Bentonville City Council and Committee of the Whole Meeting - October 27, 2026

The City of Bentonville held a combined Committee of the Whole and City Council meeting at 6:00 PM on October 27, 2026, at Bentonville City Hall. The Committee of the Whole was informational; no votes or public comments were taken. The Council then convened, approved the October 13, 2026 meeting minutes, suspended the rule requiring ordinances to be read on three separate days, and proceeded with the agenda. New Business Item 2 was pulled from the agenda.

Committee of the Whole

• Council received an update from Chief Bertrand on noise ordinance and decibel readings. There was discussion about a possible future ordinance amendment to change definitions such as outdoor amplification, but the recommendation was to wait until legal and enforcement questions and proper decibel readings were vetted so a single comprehensive proposal could be brought forward.
• No formal actions were taken during the Committee of the Whole.

Proclamation

• Mayor Stephanie Orman read a proclamation declaring October 4-10, 2026 as Fire Prevention Week in Bentonville, with the 2026 theme Charge into Fire Safety: Safe Charging is a Superpower. The proclamation cited 343,000 residential building fires in 2023, 3,920 civilian fire deaths in the home, 9,330 civilian injuries, billions of dollars in property damage, and a U.S. fire department response to a fire every 23 seconds. It urged residents to practice home fire escape plans.
• Fire department representatives noted they reached about 6,200 students through 15 schools for fire safety education. The Mayor noted the proclamation dates were slightly past because this was the first available meeting.

Consent Calendar

• The consent agenda was approved by one unanimous voice vote. It included, among the items:
  • Resolutions setting public hearings for November 10, 2026, on utility easement vacations VAC26-0044 and VAC26-0045.
  • Budget adjustments for Fire Department personnel and benefits, impact fees for training center improvements at 910 SE 14th Street, animal shelter repairs, and acceptance of an anonymous donation of $1,122,094.47, allocated $400,000 to the Library and $722,094.47 to Animal Services.
  • Adoption of new and revised Bentonville Police Department policies.
  • Airport Advisory Board appointment of Trevor Aldridge and reappointments of Daniel Hughes and Hayes Wade.
  • Airport-related resolutions, including a hangar lease assignment to Cornerstone Advisory Properties LLC; Garver Work Order No. 9 for airport perimeter fence Phase I at $36,500; awards to Anchor Roofing for Eastside Hangar Development Phase I and Phase II; and an agreement with Texas EcoPavers for the West Turf Apron at $153,503.
  • Public works and facility contracts, including Volkert Amendment #2 for the Tiger Boulevard Overpass at $15,490 as read, Steep Creek, LLC for NW Tiger Blvd/NW G Street stormwater improvements at $1,685,727.86, a 2027 Kenworth T480V dump truck with upfit at $388,925.43, and a Walton Donor-Advised Fund grant of $436,217 for tree planting, installation, and watering.
  • Awards and leases, including the Elm Tree Sidepath award to J&L Concrete and Excavation, Inc.; a Morning Star Schoolhouse ground lease with Oak Landing Partners, LLC; Gateway Park Change Order #1 with Crossland Construction at $273,760; a lease of 221 South Main Street with Flintco; and a Memorandum of Understanding with Northwest Arkansas Toys for Tots.
  • Utility Board resolutions, previously approved 5-0 by the Utility Board, covering a $162,800 budget reallocation, final one-year extensions of water service line repair agreements with Calcon, Inc. and Mo-Ark Utilities, South Basin sewer easement and real estate acquisitions, and Black & Veatch Amendment No. 2 for South Basin Phase 1 design services at $99,295.

Public Comments & Testimony

• The public comment period included one speaker, a representative of the Giving Machine, who invited the Council to the November 19, 2026 launch at 11 a.m. and provided statistics from the prior year: more than 14,000 visitors and top purchased items including 780 hearty meals, 773 pairs of chickens, 600 kids' meals for school, 500 clean-water purchases, 476 warm blankets, and 450 bicycles. She stated this would be the Giving Machine's third year in downtown Bentonville. Local beneficiaries named included Mercy Health Foundation, American Red Cross, River Valley Regional Food Bank, Hope Campus, the Baptist Food Pantry, and Lifting Hands International.

Discussion Items

• Traffic signal coordination contract (Item 21): Council reviewed the resolution and clarified that the agenda form incorrectly referenced option two while the resolution reflected option one. The contract with ITERIS for $179,950 was then considered separately.
• School traffic and safety: Council discussed congestion and pedestrian safety around schools, including school-zone beacons and possible traffic and signage studies. Staff suggested using one school as a case study and noted ongoing annual coordination with schools. A councilmember also raised the idea of a pedestrian bridge from the high school to the stadium on J Street, acknowledging it would be a large CIP project.
• 14th Street and A reopening: A councilmember asked about the road closure connected to a development at 14th Street and A. Staff said the developer had been asked to expedite the timeline after sewer upsizing and inspection corrections required rework, and that coordination with affected business owners was ongoing.

Planning & Zoning

• RZ26-0042 (501 N Main Street): Approved unanimously, changing zoning from R-1, Suburban Single-Family to T3.1, Neighborhood Edge.
• RZ26-0046 (215 SW E Street): Approved unanimously, changing zoning from R-1 to T3.2, Neighborhood Transition. Staff confirmed the maximum development on the lot would be two dwelling units per building.
• RZ26-0025 (1710 SW 14th Street): Approved unanimously, changing zoning from R-1 and T4.2 to T5.1, Town Center Low.
• RZ26-0049 (SW Windmill Road): Approved unanimously after discussion. The large-scale rezoning to T3.1, T3.2, T4.1, T4.2, and T5.1 was explained as following the future land use map, including a future Windmill Road arterial corridor and a code requirement for at least three zoning districts on projects over 40 acres. Staff said the T5.1 and T4.2 areas are intended to accommodate future neighborhood-scale services and activated frontages. Council discussion noted the lack of infrastructure and services in southwest Bentonville.

Key Outcomes

• Approved the consent calendar, meeting minutes, and rule suspension.
• Approved Item 18, a one-time relocation payment of $53,200 to Performance Cars and Trucks in the Rainbow Curve Improvement condemnation process, with one councilmember recusing.
• Approved Item 21, the $179,950 ITERIS traffic signal coordination contract, unanimously.
• Approved Item 25, waiving competitive bidding and authorizing an agreement with Overton Custom Construction for the Morning Star Schoolhouse expanded parking lot at $98,560, unanimously.
• Approved all four rezoning ordinances unanimously.
• New Business Item 2, described as the Greenway ordinance, was pulled from the agenda and is expected to return in two weeks after language review.
• Agenda and transcript discrepancy noted: the Elm Tree Sidepath bid was listed on the agenda as $2,676,440.44 but was read aloud as $2,667,440.44, including the 10% contingency.