Annexation will be put before Bella Vista voters

BELLA VISTA — Voters in and outside of Bella Vista will be given the opportunity to vote “yea” or “nay” this coming spring on three areas of proposed annexation.

By a 6-0 vote Oct. 24, Bella Vistaaldermen passed a motion to put the question on the ballot in late March or early April 2012.

Three specific areas were identified by a committee consisting of Aldermen Doug Farner and J.D. Shrum. Those areas include U.S. 71 south of the city, on the west side of the highway, and stopping at Benton County Road 40; property to the north, where Arkansas borders Missouri; and Hiwasse, because of the Bella Vista Bypass that will eventually be built there.

At the request of Mayor Frank Anderson, Farner gave a synopsis of the committee’s findings during the monthly City Councilmeeting held Oct. 24.

Eventually, Farner said, the annexed areas would generate a positive cash flow for the city to the tune of $250,000 to $300,000.

“Initially, we’ll break even or lose a little, but in two or three years we should be making more than it costs us,” he said.

Costs for those newly annexed areas would include road work and fire and police protection, among other things.

Annexation of the three sections is expected to add 1,300 residents and 54 miles of paved and some unpaved roads to the city. As a result, the committee recommended officials begin to work on establishing a fourth fire station and makeplans for additional road maintenance.

Not everybody on the City Council was as optimistic as Farner.

“I have a real problem going into the Hiwasse area,” Jim Wozniak said. “I understand there is a lot of potential there, but the time frame to realize something (in return) will be later than the committee believes.

“I think (annexing) Hiwasse is just a little too aggressive.”

When it comes time to vote on the issue, the ballot will have three separate sections - one for each of the proposed annexation areas.

“All the people in the proposed area and all the (registered voters) in the city can vote on that area. And the majority rules,” Farner said.