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Record of Proceedings

Bentonville Combined COW & City Council Summary - December 22, 2025

Combined Committee of the Whole & City Council — Monday, December 22, 2025
BodyBentonville, Arkansas
SessionCombined Committee of the Whole & City Council
DateMonday, December 22, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 3:37:41

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording. Names come from transcript evidence. “Possibly” marks uncertain attribution.

Unassigned speaker

0:10

I

Speaker 1

0:10

don't even understand if I need to get minute

Speaker 2

0:12

warning.

Speaker 1

0:21

Yeah.

0:22

So

Speaker 3

0:24

I can say

Speaker 1

0:28

yeah, they're not really fun ages.

0:29

I really I really enjoyed them this time around.

0:36

Anyway, where Abby?

Speaker 3

0:38

Bring that as many people.

Speaker 1

0:40

Where is there's something?

0:45

When I'm there to get uh the cemetery, like not uh watch the news.

0:56

I guess like the I guess the sugar or the

Speaker 3

1:01

map similar to

Speaker 1

1:03

little figure free thing and then uh

Speaker 3

1:11

zone here, but I couldn't remember what nine

Speaker 1

1:14

ten

Unassigned speaker

1:16

some

Speaker 1

1:16

of the water bonded from some of the actually things some of this stuff, yeah, all around the line.

1:26

Well, hopefully we have staff that or not they can answer questions is all I mean even

Kat Anderson · Speaker 4Inferred

1:34

my friends

Speaker 1

1:35

that live in college.

Speaker 5

1:38

I don't

Speaker 1

1:39

think

Speaker 6

1:44

it ran away.

Speaker 1

1:51

Like

Speaker 6

1:54

last time she was looking for a parking

Unassigned speaker

1:56

place.

Unassigned speaker

1:57

Well,

Speaker 5

1:57

the way it is out there right now, there's no spot.

Speaker 7

2:10

In a good way,

Speaker 1

2:10

yeah.

2:11

Oh nice, okay.

2:12

That's what I was like, oh goodness.

2:14

We're um we're home the rest of the we went up to Springfield this past weekend to do family Christmas up there, and then we could that's it.

2:28

Um is this from?

Unassigned speaker

2:30

But that was my first thing.

Speaker 1

2:33

It's it's a nice one.

2:35

Well,

Speaker 6

2:37

we've got it in the mini here to talk

Speaker 1

2:38

about.

Speaker 8

2:43

You know, my

Speaker 6

2:44

sweet.

Unassigned speaker

2:45

I don't think a few days and then come up with competing with the ice do we're in all the week now.

Speaker 8

2:54

I'm seeing people here.

2:55

I don't put out a few million

Speaker 6

2:59

or goes in.

Unassigned speaker

3:02

It is

Speaker 8

3:02

sort of

Speaker 9

3:05

I do it for you might be chamfered in my granddaughter's girls count for Europe.

Unassigned speaker

3:14

They've been saying so we'll just leave it as it is, maybe that one's uh oh, I was gonna say the mic sign on that's not all the teenagers all of us elected if you're not just get you a piece of edges and stuff like that.

Speaker 1

3:36

Have to turn in a statement of financial interest for

Speaker 2

3:40

Paul is to order welcome to the Batonville City Council meeting for December 22nd.

Speaker 1

3:45

Campaign control

Speaker 2

3:46

if you will please um join me in the pledge of allegiance and remaining for a moment of silence for um for our military

Sharon Bell · Speaker 10Inferred

3:54

I pledge allegiance to the

Speaker 6

3:57

United States of America and for which it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty justice.

Speaker 2

4:22

Thank you.

Speaker 1

4:29

Sanchez Patterson Acri Present here, suitor here, Agnew here cart,

Speaker 5

4:39

here

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Water And Wastewater Management████████████████████████24%
Public Engagement███████████████████19%
Procedural████████████12%
Engineering And Infrastructure████████████12%
Environmental Protection██████6%
Parks and Recreation█████5%
Budget Equity Analysis█████5%
Public Transportation████4%
Historic Preservation████4%
Summary of Proceedings

Combined Committee of the Whole & City Council Meeting Summary

The City of Bentonville held a combined Committee of the Whole and City Council meeting on December 22, 2025, at Bentonville City Hall. Key topics included the 2026 Ozark Regional Transit agreement, the Little Sugar Creek dam removal project, a significant wastewater development fee, and a revenue bond financed by the Alice L. Walton Foundation. The council also recognized outgoing board members and passed several consent agenda items.

