The first step creating an Advertising and Promotion Commission, and the taxes to support it, happened Monday night during the Bella Vista City Council meeting.
The proposed ordinance would levy a 1 percent tax on prepared food and a 2 percent tax on lodging for periods under 30 days, as well as establish the Advertising and Promotion Commission, which will serve to promote Bella Vista as a tourist destination. The council agreed to exempt alcohol from this tax during the Feb. 21 work session.
Economic Development manager Travis Stephens said he believes the commission will provide a significant benefit to the city in relatively low cost for that benefit.
He spoke with local businesses in the hospitality industry, he said, and they're largely on board. "They've all been very supportive," Stephens said at the Feb. 21 work session. "They see a value there." Moreover, he said, it's something that many other cities in the region have.
Getting the commission established by Sept. 1, he said, would allow it to start planning and building a budget for 2018.
The council heard the first reading of the ordinance.
Mayor Peter Christie said he'd like to go through the process and ensure the city approaches this with the correct level of care.
"I would prefer that it go its normal way," Christie said, rather being approved in an expedited manner. "This is a tax, and I feel we need to all be very comfortable and understand what it's going to do."
Alderman Doug Fowler said he agreed, and would like to see as much research as possible go into this.
"We've talked about ways the money could be spent to help Bella Vista," Fowler said. "But we haven't really talked about the administration of the monies and how it would be spent."
Staff attorney Jason Kelley said that this commission will be independent from the city, and will be in charge of collecting the tax.
Once approved, Kelley said, the ordinance to establish this tax and the commission that collects it will take 60 days to go into effect.
City officials can talk to people and get things lined up and ready to go, he said, but no one can actually, officially do anything until that 60-day mark.
Aldermen also addressed amending the nuisance ordinance.
Alderman John Flynn said the nuisance ordinance amendment, which had its second reading at the meeting, was in part a response to communication from residents, who pointed out that while city ordinance require trash bins be put away, it doesn't really elaborate on what constitutes "away."
"We had an ordinance in place that was ambiguous," he said, "and that's why it needed to be amended."
The current ordinance, staff attorney Kelley said, requires that trash bins not be alongside the street more than 12 hours before or after trash pickup.
The amendment, City Clerk Wayne Jertson said, would require trash bins be placed behind the front plane of the house, or in a garage or carport on R1-zoned properties.
"For a lot of people," alderman Fowler said, "behind the front plane of the house is just not possible."
Because of the city's topography, he said, there are a good number of homes that don't have level ground behind the front plane.Alderman and former mayor Frank Anderson said he is concerned that the ordinance only included R1 zoning. Roughly 15 percent of homes in Bella Vista, he said, do not fall under that designation.
"So for 15 percent of the people, we didn't fix whatever the guy was talking about," Anderson said. Furthermore, he said, simply going behind the front plane may not be particularly helpful. A trash can on the side of the house rather than in front of it, he said, is still visible.
The amendment would also require grass be kept under 10 inches tall.
During the meeting, the council also voted for ordinances to make amendments to the city's street right of way excavation permit manual, remove the treasurer position and create a finance department headed by a finance director.
The council also approved resolutions to purchase a new wood chipper, hire two temporary workers to mow city rights of way, purchase four new squad cars, approve police policies for outside jurisdiction, make adjustments to the city employee retirement plans, pay taxes related to the old retirement plans, approve Laura Claggett's nomination to the Library Advisory Board, and enter a five-year contract for street striping and pavement marking.
Before the meeting kicked off, Christie swore in the two newest additions to the Police Department, officers Cole Byars and Chase Henry, who are currently attending the police academy in Springdale.
Business on 03/01/2017