Animal Shelter contract OK'd

After a contentious discussion, the Bella Vista City Council approved a contract Monday for services with the Bella Vista Animal Shelter. The contract calls for a 50 percent increase in the monthly fee paid by the city.

Alderman Larry Wilson protested not only waiving the council's normal voting rules, but argued against the city entering into a contract on the grounds that the shelter was asking for a 50 percent increase compared to last year.

Other business

  • The council voted 4-2 to adopt the 2015 city budget. There is an estimated $800,000 surplus, with the general fund projecting $12.7 million in in revenue and $11.8 million in expenses.
  • An ordinance regarding possible permit requirements of property owners with electrical equipment in the lakes was tabled by the council until its March meeting.
  • The council unanimously passed an ordinance to issue, deny or revoke a permit for parades and special events.
  • An ordinance to rezone property at 1680 Forest Hills Blvd. from R-1, low-density residential, to C-2, light commercial, moved to its third and final reading.
  • Gary Young was unanimously reappointed to Position 3 on the Board of Construction Appeals and Tim Hull was unanimously appointed to Position 2 on the Board of Construction Appeals.
  • The council unanimously approved a resolution to enter into a $10,000 contract with the Bella Vista Historical Museum to provide service to residents.
  • Waiving its normal rules of reading an ordinance three times before voting, the council unanimously approved an ordinance to adjust elevation standards for non-residential structures in accordance with the Flood Damage Prevention Code.

Because the contract cost more than $20,000, the ordinance asked the council waive its requirements of formal competitive bidding and allow the mayor and city clerk to enter into contracts. Mayor Frank Anderson, who was unable to attend Monday's meeting for personal reasons, said at a Dec. 4 work session that the bidding process "isn't feasible" for this issue, so he sought council approval to bypass the rules.

The shelter's monthly operational fees increased to $1,500 from $1,0000. However, fees for taking in cats and dogs did not change, and remain at $50 per cat and $100 per dog. The $500 a month increase equates to $6,000 a year, which brings the shelter's commitment from the city to $65,000. The city allotted the shelter $59,000 in 2014.

Wilson, who was absent from a Dec. 4 special budget work session, said the city is "subsidizing" the shelter and that it "shouldn't be giving money to something that is a non-profit."

Alderman Jim Wozniak rebuffed Wilson's claim, saying that anyone could find sharp increases if they "picked" at the numbers enough.

"For what they do at the cost, it's been a bargain," Wozniak said. "(The shelter) is saving the city $40,000 by taking this on."

Alderman Allen King also countered Wilson's claims that the city was subsidizing the shelter.

"We're paying them for a service," he said. "It's more similar to contracting with them."

The ordinance passed by a 5-1 vote. Wilson was the only dissenter.

Wilson also took umbrage with a resolution to allow the mayor authorization for "budgetary funding transfers between departments" in the 2014 city budget. At a Dec. 8 work session, alderman approved a resolution to amend the 2014 operating budget, which would essentially allow Anderson to account for any departmental overspending.

"It's OK for a department to be over or under-budget," Anderson said at the work session. "But not so much that it affects the overall budget."

Anderson added that there was only a "one in 99 percent chance" that he would have to account for departmental overspending. He said any excess expense would either come from the library or administration accounts.

Wilson argued that this authority gave the mayor an "open checkbook."

"This gives him the power to move monies without the public seeing what it is," Wilson said. "It's us saying we have to trust you. My concern is that it's too broad a resolution and that we need to know what money, how much, and where is it being moved to."

Anderson, who noted at the work session that these adjustments are usually made after the start of the new year, said he wanted to keep mayor-elect Peter Christie from having to address budget issues that he wasn't a part of.

The council voted 4-2 to pass the resolution. Wilson and Snow voted against.

In other business, the council passed two other ordinances that waived formal bidding requirements and allowed the mayor and city clerk to enter into contracts. The first allows the city to contract with the Bentonville-Bella Vista Chamber of Commerce for economic growth and development, while the other contract was with the Property Owners Association for billing services related to trash collection.

Two resolutions, one allowing the city to continue renting office space from Cooper Realty for its Building Division and the other being an agreement with the Architectural Control Committee concerning costs of shared office space, passed unanimously.

General News on 12/17/2014