity <CEJ commentary: That’s a lot of potential missed class time for a student to receive outside training from an UNDEFINED “independent” entity>

👍HB1144 from Rep. J. Wooten (R - Beebe) - Requires private schools receiving vouchers to comply with the same statutory and department of education reporting requirements as public schools

🚨 👎 HB1180 - from multiple representatives and senators - This is the “Baby Olivia Act”; check out the reporting below to learn more about this HORRIFIC bill:

👍HB1197 - S. Meeks (R - Greenbrier) - For public schools, this bill prohibits scheduling, hosting or requiring an outdoor practice, scrimmage, game or extracurricular activity during the hours when the National Weather Service has issued an excessive heat warning

the beginning with Dr. Melissa Zabecki, Arkansas’s State Archeologist

the origin culture with Jazlyn Sanderson, Director of the Museum of Native American History in Bentonville