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State of the City

January 25, 2011

As I start my 2nd term as Mayor, I would like to begin this address by thanking the

citizens of Bentonville for their continued trust in me. Too, I would like to thank the

City Council and the City’s employees for their dedication and continued hard work

in spite of the economic hardships over the last few years. With their continued

guidance, I believe we are well-equipped to further responsible growth…the kind of

growth I hope the citizens of Bentonville will be proud of. When I say responsible

growth, I am speaking of fostering a balance between economic development and the

preservation of the unique scenic character of Bentonville. Benjamin Franklin once

said, “Let honesty and industry be your constant companion.” I feel very fortunate

to be a part of this community and to have had the opportunity to participate in the

City’s industrious progress over the last four years.

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The City’s staff, along with other leaders in the community, are working hard to keep

Bentonville a wonderful place to live and thrive. 2010 was a stellar year! It was a

year marked most significantly by the City’s expanded recreational opportunities for

its citizens. The City opened three new parks, each unique in its offerings. And, the

Parks and Recreation Department is now offering a full range of affordable sports

and recreational programs for children and adults. These last few of years have

seen a tremendous growth in the number of family fun-filled events in and around

the Downtown Square. The grand opening of the Ice Rink at Lawrence Plaza over

the holidays was truly Norman Rockwellish. Then, right before Christmas, we

received news of a magnificent gift. The Walton Arts Center’s new 2,200 seat theater

will be built in Bentonville. The biggest news of the year was the planned opening

date of Crystal Bridges Museum of Art on November 11, 2011.

Sales Tax revenue grew by 14.6% in 2010. This followed the only recent year of

decline for tax revenues, when 2009 saw a 10.7% drop. Since 2002, the city's tax

revenues have grown at an average annual rate of 6.1% per year. The City’s 2011

fund balance requirement is $8.5 million, an increase of $300,000 compared to the

2010 fund balance requirement.

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For the third year in a row, the City continued to maintain its employee headcount at

385 full-time employees. The prudent management of personnel through attrition

and retirement allowed the City to bring on several new positions in 2010 without

affecting the overall headcount. These new positions were added in areas where we

are experiencing rapid growth. This allowed the City to continue to develop and

expand programs and services without additional expense to taxpayers.

Bentonville’s total development activity showed a modest increase of 6% over 2009.

In 2010, total number of items presented to our Planning Commission was 117. Once

again, the bright spot was in the single-family residential sector. 2010 totals for the

single-family residential sector indicate a 17% increase in permits and a 17% rise in

valuations over 2009. The Planning Department conducted over 2,000 code

enforcement inspections and 8,712 building inspections while administering 812

building permits, also a 17% increase. The 411 certificates of occupancy represent a

30% increase over 2009. Of the building permits issued, the highest increase was

31% for commercial alterations. Unfortunately, the total valuation of almost $96

million represented a 46% decrease from the 2009 valuation of $169 million.

Like I said earlier, the Parks and Recreation Department had an outstanding year.

Gilmore Park, Orchards Park and Ernest G. Lawrence Plaza all opened in 2010.

Growth in our parks and recreation programs has been overwhelmingly supported.
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Gilmore Park, adjacent to the Downtown Trail opened on April 3rd, more than 200

local residents came out for the Grand Opening and the Easter Egg Hunt. On July

4th, the City officially dedicated Orchards Park. It is now home to the summer

concerts series and the City’s Annual 4th of July fireworks display. More than 3,000

people attended the inaugural Orchards Park Concert Series. The Rink at Lawrence

Plaza has been a huge hit. On opening night, more than 1,500 were in attendance for

an ice skating exhibition by the Arkansas Figure Skating Association. Hours at the

rink were extended during the holiday season. Demand has been so phenomenal;

we’ve extended the season to Valentine’s Day.

The new Memorial Park Tennis Complex opened for public use on December 16th.

