OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Fayetteville City Council Meeting Summary - December 2, 2025

City Council — Tuesday, December 2, 2025
BodyFayetteville, Arkansas
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, December 2, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 4:39:40

Transcript — Verbatim
0:02

Good evening, everyone, and we are now going to call the Tuesday, December 2nd meeting of the Fayetteville, Arkansas City Council to order.

0:11

Clerk Paxton, will you please call the roll?

0:14

Dr.

0:15

Jones.

0:15

Here.

0:17

Ms.

0:17

Moore?

0:18

Here.

0:19

Mr.

0:19

Wiedinger?

0:20

Here.

0:21

Mr.

0:22

Burnett?

0:22

Here.

0:23

Ms.

0:24

Bench.

0:24

Here.

0:25

Ms.

0:25

Hart?

0:26

Here.

0:27

Minister Jones.

0:30

Mr.

0:30

Stafford?

0:31

Here.

0:32

Mayor Rowan.

0:34

Here.

0:35

Please join me as we recite the Pledge of Allegiance.

0:58

Okay.

0:59

First manner of business.

1:01

We have a couple of staff reports.

1:03

The first is our monthly sales tax and financial report from Stephen Dotson, our CFO.

1:12

Thank you, Mayor.

1:15

This is the September sales tax report.

1:17

In September, we saw taxable sales in the city totaling approximately $305 million, which is an increase of nearly $1.3% or $12.5 million compared to September of 2024.

1:30

This increase was led by the retail trade sector, which was up 5% year over year.

1:35

And that represented an increase of $7.3 million.

1:39

In retail trade, we noted that building materials were up $11%.

1:46

And auto dealers were up 23% or around $740,000.

1:50

Transportation and warehousing was up approximately $2.6 million.

1:55

And we also saw accommodation and food services sectors up 4% or roughly $1.5 million.

2:02

Once again, all in all, we did note a 4.3% gain in taxable sales compared to 2024.

2:10

Moving on to the actual tax collection results in September of 25 compared to 24.

2:16

The city one penny was up 4.2%.

2:19

County portion of the city was up 2.4% or approximately $53,000, resulting in a total combined sales tax collection increase of 3.4% or roughly $173,000 compared to September of 2024.

2:35

Year to date, the combined city and county sales taxes are up approximately 5.5% or $2.6 million compared to September of last year.

2:45

In the general fund, the city is up around 3.2% or $125,000 compared to September of last year.

2:54

And now when we look at the uh at the results compared to budget, the city one penny is up around 3.9% compared to budget or roughly 114,000.

3:04

The county portions up 1.83% or roughly 40,000 for a combined total for the month of September up 3% compared to budget.

3:13

And that's going to put the city on a year-to-date basis compared to budget through September, up a combined 2.7% or roughly 1.33 million for sales tax.

3:29

Okay.

3:30

I'll uh go ahead and move on to the monthly financial report.

3:33

And this report is for October of 2025.

3:36

Starting off in the general fund, we did note that our uh property tax is down roughly six percent around $350,000, but we do expect that to level off throughout the year to end roughly flat uh for 2025.

3:49

Our sales tax is up three percent or roughly 1.1 million.

3:54

Franchise fees are down roughly 7%.

3:57

Our alcoholic beverage fees are up three percent.

4:00

Um building permit fees, those are up 43 percent or roughly 1 million dollars.

4:06

Our turn back is up 3%, charges for services, those are down 2% or roughly 57,000.

4:13

And we noted that our court fees are up 10% or roughly $92,000, and that's gonna put us in the general fund through the month of October up roughly 2% compared to budget or about 1.3 million dollars.

