OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Springdale City Council Regular Meeting - September 9, 2026

City Council Meetings — Wednesday, September 9, 2026
BodySpringdale, Arkansas
SessionCity Council Meetings
DateWednesday, September 9, 2026
StatusNEW · FILED
Video Record
0:00 / 50:13

Transcript — Verbatim
0:22

Let us pray.

0:23

Heavenly Father, we just thank you for all the blessings you've given us and given this city and how you continue to bless us.

0:31

Father, we ask that you'll just be with everyone here tonight, whether it's an employee or staff, uh, somebody on the council or a citizen's here tonight to discuss a topic.

0:42

Just uh let us hear the words we need to hear and speak the words we need to speak, and at the end of the day, everything we do will be in your glory.

0:49

Your name we pray.

0:50

Amen.

0:50

Amen.

0:51

Thanks, Mike.

0:55

All right.

0:57

Again, welcome to tonight's regular meeting of the Springdale City Council.

1:01

This is Tuesday, September 8th, 2026.

1:04

And I'll call the meeting to order, and first order of business is for our city clerk to call the roll.

1:10

Saber.

1:10

Mayor Sprouse?

1:11

Here.

1:12

Brian Powell.

1:13

Here.

1:13

Amelia Taldo.

1:14

Here.

1:15

Jeff Watson.

1:16

Mike Overton.

1:18

Here.

1:18

Mike Lawson.

1:19

Here.

1:19

Rex Bailey.

1:21

Randall Herman.

1:22

Here.

1:22

Mark Fujreus.

1:24

Here.

1:24

City Attorney Garrett Hartland.

1:26

Here.

1:28

All right.

1:29

Thank you.

1:29

We do have a quorum.

1:30

And uh we'll move on now to item four comments from our citizens.

1:34

If we have citizens that would like to address the council, this is the portion that we set aside each regular council meeting.

1:41

We ask that you uh come to the podium, please state your name and your residential address and keep your comments brief.

1:49

We'll have a three minute timer on and uh understand that the council won't take action tonight on what you bring forward.

1:56

Yes, sir.

1:57

Not tonight.

1:59

No, sir.

2:01

Uh hello, my name is Stephen Johnson, 21555, Ridgevie Lane, Rogers, Arkansas.

2:09

But uh being that I'm not from Springdale, it still matters.

2:13

I just like I went into um Bentonville and didn't audit on them.

2:19

I will continue to do audits on everyone, and we will make sure that we're following the Constitution to the T.

2:28

But here's my speech.

2:31

I want to ask you a simple question.

2:33

What is the purpose of the Constitution?

2:36

If you ask most people, they'll tell you it is designed to protect our rights and keep us safe from government overreach.

2:45

And 200 years ago, Chief Justice John Marshall laid down a fundamental rule of American law.

2:51

In Marbury versus Madison, he wrote that any law repugnant to the Constitution is void.

2:57

It sounded simple, right?

2:59

It means the Constitution is the ultimate rule book.

3:03

If a politician passes a law, or official or an official takes an action and it violates your constitutional rights, it's supposed to carry zieval legal weight.

3:14

It is void, null, and dead on arrival.

3:17

That is the promise of our legal system.

3:20

Now look how clear it promises the across the fundamental law.

3:26

Take Article 1, Section 10 of the Constitution in plain words.

3:36

And yet, today the average citizen operates under sound money.

3:42

The courts tell you paper overrides parchment.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Zoning And Land Use█████████████████████████████████████████████45%
Engineering And Infrastructure██████████████14%
Procedural█████████████13%
Public Safety███████7%
Transportation Safety██████6%
Public Engagement████4%
Technology and Innovation████4%
Code Enforcement████4%
Personnel Matters███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Springdale City Council Regular Meeting - September 9, 2026

The Springdale City Council met in regular session on September 9, 2026, per the provided meeting metadata; the raw transcript states the date as Tuesday, September 8, 2026. Mayor Sprouse presided. All council members except Jeff Watson were present, and the council had a quorum. The council approved a series of financial, police, public-safety, planning, zoning, and enforcement items, each by a 7-0 vote.