This $1.5 million dollar project was a cooperative effort between the Bentonville

Public Schools and the City of Bentonville. This facility will be home to the

Bentonville Tiger High School Tennis Team. In consideration of use for these courts,

the Public School System deeded several properties to the City, including the four

ball fields behind Elm Tree Elementary and the Old Tiger Stadium property which

will become a future park. This is a good time to thank the Bentonville Public

School System for their generous donation and to say the City is pleased to have this

opportunity to provide a home for the Bentonville High Tennis team. This, I think, is

also a fine time to mention and congratulate the Bentonville Tiger Football team on

their undefeated season and 7A State Football Championship win.

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With a generous donation from the Walton Family Foundation, Park Springs Park

received the first phase of a major facelift. The first part of the project was

completed in October 2010. The gift of services, valued at $160,000, provided for the

renovation of the trail and creek enhancement. This project will continue into 2011

with future improvements including pavilion and restroom improvements,

landscaping and a new playground structure.

In 2010, the Parks and Recreation Department began introducing new recreation

programs to the community. More than 1,000 youths and adults participated in a

new comprehensive recreational soccer program. Last year, more than 4,000

children and adults participated in the City’s sports and recreation programs.

Approximately 32,000 patrons utilized the pool facility during the summer season.

Reservations were processed for 494 special events in our parks that served over

17,000 parks patrons.

2010 City utility accounts grew 4.3 % over 2009 to 18,954 separate accounts. For the

year, our meter reading team read 426,214 meters with an accuracy rate of 99.94%!

With a strong commitment to customer service and professionalism, our Utility

Billing group processed 173,668 payments totaling $70.8 Million. Approximately

20% of our total customer base now utilizes the Bank Draft option.
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The City’s Recycling and Solid waste program has been operational for three years.

Although 2010 total recycling tonnage was down from 2009, the program continues

to be successful in keeping thousands of tons of material out of our landfills.

The City’s Electric & Engineering Department continued its goal of reducing overall

costs and electricity usage. Our in-house staff helped reduce City expenditures by

installing electric at Orchard Park, installing lights along 8th Street West, Highway 72

East, the new Downtown parking lots and the new Tennis Court parking lot. After

reaching agreement with Carroll Electric, the staff finalized the takeover of electrical

service for the Brightwood subdivision. The City’s Engineering team continues to

save our City thousands of dollars by completing many projects “in house” versus

bidding projects out to third party providers. Recent projects include both the

technical design and complex construction of new electric substations.

With the new Arkansas Trauma Grant, the Fire Department was able to implement a

new high-level paramedic skill called Rapid Sequence Intubation (RSI), which holds

great potential for saving lives in critical circumstances. With these funds, the

department purchased an automatic CPR machine which will aid in the saving of

lives after cardiac arrest. The New World Systems dispatching software now allows

staff to input responses in on-scene time and other operational status benchmarks
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with the touch of a finger to the computer screen. Radio traffic is greatly diminished

and tracking the Department’s response and operational times is much more

accurate. 2010 was another record-breaking year for the number of emergency

responses. The Fire Department staff answered a total of 3,394 EMS runs, 519 Fire

and Hazmat calls and 451 other type calls for a total of 4,364 calls for the year as

compared to 3,759 total calls, an increase of 16% over 2009. The City had no loss of

life due to fire in 2010. The Department’s public education programs reached over

10,000 children and 3,600 adults. The fire safety trailer, originally acquired as a

FEMA trailer and later remodeled by firefighters, is used extensively for fire and

smoke safety demonstrations.

2010 resulted in many changes and improvements in the day to day operations of

Bentonville’s Police Department and the Bentonville Emergency Communications

Center. Many of these developments were the result of the February 2010

implementation of New World Systems operating software. In the Communications

Center, this new software system has streamlined call taking and helped Dispatchers

improve both officer’s safety and public safety with items such as Automatic Vehicle

Location (AVL), Integrated Arkansas Crime Information Center (ACIC) returns,

and Automatic Fire Department tones. The system has also greatly improved

information and records searching capabilities. Specifically, the Automatic Vehicle

Location function has allowed Dispatchers to quickly determine the location of

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available units and efficiently direct resources to calls for service. Integrated ACIC

and improved search functions allow for faster information flow and the ability to

gather previous call history and background information that may be vital in

emergency situations.