4:28

Looking at the street fund, that fund is flat through the month of October.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Zoning And Land Use██████████████████████████████████████████42%
Tree Preservation████████████12%
Short Term Rentals████████████12%
Public Engagement████████8%
Procedural██████6%
Transportation Safety█████5%
Fiscal Sustainability██2%
Affordable Housing██2%
Stormwater Education██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Fayetteville City Council Meeting Summary - December 2, 2025

The Fayetteville City Council convened on December 2, 2025, to review monthly financial reports, housing updates, and several zoning matters, culminating in a critical vote on short-term rental regulations. Key discussion topics included the financial health of the city, the strategic housing initiatives of the Department of Housing and Community Services, a contentious rezoning request for a new Ramay Junior High School, and the permanent legalization of short-term rentals which required the attendance of all six council members to pass via an emergency clause.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved the November 4th and November 18th City Council meeting minutes.
  • Approved procurement of a replacement asphalt paver for the Transportation Department (JA Riggs Tractor Company).
  • Approved a replacement generator for fleet operations (Nixon Power Services).
  • Approved a replacement Bobcat UW 56 for parks operations (Williams Tractor Inc).
  • Approved replacement work trucks for parks and water/sewer operations (Randall Ford Inc).
  • Approved franchise agreements with Ozark Dumpster Service, Ozark Compost, SWAP, and Holler.
  • Approved the purchase of recycling and glass carts.
  • Approved bid 25-50 from Carl Hawley Plumbing Incorporated.
  • Approved the City of West Forks Water Purchase Agreement.
  • Approved a bid waiver for Payro Technologies Incorporated.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Supporters: Numerous parents, educators, and residents expressed strong support for the Ramay Junior High rezoning, citing the need to reduce student commute times, improve equity for low-income neighborhoods, and provide a centrally located campus. The Urban Forestry Advisory Board and the Northwest Arkansas Audubon Society submitted formal statements opposing the rezoning due to environmental concerns regarding the 27-acre forest, karst terrain, and potential canopy loss.
  • Opposition Arguments: Witnesses raised significant concerns regarding the suitability of the hillside site, including the cost and complexity of geotechnical work (potential for blasting and massive retaining walls), inadequate traffic studies, floodway compliance issues, and the restrictive covenants preventing public access to Marks Mill Lane (a city street).
  • Housing & Finance: Staff reported strong support for the city's housing rehab program and direct financial assistance for childcare and transportation. Concerns were noted regarding a temporary dip in property tax revenue, which staff projected will level out by year-end.
  • Short-Term Rentals: Public comment supported the new regulations as necessary to prevent neighborhood disruption and illegal operations. One council member expressed concern that the approved cap of 475 units exacerbates a housing crisis, while others argued short-term rentals fill a necessary gap in hotel capacity.

Discussion Items

  • Financial Reports: CFO Stephen Dotson reported a 1.3% increase in September taxable sales ($305 million), with retail and auto dealers showing significant growth. In October, the general fund showed a drop in property tax revenue (-6%) but strong increases in building permit fees (+43%) and sales tax (+3%).
  • Housing Strategy Update: Chief Housing Officer Marley Stark presented on the city's current housing spectrum, highlighting the Housing Rehab and Repair Program (78 projects since 2021), child care assistance (180 households supported), and a community grant program ($40,000 awarded in 2025). The department is reimagining its structure to better support upward economic mobility.
  • Ramay Junior High Rezoning (RZN 2025-48): The Council debated changing the zoning of 26.7 acres from RSF4 to P1 (Institutional). Council members raised concerns about traffic impact studies containing outdated feeder patterns, which the applicant promised to update by December 16th. Geotechnical and landscape architects explained the site's composition (expansive clays, shale) and the necessity of significant excavation and retaining walls (up to 53 feet estimated by some opponents). The applicant clarified that a proposed third access point on Ash Street is conditional on future large-scale development and is not currently finalized. Due to outstanding questions regarding FEMA permits, cost estimates, traffic data, and connectivity restrictions, Council Member Turk moved to table the item until January 27th; however, the motion died without a second, and the Council agreed to leave the item on second reading for further review.
  • Short-Term Rental Ordinance: The Council considered a permanent replacement ordinance replacing the temporary sunset clause. Jonathan Masito presented a detailed explanation of the new regulations, including a removal of the sunset clause, service termination escalations (up to 6 months), a 48-hour penalty for three violations, and new density limits (no STRs within 100 feet of another and a 4% cap within a 500-foot radius). During the vote, the main ordinance passed with 5 yes votes (2 abstention/absent), but the required emergency clause (needing 6 affirmative votes to activate immediately) failed with only 5 yes votes, as the Mayor and one council member were absent. Consequently, the Council voted to reconsider the entire ordinance and table it until the December 16th meeting to ensure all six votes are present for the emergency clause.
  • Other Zoning: Approved the vacation of a 25-foot utility easement (5 feet) at 2411 West Megan Drive and 0.11 acres of right-of-way at 65 South Duncan Avenue. Approved the rezoning of a property at 11 East Rock Street from RO to DG (Downtown General) for townhouse development.

