OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Faithful City Council Meeting Summary - January 6, 2026

City Council — Tuesday, January 6, 2026
BodyFayetteville, Arkansas
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, January 6, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 2:51:43

Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

All right, good evening, everybody, and uh welcome to the first city council meeting of 2026.

0:07

I will uh am now calling the Tuesday, January 6th meeting of the Faithful City Council to order.

0:12

Clerk Paxton, will you please call the roll?

0:14

Mr.

0:14

Wiedaker.

0:16

Present.

0:16

Mr.

0:17

Barna?

0:18

Here.

0:18

Ms.

0:19

Bunch.

0:20

Here.

0:20

Ms.

0:21

Tark?

0:22

Here.

0:22

Minister Jones.

0:26

Mr.

0:27

Stafford?

0:28

Here.

0:29

Dr.

0:29

Jones?

0:30

Here.

0:31

Ms.

0:31

Moore?

0:32

Here.

0:33

Mayor Ron.

0:34

Here.

0:34

Please join me as we recite the Pledge of Allegiance.

1:01

Okay.

1:03

Does we have an announcement related to firemen and excuse me?

1:09

First up is an announcement related to the firemen's and policemen's pension and relief fund.

1:16

I would like to note that while we say firefighters and police officers in the city of Fayetteville rather than policemen and firemen.

1:26

The state statute is clear on how this fund is named.

1:30

So that's it is the firemen and policemen pension and release and relief fund.

1:35

So this is the local pension report for 2025.

1:39

In keeping with statutory requirements, I am presenting this report for 2025 on the local police and fire retirement and relief funds for the city of Fayetteville.

1:48

Both of these plans were closed by law in 1983, and there are no longer any active working members remaining.

1:57

On August 15th of 2023, the City Council voted to consolidate the local fire pension and relief fund with LOTFE based on a request from the local fire pension board of trustees and a recommendation of the city's administration.

2:12

On July 15th of 2025, the City Council voted to consolidate the local police pension and relief fund with LOTFI based on a request from the local police pension board of trustees and also a recommendation from the city administration.

2:27

As both of these plans are now being administered by LOTFI, this will be the final city council report on these plans.

2:44

Moving on to the next presentation report is from our chief financial officer, Stephen Dotson with the sales tax and monthly financial report.

2:57

Thank you, Mayor.

3:00

This is the October sales tax report.

3:03

In October, the taxable sales in the city totaled approximately $301 million, which was an increase of nearly 6.8% or 19 million compared to October of 2024.

3:16

Retail trade was up 3% year over year, representing an increase of $3.7 million.

3:22

Building materials were up 1.3 million, and grocery stores were up 1.4 million.

3:28

Transportation and warehousing was up approximately 2.6 million, and we saw the accommodation and food services sectors up around 2.2 million dollars.

3:38

In total, we noted a 6.8% gain in taxable sales compared to 2024.

3:43

So this was another good month for us.

4:38

For a combined total for the month of October, up 5.7% compared to budget, or approximately 280,000.

4:45

And that's going to put the city on a year-to-date basis compared to budget through October, up a combined 2.9% or 1.6 million for sales tax.

4:56

And I just wanted to uh you know give you guys a reminder.

5:00

Uh all these sales tax collection reports, those are all posted out there on the city's website under the finance and administration department link.

5:06

And we also prepare a quarterly and monthly uh management reports, those are also located out there if anyone would like to take a look at them.

5:15

Uh any question on the sales tax report.

5:19

Okay, I'll move on to the monthly financial report.

5:22

And this report is for November of 2025.

5:26

Uh in November in the general fund, we saw sales tax up 3% or approximately 1.3 million.

5:33

Our franchise fees were down around 6% or 414,000.

