One of the biggest "asks" a city's leaders will ever make to the public is approval of a bond issue and the necessary tax to support it.
With the economy rolling along and people in Northwest Arkansas feeling pretty good about it, there's really no better time to ask voters for an injection of cash. Bond projects are generally those that can't be directly funded through annual operating budgets, usually buildings or major infrastructure. They're a way for cities to take a few giant leaps forward on local needs and wants rather than the slower, steady progress possible through annual budget allocations, most of which go to personnel costs.
It's been a successful year for such requests.
On Feb. 13, Springdale's voters backed a $224.6 million bond package, with none of the projects earning less than 74 percent of the vote.
Springdale's projects include about $92.7 million for streets; $44.8 million for refinancing debt; $42.6 million to expand and renovate the city's administration building and police department; $21.3 million for parks and trails; $17.6 million for three fire stations; and $5.2 million for an animal shelter.
On Aug. 14, Rogers voters gave more than 70 percent approval to a collection of projects as part of a $299.5 million bond election.
Rogers' projects included $180 million for street work; $41 million for parks; $11.5 million for a new emergency dispatch center and city radio system; and $9.5 million for a fire station and expanding a fire training center. The remainder will be used to refinance debt still existing from the city's 2011 bond issue.
Now, it's Fayetteville's turn. This week, city leaders will consider calling a bond election in April that, like the other two cities, would extend the city's 1 percent sales tax to finance a $226 million bond issue.
If the City Council approves, voters will be asked to back $12.2 million to refinance current bonds; $70 million for streets; $35 million for a new police headquarters; $30 million for construction of a "civic space" on Dickson Street and "arts corridor"; $25 million for parks; $15 million for firefighting facilities; $15 million for drainage infrastructure projects; $6.5 million for trails; $3 million to fund economic development projects; and $3 million for projects at existing city facilities.
The city has been busy for months, years in some cases, collecting public feedback to formulate some of the proposals, from streets to trails to the arts corridor, which is perhaps the most visionary project among them all.
The Walton Family Foundation gave nearly $1.8 million to Fayetteville for design work on the arts corridor project. As part of that, city leaders committed to pursue public funding for the project, which would tie together amenities like the Walton Arts Center, TheatreSquared and the Fayetteville Public Library in a parks-like setting. A massive part of that project is converting the city-owned parking lot west of the arts center into a park/civic space still being imagined.
At $30 million, it's a big ask. But advocates say the project will be transformative for the city.
It's a good thing there will be months for the public to learn more, to figure out if they want such a transformation or how it might effect existing locales, such as the arts center or the downtown square.
Residents can see some of the particulars at http://www.fayetteville-ar.gov/3539/2019-Bond-Information. More public input sessions on the arts corridor, including the architects' reveal of a proposed design, will happen from 2-4 p.m. Tuesday and 5:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Fayetteville Town Center.
After years of discussions among people who showed up, Fayetteville's bond proposal is getting real. For residents who haven't yet been involved, but who care about their taxes and how the city develops, well, it's time to pay attention.
Commentary on 12/02/2018