Public Comments

  • Stephen Johnson (Rogers, Arkansas) addressed the council about constitutional principles, citing Marbury v. Madison and Murdoch v. Pennsylvania, arguing that constitutional rights are being treated as privileges subject to fees, licensing, and government overreach. He was stopped at the three-minute limit.
  • Richard Coger (4310 South Thompson) raised concerns about Flock safety cameras, stating there are 142 cameras connected as of August 31. He argued the city has no contractual control over data shared with third parties, cited contract language allowing data sharing when "reasonably necessary," and said no contract clause prevents sending data to China or selling it. He also questioned the constitutionality of requiring residential addresses for speakers.

Consent Calendar

  • The council unanimously approved the minutes of the previous meeting as amended. Mayor Sprouse clarification was added regarding a sidewalk waiver discussion related to Highway 71, including that the sidewalk extends to the north property line near the billboard.
  • The procedural motions (items 6A and 6B) passed 7-0.

Financial Items (7A-7B)

  • 7A: East Emma Avenue Streetscape construction contract - Resolution authorizing a construction contract with Grant Garrett Excavating for $4.8 million (low bid among four bidders, ranging from $4.8 million to $6.2 million; engineer's estimate was $6.4 million). The project will reduce lanes from Park Street to Highway 265 to two consistent lanes, add bus stops, sidewalks, and site lighting. Approximately 46-48 additional on-street parking spaces will be added. Traffic will remain on the road during construction, with possible short detours. Passed 7-0.
  • 7B: Construction-phase services agreement - Resolution authorizing a professional services agreement with CEI Engineering for $361,100 on an hourly, not-to-exceed basis for construction-phase services. The higher cost reflects the likelihood of unexpected buried conditions in the old downtown area. Passed 7-0.

Police & Fire Items (8A-8B)

  • 8A: Fire Station #2 roof project - Resolution authorizing a contract with Steerman Roofing and Sheet Metal to repair hail damage from two storms (2022 and 2025). The work is covered by insurance proceeds paid to the city. Passed 7-0.
  • 8B: K9 purchase - Resolution amending the 2026 Police Department budget to authorize the purchase of a new canine. Passed 7-0.

Planning & Zoning Items (9A-9J)

All planning items were recommended by the Planning Commission and passed 7-0.

  • 9A: Rezoning 314 East Belma Avenue from MF12 to NR3 (Seed district overlay) to permit splitting the lot and building a home for an aging family member. Includes an emergency clause; passed 7-0.
  • 9B: Rezoning 4376 Twin Oaks Drive and 3525 Wagon Wheel Road area (4.4 acres) from A1 to C2. The owner plans to clean up the site and remove accessory structures. Passed 7-0.
  • 9C: Rezoning parcel south of 1124 Hatcher Road from A1 to SF2 for a tandem lot that will be combined with the owner's property to allow an accessory structure. Emergency clause passed 7-0.
  • 9D: Rezoning 5725 North Thompson Street from C2 to C5 to allow Fence Brokers to display fence products outdoors. Passed 7-0.
  • 9E: Rezoning 355 East Arkansas Highway 264 from C2 to I1 for existing businesses that became non-conforming after annexation; needed for compliance. Emergency clause passed 7-0 due to a pending sale.
  • 9F: Rezoning 2638 West Sunset Avenue from C2 to C5 (former Angus Jacks site) for compliance. Passed 7-0.
  • 9G: Accepting replat RP26-08 of Lots 3, 4, and 5 of Ranchwood Place, adjusting a property line to allow the garage expansion. Emergency clause passed 7-0.
  • 9H: Waiver W26-34 for a new McDonald's at Don Tyson Parkway and Butterfield Coach Road, limiting street improvements to the development area only; remaining frontage improvements deferred to future development. Danielle Carter, a third-party entitlements consultant for McDonald's, was present to answer questions. Passed 7-0.
  • 9I: Waiver W26-38 for Marchant Road Storage, allowing street improvements only for Phase 1; Phase 2 improvements will require a new application. Passed 7-0.
  • 9J: Conditional use for Taqueria Rosie y Luca food truck at 4409 South Thompson Street. Conditions include no operation between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., maintenance of at least three parking spaces, display of health certificate, approved graywater and grease disposal, no additional mobile vendors at the site under this approval, and other operational restrictions. Passed 7-0.