5:38

We saw alcohol and beverage fees up 4%, and our building permit fees, those are still uh way up 47% through the month of November or approximately 1.2 million dollars.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Zoning And Land Use███████████████████████████27%
Procedural██████████████14%
Public Safety██████████████14%
Engineering And Infrastructure████████████12%
Flood Management████████████12%
Environmental Protection██████6%
Fiscal Sustainability█████5%
Pending Litigation███3%
Urban Agriculture███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Faithful City Council Meeting Summary - January 6, 2026

The Faithful City Council convened on January 6, 2026, for its first meeting of the year, presided over by Mayor Ron. The session began with the election of Sarah Bunch as Vice Mayor and the approval of the consent agenda with one item removed for separate discussion. The Council addressed several critical business items, including the continuation of a jail fee agreement with Washington County, roadway corridor expansions, and multiple zoning and vacation requests. Significant debate occurred regarding the precedent of amending streamside protection zones and the safety implications of proposed developments on Markham Hill. City Attorney Kit Williams announced his retirement after 26 years of service.

Consent Calendar

  • The Council approved the consent agenda with the exception of Item A34 (Jail Fee Agreement), which was pulled for separate discussion due to concerns regarding past misuse of funds by the county and overcrowding at the jail facility. The remaining consent items were approved unanimously.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • A public speaker, identifying as a resident previously detained in the holding cell, expressed strong opposition to the jail agreement. The individual cited negative personal experiences regarding health risks during detention, alleged false accusations, and the lack of accountability in the current system. They argued that taxpayer funds should be redirected to community needs such as organ transplantation support and animal care rather than the county jail.

Discussion Items

  • Jail Fee Agreement (A34): Council members expressed concern regarding the county's historical misuse of funds (specifically a $68,000 purchase of a Bobcat skid steer used for personal purposes) and overcrowding conditions (160 people sleeping on floors). Chief Reynolds clarified that the Police Department did not conduct the investigation into fund misuse and that the city lacks legal standing to file an "illegal exaction" suit against the county; he noted that the current agreement represents the lowest cost in 20 years compared to historical daily rates which could exceed $800,000 annually.
  • Highway 71B Corridor (C1): Staff proposed acquiring additional easements for the Appleby-Plainview-Rolling Hills Connection Project. The design was modified to move the roundabout east and use temporary striping south of the roundabout to minimize right-of-way acquisition costs while preserving future connection potential. The project is funded by a 2019 voter-approved transportation bond, with an estimated total cost of $8-9 million and a completion timeline of 18-24 months.
  • Parking Ratios Ordinance (C2): The Council readopted non-residential parking ratios inadvertently removed during the 2025 codification of residential parking regulations. The item was amended to clarify that the tables represent maximum rather than minimum standards.
  • Streamside Protection Zone (C3): A developer requested to amend the map to remove 290 feet of streamside protection zone to allow for a mixed-use structure (housing and parking) on West Center Street. Staff recommended denial, citing compliance with the 2011 ordinance and the risk of setting a precedent. Council members expressed concern about the precedent but noted the unique nature of the site (upstream culverted) and the superior water quality measures (stilling basins, filtration weirs) compared to a surface parking lot. An amendment was passed requiring the developer (future building owner) to be responsible for trash filtration and maintenance.
  • Right-of-Way Vacations (C4, C5): The Council approved the vacation of 0.01 acres of right-of-way near West Cato Springs Road and the vacation of a 0.10-acre general utility easement near South Hollywood Avenue. Both items included standard conditions regarding utility relocation and damage costs.
  • Zoning Changes (C6-C10):
    • West Michael Cole Drive (C6): The request to rezone 7.67 acres to RI-12 and CCR (Conservation Cultural Recreation) was left on the first reading to reconcile inconsistencies in the conservation easement acreage and clarify the holder of the easement.
    • Mt. Comfort Presbyterian Church (C7): The Council approved rezoning a church property from RSF-1 to P1 to address non-conformance resulting from annexation.
    • West Markham Hill Properties (C8, C9): Two adjacent properties on South Futural Drive were discussed. The Council failed to suspend the rules to proceed to a final reading on C8 (9.02 acres) due to a lack of a 6-vote majority, requesting a site tour and topographical maps to better understand drainage and slope issues. C9 (1.37 acres) was also left on the first reading pending further review.
    • West Ozark Trail (C10): The Council approved the rezoning of a 0.26-acre parcel from RA to RI-12. It was noted that RI-12 is the lowest density district allowing a duplex by right, which fits the 50-70 foot frontage of the property better than single-family districts, and aligns with Farmington's future land use plans.

