BENTONVILLE -- The city clerk and Planning Commission members will receive a boost in pay for their service to the city starting in January.
The City Council unanimously approved to increase the city clerk's pay $1,000 a year from $12,762 to $13,762 and increase planning commissioners' compensation to $500 a month from $325 a month.
Council action
Bentonville’s City Council met Tuesday and approved:
• Vacating a utility easement at 1401 N.E. John DeShields Blvd.
• Appointing Chris Seay to the Off-Street Parking District Commission
Source: Staff report
"The city clerk's position demands much more time and dedication than anyone of us," council member Octavio Sanchez said, explaining the attention to detail the job requires.
Planning commissioners meet twice as much as council members do and make difficult decisions on how the city develops, council members said.
The council agreed to leave its compensation as is at $9,267 annually. The mayor's and city attorney's pay will also remain unchanged at $132,954 and $19,750 respectively.
The mayor also receives a $748 phone allowance and a $7,201 auto allowance.
The mayor compensation package is the second-highest of Northwest Arkansas' four largest cities. It falls behind Rogers, which is $144,560, according to meeting documents.
Council members' compensation is about $500 less than in Rogers and $1,000 less than Springdale. Information about Fayetteville wasn't provided.
The best time to discuss salaries for elected officials is once every four years between when candidates announce they are seeking a position or re-election and the election in November, said Mayor Bob McCaslin. That way those on the City Council are deciding the salaries for the positions, not those seated in the positions.
"None of you are guaranteed to be here Jan. 1," he said.
All eight of the council's seats will be up for grabs during the general election this November.
Council members are elected at-large to represent the ward in which they live. They serve two-year terms since the city's population is less than 50,000.
The city clerk, city attorney and the mayor's positions serve four-year terms.
The mayor appoints those who serve on the Planning Commission.
At the beginning of the meeting, Shelli Kerr, interim community and economic development director, presented two Historic Preservation Awards to council members.
Record at 104 S.W. A St. received the commercial award while the house at 606 W. Central Ave. received the residential award.
Both were nominated by residents and selected from a five-member panel as the winners.
The awards are to recognize those who have taken a committed role in the preservation of the city's historic integrity, Kerr said.
Ropeswing Hospitality Group renovated the former car dealership and newspaper office into an event venue.
"Ropeswing made a significant investment in our community by combining development opportunity with an eye for preservation," the nominator wrote in the award application.
The house at 606 W. Central Ave. was built in 1920, according to meeting documents.
"In the 98 years since it was built, the new owners have taken care to preserve the original design of the home," according to the award application.
NW News on 05/09/2018