Bentonville City Council & Committee of the Whole Meeting - February 10, 2026

The Bentonville City Council convened on February 10, 2026, beginning with a Committee of the Whole session for discussion, followed by the City Council business meeting where official votes were taken. The main focus of discussion was the proposed wholesale water contract with the Bella Vista Village Property Owner's Association. The Council also approved a series of consent agenda items, including resolutions and ordinances related to public art policy, a grant for the 18th Street Sidepath, budget adjustments, and utility board matters.

Consent Calendar

The Council approved the following items as part of the consent agenda (all votes were unanimous unless noted):

• Resolution supporting a commemorative America 250 art project
• Resolution setting a public hearing for a drainage easement vacation (VAC25-0031)
• Appointment of Trae Basore to the Advertising & Promotion Commission
• Resolution accepting a $20,000 donation from PetIQ for Animal Services
• Resolution accepting a $280,657 grant from the Walton Family Foundation for 18th Street Sidepath design
• Resolution to enter into an agreement with Toole Design ($280,657) for 18th Street Sidepath design
• Resolution approving a change order with GTS, Inc. ($23,677.30) for parks maintenance facility testing
• Resolution authorizing purchase of a Turf Tank field painter ($59,225)
• Resolution to enter into an agreement with TischlerBise for an impact fee study ($74,110)
• Utility Board Resolution authorizing engineering services for South Basin Lift Station, Phase I ($2,710,773)
• Utility Board Resolution approving amendment #2 with Garver LLC ($72,932) for Shewmaker Basin Phase I tree clearing

Discussion Items

The primary discussion item was the Bella Vista Village Property Owner's Association wholesale water contract during the Committee of the Whole. Key points included:

• Staff presented analysis of the proposed contract, including a $50,000 per month base rate, a 10% markup on the wholesale water cost, a 5.25 million gallons per day maximum, and a 10-year term with a five-year rate review.
• Council members expressed concerns about whether the rate adequately covers future capital costs (e.g., transmission main replacement, which staff estimated at $2.5 million annually system-wide, with 17.5% attributable to Bella Vista) and whether Bentonville's retail customers might be subsidizing Bella Vista's rates.
• Some members noted that Bella Vista's wholesale rate would be approximately 45% lower than their alternative supplier (Two Ton), raising questions about fairness.
• Staff clarified that the cap on daily usage is based on Bella Vista's current share of infrastructure capacity, and future system upgrades are driven by Bentonville's own growth, not Bella Vista's.
• The Council directed staff to re-examine the base rate calculation with the consultant to ensure all relevant costs are included and to bring back a revised contract at the next meeting. No vote was taken on this item.

Key Outcomes

• Approved the consent agenda items as listed above.
• Approved Old Business Item 1: Ordinance amending the Public Art Code (unanimous).
• Approved Old Business Item 2: Resolution adopting the Public Art Policy (unanimous).
• Approved New Business Item 5: Ordinance waiving competitive bidding for fire department uniforms from Galls, LLC ($165,741.08) with an emergency clause (unanimous).
• Approved Planning Item 1: Property line adjustment for Lot 26, Mauck-Block Addition (unanimous).
• Approved Planning Item 2: Final plat of Phase 1, Azalea Place Subdivision (unanimous).
• Deferred decision on the Bella Vista contract; staff will return at the next meeting with revised rate calculations.
• Noted that Item IV.10 (resolution pulled) was removed from the agenda.