Key Outcomes

  • Vice Mayor Election: Sarah Bunch was elected Vice Mayor unanimously (8-0).
  • Jail Agreement: Resolution to approve the per capita jail fee agreement of $76,715.87 was passed (7-2, with Councilmembers Minister Jones and Ms. Moore voting Nay).
  • Highway 71B: Resolution to acquire additional easements for the Plainview/Rolling Hills Connection Project passed unanimously (8-0).
  • Parking Ratios: Ordinance to readopt non-residential parking ratios passed unanimously (8-0).
  • Streamside Protection: Ordinance to amend the streamside protection zone map for West Center Street passed (7-1, Councilmember Minister Jones voted Nay) with the added condition of developer/maintenance responsibility for filtration.
  • Vacations: Ordinances to vacation right-of-way (C4) and utility easement (C5) passed unanimously (8-0).
  • Zoning:
    • C7 (Mt. Comfort Church): Rezoning to P1 Institutional passed unanimously (8-0).
    • C10 (West Ozark Trail): Rezoning to RI-12 passed unanimously (8-0).
    • C8, C9, C6: Left on first reading for further deliberation, site analysis, or document reconciliation.
  • Announcement: City Attorney Kit Williams announced his retirement at the end of 2026, with Blake Pennington identified as his successor.

Meeting Transcript

All right, good evening, everybody, and uh welcome to the first city council meeting of 2026. I will uh am now calling the Tuesday, January 6th meeting of the Faithful City Council to order. Clerk Paxton, will you please call the roll? Mr. Wiedaker. Present. Mr. Barna? Here. Ms. Bunch. Here. Ms. Tark? Here. Minister Jones. Mr. Stafford? Here. Dr. Jones? Here. Ms. Moore? Here. Mayor Ron. Here. Please join me as we recite the Pledge of Allegiance. Okay. Does we have an announcement related to firemen and excuse me? First up is an announcement related to the firemen's and policemen's pension and relief fund. I would like to note that while we say firefighters and police officers in the city of Fayetteville rather than policemen and firemen. The state statute is clear on how this fund is named. So that's it is the firemen and policemen pension and release and relief fund. So this is the local pension report for 2025. In keeping with statutory requirements, I am presenting this report for 2025 on the local police and fire retirement and relief funds for the city of Fayetteville. Both of these plans were closed by law in 1983, and there are no longer any active working members remaining. On August 15th of 2023, the City Council voted to consolidate the local fire pension and relief fund with LOTFE based on a request from the local fire pension board of trustees and a recommendation of the city's administration. On July 15th of 2025, the City Council voted to consolidate the local police pension and relief fund with LOTFI based on a request from the local police pension board of trustees and also a recommendation from the city administration. As both of these plans are now being administered by LOTFI, this will be the final city council report on these plans. Moving on to the next presentation report is from our chief financial officer, Stephen Dotson with the sales tax and monthly financial report. Thank you, Mayor. This is the October sales tax report. In October, the taxable sales in the city totaled approximately $301 million, which was an increase of nearly 6.8% or 19 million compared to October of 2024. Retail trade was up 3% year over year, representing an increase of $3.7 million. Building materials were up 1.3 million, and grocery stores were up 1.4 million. Transportation and warehousing was up approximately 2.6 million, and we saw the accommodation and food services sectors up around 2.2 million dollars. In total, we noted a 6.8% gain in taxable sales compared to 2024. So this was another good month for us. For a combined total for the month of October, up 5.7% compared to budget, or approximately 280,000.

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