Consent Calendar

  • Library Advisory Board: Reappointment of Michele Stamps Pritchett (second term, 2026-2030) and appointments of Roland Smith and Jennifer Doherty (first terms, 2026-2030).
  • Purchase of Parks Vehicles: Authorized the purchase of five vehicles from the state contract for $228,594.
  • C Street Sidepath Project: Authorized a $222,150 design services agreement with Crafton, Tull & Associates.
  • Bright Road Extension: Authorized a Master Development Agreement with ADAF Bentonville, LLC.
  • Downtown Bentonville Inc. Agreement: Approved an ordinance waiving competitive bidding for event production services for 2026 (passed unanimously).

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Little Sugar Creek Restoration (Items 8-10): Bobby Martin spoke in support, citing the expertise of WCRC. Sharon Bell questioned the city's role and financial exposure.
  • Wastewater Development Fee (Items 11-13): Extensive testimony was heard, predominantly from developers and the Northwest Arkansas Home Builders Association. Speakers overwhelmingly requested the council table the vote. While expressing support for solving capacity issues, they cited a rushed process, lack of clarity on commercial fees, the damaging impact on affordability, and the burden of paying the fee before construction permits are issued. Kat Anderson (NWA HBA) noted that a $1,000 increase in home prices prices out roughly 215 buyers. Other speakers included Jeremy Goucher, Alexandra Torrado, Mary McGetrick, and Bill Butler.

Discussion Items

  • Ozark Regional Transit Agreement (Committee of the Whole): Joel from ORT presented the 2026 contract. Councilmembers Hook and Burkhart raised questions about paratransit equity, service areas, and contract payment clauses. Burkhart successfully negotiated for Saturday service provisions to be included in a broader first-quarter service review rather than being fixed in the contract.
  • Little Sugar Creek Dam Removal (Items 8-10): David Wright (Parks) delivered a detailed presentation on the project history. The primary debate was whether to keep a section of the old spillway for historical preservation or fully remove it for hydraulic efficiency. Councilmember Agnew supported preservation, while Burkhart advocated for a fully efficient design. Wright stated he "51% agrees" with removing the structure for efficiency. A compromise was reached.
  • Wastewater Development Fee & Revenue Bond (Items 11-13): Staff presented a plan to address critical sewer capacity using a $239 million bond from the Alice L. Walton Foundation, paid back via development fees ($7,867/ERU). Councilmember Burkhart and others grilled staff on the fee methodology, the timing of payments, the exclusion of smaller diameter pipes, and the impact on affordable housing. Staff defended the fee as the best available option to unblock four stagnant development basins. Mayor Stephanie and Councilmember Burkhart argued that tabling the item would kill the opportunity and halt progress.

Key Outcomes

  • ORT Agreement: Staff will revise the agreement based on committee feedback and bring it back for a final vote.
  • Little Sugar Creek Project (Items 8, 9, 10): All three resolutions passed 6-2 (Acri and Agnew opposed). Staff was directed to work with WCRC over the next 30 days to explore the feasibility of completely removing the historical dam spillway from the floodway and report back to the council.
  • Wastewater Development Fee (Item 12): The ordinance approving the fee structure passed 7-1 (Acri opposed). Council committed to annual reviews to assess the fee's impact.
  • Wastewater Development Fee Revenue Bond (Item 13): The ordinance authorizing the $239 million bond with the Alice L. Walton Foundation passed 7-1 (Acri opposed).

Meeting Transcript

I don't even understand if I need to get minute warning. Yeah. So I can say yeah, they're not really fun ages. I really I really enjoyed them this time around. Anyway, where Abby? Bring that as many people. Where is there's something? When I'm there to get uh the cemetery, like not uh watch the news. I guess like the I guess the sugar or the map similar to little figure free thing and then uh zone here, but I couldn't remember what nine ten some of the water bonded from some of the actually things some of this stuff, yeah, all around the line. Well, hopefully we have staff that or not they can answer questions is all I mean even my friends that live in college. I don't think it ran away. Like last time she was looking for a parking place. Well, the way it is out there right now, there's no spot. In a good way, yeah. Oh nice, okay. That's what I was like, oh goodness. We're um we're home the rest of the we went up to Springfield this past weekend to do family Christmas up there, and then we could that's it. Um is this from? But that was my first thing. It's it's a nice one. Well, we've got it in the mini here to talk about. You know, my sweet. I don't think a few days and then come up with competing with the ice do we're in all the week now. I'm seeing people here. I don't put out a few million or goes in. It is sort of I do it for you might be chamfered in my granddaughter's girls count for Europe.

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