Bentonville City Council & Committee of the Whole Meeting - June 9, 2026

The combined meeting of the Bentonville City Council and Committee of the Whole was held on June 9, 2026, at 6:00 PM at Bentonville City Hall. The Committee of the Whole portion was used to discuss the consent agenda; no public comment was taken. The City Council approved a resolution honoring retiring Police Chief Aaron "Ray" Shastid, adopted a consent agenda covering contracts and public hearing dates, conducted public hearings on four right-of-way and utility easement vacations, and approved a final plat and five rezoning requests. Public comment addressed natural landscaping and pollinator-friendly yards, leading to discussion of a proposed ordinance. Council also received updates from city boards and discussed upcoming revisions to ordinances on noise, natural landscaping, and e-bikes on trails.

Recognition of Chief Aaron "Ray" Shastid

• Item 1: The Council unanimously adopted a resolution recognizing, commending, and congratulating Chief Shastid on his retirement after 23 years with the Bentonville Police Department and over 26 years in law enforcement. The resolution highlighted his leadership, including guiding the department through CALEA accreditation and his service in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. Chief Shastid thanked the Council and credited the officers for the department's success. Mayor also added personal remarks.

Consent Agenda

• Items 2,3,4,5,10,11,12,13,14 were approved en bloc by roll call vote (all ayes). These included:
  • Award of bid IFB-26-28 to Superior Auto Group for a 2027 Ram 2500 for Animal Services ($67,869).
  • Authorization to purchase an E One Rescue Truck (not to exceed $1,306,055 plus taxes) to replace a 2008 Pierce Heavy Rescue.
  • Authorization to exchange a 2024 Fouts Brothers fire truck with Benton County for a 2004 Pierce fire truck.
  • Agreement with Halff Associates for design of the NW 3rd Street Sidepath connecting Elm Tree Trail to Coler Preserve ($211,000).
  • Resolution setting a public hearing for June 23, 2026, on an access easement vacation (VAC26-0007).
  • Resolution setting a public hearing for June 23, 2026, on a right-of-way vacation of Crooked Road (VAC26-0014).
  • Resolution setting a public hearing for June 23, 2026, on a utility easement vacation (VAC26-0029).
  • Amendment #1 with Black & Veatch for South Basin Phase 1, North Branch and Lift Station engineering services ($3,012,902).
  • Agreement with Walter P. Moore & Associates for design and management of East Battlefield and adjacent areas ($4,356,120).

Public Hearings on Right-of-Way and Utility Easement Vacations

• Item 6 (VAC26-0002): Ordinance vacating a right-of-way at Lot 209, Original Town of Bentonville. No public testimony; approved.
• Item 7 (VAC26-0005): Ordinance vacating a right-of-way at Lot 76, Bentonville Original Subdivision. No public testimony; approved.
• Item 8 (VAC26-0011): Ordinance vacating a right-of-way and establishing a utility easement at Lots 3,5,6,10 of Orchard Addition. Applicant Jonathan Barry was present to answer questions; approved.
• Item 9 (VAC26-0013): Ordinance vacating a utility easement at Lot 7, Block 2, Scoggan Subdivision. Taylor Rodriguez of Swope Consulting was present; approved.

Planning and Zoning Items

• Final Plat – Opal Park, Phase 1 (FP25-0011): Approved (north of Regional Airport Blvd, west of Knotty Pine Rd).
• Rezoning – Costello (RZ26-0028): Rezone from T2.1 (Rural) to T3.1 (Neighborhood Edge) at 3205 SW 2nd Street. Approved after staff showed location on a map.
• Rezoning – Barron Road LLC (RZ26-0029): Rezone from T2.1 to T3.2 (Neighborhood Transition) on SW Barron Road. Approved.
• Rezoning – Barron Road LLC (RZ26-0024): Rezone from T2.1 to T4.2 (Neighborhood Node) at 5927 SW Barron Road. Approved.
• Rezoning – Edward L. and Imelda Frail Revocable Trust (RZ26-0017): Rezone from T2.1 to a combination of T4.2, T3.1, and T3.2 on parcels south of Regional Airport Blvd. Staff planner Tyler explained that the original plan was tabled at Planning Commission due to a conflict with the Urban Corridor place type and neighbor concerns. The revised plan adds a T3.1 buffer adjacent to the R1 neighborhood to the east, with T3.2 for single- and two-family and T4.2 along the commercial corridor. Cross-connectivity will be addressed at preliminary plat stage; BLE maps and floodplain will also be considered. Councilmember Octave praised the result as good planning. Approved unanimously.

Public Comments

• Amy Rose (property owner, 804 NW 11th Street) described how her investment property was substantially damaged in the 2024 tornado and subsequently rebuilt. She converted her lawn to native wildflowers to support pollinators and mitigate water runoff, citing a 22% decline in fluttering insects over 20 years. She received a code enforcement violation and urged the Council to pass an ordinance permitting natural landscaping, noting that the Tree and Landscape Board had been working on language for two years and that Fayetteville (2009) and West Fork (2023) had adopted similar measures. She also highlighted stormwater runoff issues. Council members acknowledged her advocacy and stated that a draft natural landscaping ordinance would be discussed in Committee of the Whole in coming weeks. Mayor noted existing Green Building Program provisions allowing rain gardens.

Other Business and Announcements

• Ordinance Revisions Under Development: Mayor reported that the city is working on revisions to the noise ordinance (moving from decibel limits to time-of-day restrictions for amplified sound), a natural landscaping ordinance, and rules for e-motos on trails. Council members expressed support for time-based noise regulation. Enforcement challenges were noted. Council received a draft noise ordinance and the natural landscaping item is expected soon.
• Building Code Amendment: One council member raised a concern about a local amendment requiring 12/2 Romex wiring instead of 14/2 allowed by international codes, estimating a $70,000 cost difference per project. Discussion favored aligning with international standards.
• Board and Committee Updates:
  • Library Board: No report needed.
  • Utility Board: Meeting canceled due to lack of quorum.
  • Traffic and Signage Board: Approved a construction dumpster permit at Central and Somerset, requiring a four-foot sidewalk gap; discussed flood warning signs for Pleasant View neighborhood.
  • Airport Board: Engineering and construction updates provided; AWAS relocation remains challenging; Chairman Baldwin to present to Council.
  • Art Board: Received 32 proposals for Water Tower Road roundabout art installations.
  • ATAB: Scheduled for later in the week.
• Open House: Airport hangar open house on June 18, 4-7 PM.
• Council Attendance: Three council members noted they will be absent on June 23, 2026, affecting voting eligibility.

Key Outcomes

• All agenda items received unanimous approval. No opposition or abstentions were recorded.
• The consent agenda was adopted, authorizing the contracts and setting three public hearings for June 23, 2026.
• Four right-of-way/utility easement vacation ordinances (Items 6-9) were adopted.
• One final plat and five rezoning ordinances were adopted (FP25-0011, RZ26-0028, RZ26-0029, RZ26-0024, RZ26-0017).
• The resolution recognizing Chief Shastid was adopted.
• The Council initiated discussion on potential code amendments concerning noise, natural landscaping, e-bikes/e-motos, and electrical wiring; staff will bring drafts for further consideration.