On the street, Mobile Dispatch Terminals (referred to as MDT’s) were also installed

in all patrol and detective vehicles. These MDT’s make it possible for Uniform

Division officers to stay aware of the status and location of other officers. Likewise,

mapping functions available with the MDT’s have improved the efficiency and safety

of first responders by providing street layout information. This, combined with AVL

functions, allows for better planning and positioning of resources when responding to

higher risk calls. Additionally, the capability of mobile field reporting, has sped up

the reporting process and allowed officers to spend more time on the street and less

time in the office.

Record keeping at the police department has also been impacted by these changes. In

particular, these innovations have further eliminated the need for excess paper

records. With these changes, the Records Division can better serve the public with

increased record searching capabilities and more easily retrieve reports and

documents. Likewise, the Criminal Investigation Division and the Property and

Evidence Section have also benefited from these 2010 improvements. Streamlined
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case assignment procedures for detectives, and a greatly improved ability to create

detailed case files, and search departmental records have likewise benefited the

investigative process.

Despite a steady number of calls for service, 2010 was mostly devoid of crimes or

incidents that might cause great concern for the community. In fact, 2010 marked

the resolution of two very important missing person cases. Likewise, nine months of

diligent effort in one of these cases resulted in the arrest of two suspects for Capital

Murder.

From the perspective of the public, several changes and improvements at the

Bentonville Police Department were also accomplished. These improvements were

related to the facility itself and resulted in notable renovations to the front lobby and

the Community Room, as well as the exterior of the building itself and public

entrance to the building.

During 2010 the City’s Legal Department prosecuted 2,285 criminal and traffic cases,

with charges ranging from speeding violations to DWI and battery. The Department

also prepared 85 ordinances and resolutions, processed 3 annexations and facilitated

11 real estate transactions. Regular meetings and consultations with City officials

and staff provide top quality legal service and risk management to the City.
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The Bentonville Public Library continues to grow in popularity and in the number of

programs offered to our citizens. Since its opening in November of 2006, the library

has had 1.1 million visitors. More than 282,300 visits were made to the library in

2010. More impressive, children and teens read 16,176 hours during the Library’s

Summer Reading Program held this past June and July. Bentonville’s Library

services for children was instrumental in the City’s presentation to the National Civic

League as supporting criteria benefiting youth and children and helped the City

achieve All-America City Finalist status. In 2010, the Library asked for and received

a $5,000 dollar literacy grant from the American Library Association and the Dollar

General Literacy Foundation plus a $500 dollar grant and an early literacy computer

station from the AR State Library. Over 20,000 children attended free children’s

programs in 2010. The Library was the recipient of over $52,000 in cataloged gifts

and almost 6,000 hours of volunteer time. A first-ever, Bentonville Public Library

Strategic Plan was prepared and completed by library administration and presented

to City Council. Covering 2010-2012, the plan focuses on four priorities: growth and

development, differentiation in the community, organizational efficiency and

financial viability.
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In 2010, Bentonville Library staff focused on programs and services that celebrate

community, diversity and education. It hosted, for the first time, a United States

Naturalization Ceremony and a Military Appreciation Day. The library continues to

offer multicultural programs such as: a monthly Spanish Language and Culture

workshop; a weekly Chinese Language Lessons for families; special world languages

storytimes; and monthly bilingual storytimes.

The Public Works staff oversaw the City’s first wastewater flow to the new NACA

facility which opened on November 29th. Bentonville is currently diverting 300,000

gallons of wastewater to the NACA plant each day. And, an additional 1.5 million

gallons per day will be sent to NACA in mid 2011. Two sewer lift stations in

Bentonville were taken out of service as a result of the wastewater flow being diverted

to NACA. The Wastewater Department is currently operating and maintaining 53

lift stations. The City continues to take a leadership role in expanding relationships

with Rogers, Springdale, Fayetteville and Siloam Springs to form the NW AR

Intergovernmental Working Group on Water and Wastewater Discharge Issues

(IWG) to form regional support and combine efforts to monitor and challenge EPA’s

TMDL processes. The City is steadfast in its challenge to EPA’s unfounded TMDL

for phosphorous on Town Branch. The EPA established a 0.1 mg/L TMDL for

phosphorus on Town Branch July 15, 2010 following official notice issued in April

