The Agenda: Doubling water bills in Bentonville
Your local city governments have some considerable decisions to make tonight. Here's a preview.
Bentonville will vote on:
Doubling monthly fixed water rates and usage rates for residential and commercial customers.
For example, a residential customer with a 1-inch meter will see their fixed rate jump from $19.28 a month to $38.56. Residential customers would pay $7.74 per 1,000 gallons, up to 4,000 gallons. That's up from $3.58 per 1,000 gallons. The rate increase is to cover infrastructure upgrades, the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports.
Taking out a $55 million loan from the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission for improvements at the city's water resource recovery facility.
Rogers will vote on:
Ordering the razing and removal of the Waffle Hut at 1233 W. Walnut St. because it's been deemed unsafe following damage from the 2024 Memorial Day weekend storms.
Springdale will vote on:
Demoting four positions in the police department from dispatcher lead to dispatcher. The dispatcher lead positions pay between $50,423 and $75,635, while the dispatcher positions pay between $44,142 and $66,213.
A $214,800 agreement with Garver to develop a comprehensive master plan for parks and recreation, including a sports complex system.
If you go: 6pm at Bentonville and Springdale city halls and 6:30pm at Rogers City Hall.
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