City Council members discussed steps toward establishing district court in Bella Vista and regulating outdoor lights during the work session.
Now that the city has the legal authority to establish a court department and a place to put it, Mayor Peter Christie said the items on the agenda related to it -- one for case management software, one for renovation of the facility and one to make room in the budget for a full-time court clerk and handle some court start-up expenses -- were all necessary steps to keep the city on pace to open the court at the beginning of 2018.
Creation of A&P Commission moving forward
The City Council discussed the latest developments in the Advertising and Promotion Commission.
Economic Development Manager Travis Stephens could not be present, but stated before the meeting that he would like to see commissioners appointed during the June regular meeting, which will be June 26.
He received nine applications, he said, and the city needs to choose five from this pool. One needs to be an at-large citizen, he said, and the other four are to be representatives of businesses involved in the tourism industry, including lodging and restaurants.
The remaining two positions on the commission, he said, will be taken by two City Council members.
During the work session, Mayor Peter Christie said the two City Council members expected to fill those seats are Brian Bahr and Doug Fowler.
Additionally, he said, some of the nominees from area businesses include Dan Lombard representing Vacation Rentals, Ben Biesenthal representing Gusano’s, Rich Siker representing Rhythm and Q, and Tom Judson representing Lakepoint restaurant.
Christie said he would like to nominate Paula Sanders, marketing director for Concordia, as the citizen at large.
The first meeting, he said, is tentatively scheduled for 3 p.m. July 17.
“That’ll be a meeting more of getting ducks in a row,” he said.
— Reporter Keith Bryant
The first item, the software, is ubiquitous, Christie said. Most of the state uses it, he said, though Bentonville does not.
Council member Frank Anderson asked if the software, at $22,300 for the software and product support, was more expensive than other options.
Network administrator John Moeckel said the price is comparable, but this software is advantageous because it's widespread. More potential employees will be familiar with it, he said, and that familiarity will broaden the city's hiring options and reduce training times.
"It's kind of like the Microsoft Word of court software," he said.
The next item was the renovation of what will become the court building, located along Lancashire Boulevard, in the same plaza as Community Development Services and Duffers Cafe.
Community Development Services Director Chris Suneson said bids were taken in May but came in over budget, so bidding was opened again.
His department put together a bid tabulation, he said, and bids averaged at $118,877.01. The best bid, he said, was from Marion Company at $104,405.
Those costs may be reduced some through value engineering, Suneson said, but he does not expect that to be significant.
The final bit of court-related business on the agenda was to open the budget for a court clerk.
Human Resources Manager Melissa Cruise said the city has not started interviewing, but has been taking applications for the position. The city has received 283 applications, she said, and some are already familiar with the previously-discussed court software.
Christie said that establishing a court would save money in the long term, but also provide less quantifiable advantages immediately.
It's more convenient for residents he said, and it will help keep the entire police force in the city, even on court days.
"If you do approve this, we can get off the ball quickly," he said.
The council also discussed an ordinance that would require shielding on outdoor lights over 8 feet tall to ensure the light they produce stays on the property they belong to.
Council member Linda Lloyd said that the regulation, which she intends to amend to ensure it affects all lights and not only automated lights, is intended to reduce light pollution and prevent a neighbor from affecting someone else's home.
Lloyd said she heard from a resident who was happy to see the push for this regulation after having trouble with a neighbor's lighting.
"He was a little deflated, however," she said, "when I told him it wouldn't be retroactive."
Council member James Wozniak said he didn't think these rules are necessary.
"I can't believe that you've all lived in houses for 45 or 50 years... and all of a sudden out of the clear blue, it's gotten so bad that you need an ordinance," he said.
Everyone has to learn to deal with what's next to their homes, he said.
Additionally, he said, lighting can improve security and reduce crime in an area. Automotive break-ins, he said, are one of the most common crimes in Bella Vista.
"Streetlights make a big difference there," he said. "I got a real problem with that."
Anderson said he wasn't sure if this regulation would have as much of an impact.
"Shielded lights will not fix this, eight feet will not fix this," he said. "It still doesn't solve all the light problems, I don't think anything solves them all." Moreover, he said, streetlights tend to shine on several properties at once. The proposed ordinance, he said, may need to be amended to prevent it from affecting streetlights.
Lloyd said that street lights were not a target for the ordinance.
"My intent was not to affect city streetlights," she said. "Just something a neighbor does that could affect someone else."
The council also discussed hiring a contractor to built the proposed left-hand turn lane on the northbound lane of U.S. Highway 71 at its intersection with Mercy Way. The council also talked about repealing regulations regarding the orientation of guardrails on balconies, as well as setting fees for large-format printing performed by the Community Development Services Department and condemning an unsafe structure at 9276 Suits-Us Drive.
General News on 06/21/2017