2010.
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Public Works Maintenance, along with Parks and Recreation continued to utilize a

temporary labor agency to provide seasonal labor which again allowed much more

flexibility and efficiency as compared to hiring seasonal employees directly. The

Department was able to adjust the number of people needed on a given day to

accommodate work load/projects, replacements and substitutes, and scheduling for

weekends/events. The City’s ability to select employees based on experience &

expertise while constantly adjusting to meet needs resulted in expanded services to

public. The Public Works Maintenance staff completed the front landscaping,

including a new sign and flagpole, at our municipal cemetery. Additionally, staff

removed the overhead utility lines along the cemetery frontage on SW F Street,

creating a clean appearance to the cemetery. They also planted over 400 trees last

year; this includes plantings at Orchards and Gilmore Parks, Lawrence Plaza, the

new tennis courts, the new parking lots, and Tiger Boulevard.

The Composting Facility had another successful year providing a beneficial use for

biosolids and green-waste. Two compost give away events were conducted for the

residents of Bentonville resulting in approximately 2,800 cubic yards of compost

being pick-up by Bentonville citizens.

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The Public Works Director and the Airport Advisory Board oversaw the completion

of the southern runway turnaround at Bentonville’s Municipal Airport. This project

extended the runway length by 345 feet and provided an area for aircraft to safely

execute a turn around at the isolated southern end of the runway. This project

resulted in a significant increase in transient jet traffic and subsequent fuel sales.

Fuel sales are reported to be up over 200% since completion of the runway.

Additionally, a 2-inch overlay of the entire runway was completed. The overlay

project transformed the well-used runway into a smooth and efficient surface that

dramatically improved safety.

The Transportation Department completed an extensive and impressive list of

initiatives. To name a few, the Department completed construction of 8th Street West,

28th Street/Olive Street Overpass, Highway 72 project, Bright Road Drainage project,

Moberly Right Turn Lane addition, Phase 3 of the Downtown Square Enhancement

project, NE “F” Drainage project, and completed designs on Main Street South and

East Central projects. Additionally, the staff began survey and preliminary design on

the 8th Street project, including the interchange. The Transportation staff

constructed 1,200 feet of sidewalks, improved 2 miles of City drainage ways, striped 5

miles of city streets, laid 150 tons of asphalt to repair road surfaces…resurfacing

almost 4 miles of City streets.

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For the very first time, Bentonville was the recipient of the 2010 Volunteer

Community of the Year Award. The Award is co-sponsored by the DHS Division of

Volunteerism, the Arkansas Municipal League and the Office of the Governor. The

City, with the help of 45 organizations, reported 10,614 individuals gave 163,672

hours of service to our community. These hours are valued at more than $3 Million

and represent a generous gift to our community. Recently, I accepted the award

from Governor Beebe on behalf of all the volunteers in our community.

Born from this recognition, I have decided to initiate an Outstanding Citizen Award

Program. We have created this program to recognize those that go out of their way

to help others. Our hope is to hear about the good deeds of those living in the City of

Bentonville…hear of the outstanding generosity of a teacher, a community group, a

teenager, athlete, community leader, or soldier; the list is endless. Information about

the program will be listed on our website first thing tomorrow morning.

Additionally, brochures and nomination forms will be available at City Hall.

2011 promises to be a memorable year. Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art

will open its door on November 11th. 21C Hotel will break ground and numerous

new restaurants will open in the downtown area. Without a doubt, we will have

visitors from all over the world making their way here to attend Crystal Bridge’s

grand opening. At the site dedication several years ago, Alice Walton said, “My hope
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is that Crystal Bridges will become a special place for all who visit, and they will see

first-hand why this site and this region are so extraordinary.” The opening will be an

economic win for every city in Northwest Arkansas. More important, it will be a

source of pride for everyone who calls Bentonville home.

The City’s resources are healthy and strong; primarily in its nearly 400 employees

committed to professionally serving the citizens of Bentonville and second in its

finances. Finances that are sufficient to fund the critical public safety, utility and

quality of life amenities that make our City a special place to live and work – the

State of the City is sound!

Thank you and may God continue to bless our City and Northwest Arkansas.

Mayor Bob McCaslin

City of Bentonville
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