Ordinance for 1256 A and B Homestead Loop

  • The council passed an ordinance to recoup the cost of code enforcement abatement of unsightly conditions on property at 1256 A and B Homestead Loop (Benton County portion of Springdale). No one appeared to speak on the item. The ordinance passed 7-0; the emergency clause was adopted.

Council Comments

  • Council member Rex Bailey honored Mike Blocker, a former Springdale police officer, lieutenant, chief of police, and attorney who worked for the city for over 27 years and recently passed away, recognizing his service and offering condolences to his five children.
  • Council discussion on Marchant Road improvements noted that no improvements are planned until the nearby dirt pit operation closes; the road will be monitored.
  • Council member Randall Herman asked about preserving the John T. Hussey Memorial Highway designation on I-42. The mayor and others confirmed the designation remains protected by state law.
  • Council member Mark Fujreus asked for follow-up on a previously approved business on Pleasant and Sunset where vehicles were blocking a turn-in; staff was directed to check compliance.

Key Outcomes

  • All substantive motions in this meeting passed unanimously: 7 votes in favor, 0 against (with Jeff Watson absent).
  • The council approved the East Emma Avenue Streetscape construction and construction-phase services contracts, the Fire Station #2 roof repair, and the K9 budget amendment.
  • The council approved 10 planning and zoning matters, including six rezones, one replat, two street-improvement waivers, and one conditional use.
  • The council approved the Homestead Loop code-enforcement cost-recovery ordinance and its emergency clause.

Meeting Transcript

Let us pray. Heavenly Father, we just thank you for all the blessings you've given us and given this city and how you continue to bless us. Father, we ask that you'll just be with everyone here tonight, whether it's an employee or staff, uh, somebody on the council or a citizen's here tonight to discuss a topic. Just uh let us hear the words we need to hear and speak the words we need to speak, and at the end of the day, everything we do will be in your glory. Your name we pray. Amen. Amen. Thanks, Mike. All right. Again, welcome to tonight's regular meeting of the Springdale City Council. This is Tuesday, September 8th, 2026. And I'll call the meeting to order, and first order of business is for our city clerk to call the roll. Saber. Mayor Sprouse? Here. Brian Powell. Here. Amelia Taldo. Here. Jeff Watson. Mike Overton. Here. Mike Lawson. Here. Rex Bailey. Randall Herman. Here. Mark Fujreus. Here. City Attorney Garrett Hartland. Here. All right. Thank you. We do have a quorum. And uh we'll move on now to item four comments from our citizens. If we have citizens that would like to address the council, this is the portion that we set aside each regular council meeting. We ask that you uh come to the podium, please state your name and your residential address and keep your comments brief. We'll have a three minute timer on and uh understand that the council won't take action tonight on what you bring forward. Yes, sir. Not tonight. No, sir. Uh hello, my name is Stephen Johnson, 21555, Ridgevie Lane, Rogers, Arkansas. But uh being that I'm not from Springdale, it still matters. I just like I went into um Bentonville and didn't audit on them. I will continue to do audits on everyone, and we will make sure that we're following the Constitution to the T. But here's my speech. I want to ask you a simple question. What is the purpose of the Constitution? If you ask most people, they'll tell you it is designed to protect our rights and keep us safe from government overreach. And 200 years ago, Chief Justice John Marshall laid down a fundamental rule of American law.

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