Residents will pay $13.97 for trash pick up next year, a 52-cent increase from 2015.
Aldermen at their regular City Council meeting on Monday, Nov. 16, voted unanimously to approve the new rates with Republic Services as part of a 3.9 percent increase for residential and commercial customers.
Aldermen also:
• Accepted and confirmed easements for two parcels at the intersection of Henson and Looney roads.
• Renewed the city’s contract with the Bella Vista Animal Shelter through 2016.
• Approved an application for state funding to build a hard-surface trail along Dartmoor Road between Northwest Lighting Lane and Mercy Way.
• Appointed Marianne Farner and Evelyn Adler to the Bella Vista Public Library Advisory Board. Both will serve five-year terms.
• Approved the purchase of a 2015 Dodge RAM 1500 crew cab to replace a 2006 Jeep Liberty used by code enforcement officials in the Community Development Services Department.
Source: Staff report
The waste-service company originally had asked for a 4.5 percent increase, but the city managed to lower the demand, Mayor Peter Christie said.
In other business:
n BURNING ORDINANCE -- Residents who want to burn leaves or structures in Bella Vista now have more stringent rules to follow.
For structures, the ordinance requires residents to obtain a $25 permit before burning, prior notification and approval from the Fire Department -- as well as having them present at the site -- and inspections of the structure and site before and after burning.
These provisions apply only to structures that are or could be fire hazards. A structure burned for other reasons will require permits from the state Department of Environmental Quality, according to council documents.
Excluding devices used for controlled fires, such as grills or fireplaces, the ordinance requires residents who want to do any open burning to first notify the Bella Vista Police/Fire dispatchers 30 minutes before burning. The department can be reached on the non-emergency line at 479-855-3771.
No open burning shall be conducted at night without presence of water, and someone must be present when flames are visible. No burning will occur when the city is under a burn ban. Neighboring properties also will be protected from "unreasonable encroachment of smoke or heat," according to council documents.
Fire Chief Steve Sims said most residents are "pretty sharp" when it comes to burning, but having these restrictions codified gives the Fire Department legal footing when residents break the rules.
"Most people here know these things. They've been burning for years," Sims said. "But it's a good idea to have these standards set in an ordinance."
n MUTUAL AID -- Aldermen also approved a mutual aid with the Gravette Police Department. Gravette is the last city bordering Bella Vista to sign such an agreement, Police Chief Ken Farmer said.
Mutual aid agreements allow agencies in different cities to cooperate during homicide investigations, special operations and joint-training exercises, Farmer said.
Bella Vista has mutual aid agreements with Pea Ridge, Rogers and Centerton, as well as the Benton County Sheriff's Office.
n WILSON RECOVERING -- Alderman Larry Wilson attended his first City Council meeting since suffering a stroke on Aug. 5.
Wilson, 69, is one of two aldermen of Ward 3, which includes the Highlands and the far west side of Bella Vista. Wilson said nothing other than to participate in roll-call votes. He used a sit-on walker throughout the meeting.
Christie said Wilson has software that reads words and numbers back to him so he can keep up with city business.
General News on 11/25/2015