BENTONVILLE -- Next year's budget is looking good to be approved tonight, but the City Council discussed the need for long-term visioning during a Committee of the Whole meeting Monday.
Council member Octavio Sanchez presented council a partial list of needs that will need to be addressed but aren't in next year's budget.
Meeting information
The Bentonville City Council will hold its regular meeting at 6 p.m. tonight in the Community Development Building at 305 S.W. A St.
The agenda can be viewed online here: www.bentonvillear.c….
Source: Staff report
Money for fire station No. 7, a public works maintenance facility and the addition of 27 full-time positions are perfect for next year, he said.
"But we need to have a longer planning horizon than one year," he said as other council members looked over his handout.
It included more than 20 items separated into five categories: transportation, public safety, infrastructure, beautification efforts and efficiency of operations. Items ranged from a new city hall building to improvements at several intersections to increasing city personnel.
Sanchez's suggestion Monday elaborated on comment council member Bill Burckart's made at the Nov. 13 meeting. Burckart pointed out that the city budgets conservatively, which typically means there's a surplus in the city's reserves.
Jake Harper, director of finance and administration, said Monday the city typically follow industry standards -- which is 15 percent minimum of the overall budget -- when considering how much should be maintained in the reserve fund. It's 25 percent minimum if an entity is seeking a high rating when considering bonds.
The city currently has about $19 million to $20 million more than the 25 percent, he said.
"So if we have $20 million, what do we do with it?" Sanchez said, explaining there should be a formalized process to use unanticipated money rather than "prioritizing on the fly."
Many departments have their own 10-year master plans, said Tim Robinson, council member. It could be advantageous for the Financial Department to have one that melds the other plans together, he said.
Chris Sooter, council member, mentioned that the city previously had capital improvement plans that the council reviewed each year. They existed "eons" ago, he said.
Council members agreed that there wasn't anything that needed to be done regarding this discussion for next year's budget.
"This is a conversation that we need to continue having," Burckart said.
Sanchez said the council could meet as a Committee of the Whole more often to begin talking with department heads and prioritizing projects for the future.
The City Council also discussed the details of a new resolution that would extend the animal shelter task force until the end of 2019. The task force would become a steering committee, whose work will include the next steps, such as discovering an estimated facility cost, selecting the location, creating a nonprofit operating agreement outline, drafting policies and procedures, and solidifying initial funding partnerships.
The City Council will vote on the resolution tonight.
NW News on 11/27/2018