Key Outcomes

  • Action Taken: The Consent Calendar items were approved unanimously.
  • Item Deferred (Ramay School): The Rezoning for Ramay Junior High (RZN 2025-48) was left on the second reading without a vote, as the applicant committed to providing updated traffic analysis and the Council requires more time to resolve geotechnical and FEMA concerns before a final decision.
  • Item Deferred (Short-Term Rentals): The Short-Term Rental Ordinance was passed on first reading, but the emergency clause failed to meet the 6-vote threshold. The Council voted to reconsider the entire item and table it to the December 16th meeting to ensure the emergency clause can pass, preventing the temporary regulations from expiring on December 30, 2025.
  • Approval: The Downtown Outdoor Refreshment Area boundary was amended to include the Moonhouse and 1834 Tavern Lafayette. The Unified Development Code was amended to align with the Urban Forestry Management Plan, increasing tree preservation standards and requiring ISA-certified arborist reports.
  • Approval: Resolutions authorizing the condemnation of easements for the Cato Springs Sewer Project were approved.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening, everyone, and we are now going to call the Tuesday, December 2nd meeting of the Fayetteville, Arkansas City Council to order. Clerk Paxton, will you please call the roll? Dr. Jones. Here. Ms. Moore? Here. Mr. Wiedinger? Here. Mr. Burnett? Here. Ms. Bench. Here. Ms. Hart? Here. Minister Jones. Mr. Stafford? Here. Mayor Rowan. Here. Please join me as we recite the Pledge of Allegiance. Okay. First manner of business. We have a couple of staff reports. The first is our monthly sales tax and financial report from Stephen Dotson, our CFO. Thank you, Mayor. This is the September sales tax report. In September, we saw taxable sales in the city totaling approximately $305 million, which is an increase of nearly $1.3% or $12.5 million compared to September of 2024. This increase was led by the retail trade sector, which was up 5% year over year. And that represented an increase of $7.3 million. In retail trade, we noted that building materials were up $11%. And auto dealers were up 23% or around $740,000. Transportation and warehousing was up approximately $2.6 million. And we also saw accommodation and food services sectors up 4% or roughly $1.5 million. Once again, all in all, we did note a 4.3% gain in taxable sales compared to 2024. Moving on to the actual tax collection results in September of 25 compared to 24. The city one penny was up 4.2%. County portion of the city was up 2.4% or approximately $53,000, resulting in a total combined sales tax collection increase of 3.4% or roughly $173,000 compared to September of 2024. Year to date, the combined city and county sales taxes are up approximately 5.5% or $2.6 million compared to September of last year. In the general fund, the city is up around 3.2% or $125,000 compared to September of last year. And now when we look at the uh at the results compared to budget, the city one penny is up around 3.9% compared to budget or roughly 114,000. The county portions up 1.83% or roughly 40,000 for a combined total for the month of September up 3% compared to budget. And that's going to put the city on a year-to-date basis compared to budget through September, up a combined 2.7% or roughly 1.33 million for sales tax. Okay.

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