Bethel Heights officials hope city residents approve extending a 0.5 percent sales tax June 11 to expand and maintain the city’s septic tank effluent pumping sewer system, also known as STEP.
“The good thing about this election is that it won’t raise the sales tax,” said Jeff Hutcheson, Bethel Heights mayor.
Residents approved a 0.5 percent sales tax several years ago to replay bonds sold to build the system.
At A Glance
Casting Ballots
Early voting begins Tuesday and ends June 10 and the election is June 11. City residents can vote early at the Benton County Court Annex building in Rogers, 300 W. Poplar St., or at the County Administration Building in Bentonville, 215 E. Central Ave., during normal business hours, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. weekdays. The only poll open on election day will be at the Moose Lodge, 215 W. Apple Blossom Ave. Voting will be 7:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m. There are 709 registered voters in Bethel Heights.
Source: Staff Report
“We are paying the bonds off in October, about 10 years earlier than the maturity date. If the sales tax extension is approved it won’t go into effect until October, so it will be a wash, the tax rate will remain the same,” Hutcheson said.
The Bethel Heights sewer system is near capacity. Without money for expansion, the city will not be able to provide sewer service to new homes or businesses, city officials said.
There are 460 customers using the Bethel Heights sewer system, said Amanda Fenton, city administration clerk.
“There aren’t many retail stores in Bethel Heights, so the sale tax revenue is small,” Fenton said.
“We get about $9,000 a month is sales tax revenue,” said Hutcheson.
Bethel Heights is surrounded on three sides by Springdale. Lowell, north of Bethel Heights, gets sewer service from Springdale. Asked why Bethel Heights doesn’t contract with Springdale to provide sewer service, Hutcheson the city has tried and failed.
“We asked to be on the Springdale system in the past, but we were turned down,” Hutcheson said.
A Springdale official said Bethel Heights representatives haven't formally approached the utility about extending service.
“Bethel Heights has not made a formal application for us to provide sewer service, not in several years anyway,” said Heath Ward, executive director of the Springdale Water Utilities.
“I talked to one of our engineers who has been with the utility for nearly 30 years and he can’t remember Bethel Heights ever requesting sewer service. There may have been some discussion at one point in time, but the cost of hooking on to Springdale may have been higher than the city could afford and a STEP system was more economical, but that’s just a guess,” Ward said.
“We need the tax extension and I hope it passes,” Hutcheson said. “If it doesn’t, we’ll have to figure something else out, although I don’t know what that would be at this time.
Karen Taylor, Ward 2, Position 2 alderwoman, said she preferred not to comment on the issue Thursday.
Herman Seither, Ward 3, Position 2 alderman, said the city needs the sales tax extension for one reason: “We need the money. We can’t grow it if don’t have money.”
The annual Bethel Heights budget is about $1.1 million, according to city officials.