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The Mountain Home City Council will weigh a $2 million engineering contract for a major water infrastructure project, a no-bid police vehicle purchase and three new ordinances when it meets at 5 p.m. Thursday in the council chambers of the Municipal Building at 720 Hickory St.
The agenda runs 10 items deep, opening with a cybersecurity presentation from Blue Guys IT and closing with proposed ordinances on demolition permits, short-term rentals and temporary signage. The meeting will be streamed on Facebook and YouTube by XL7-TV.
The largest dollar figure on the agenda belongs to a professional services agreement with Garver, LLC for engineering work tied to the Southwest Water Tank to Midway Water Tank Infrastructure Improvements project. The total contract amount is $2,010,520, according to a memo from Public Works Director Steve Hill.
Garver’s scope of work covers surveying, geotechnical, environmental and cultural resource services, along with preliminary and final design of water transmission mains and a new pump station. The agreement also includes SCADA system development, bidding support and full-time construction observation.
The project would install roughly 8,250 linear feet of 16-inch water line to support the existing Southwest Water Tank, plus another 23,075 linear feet of 16-inch line running from the Southwest Water Tank to the Midway Water Tank. A 2,350-gpm Southwest Pump Station near the Southwest tank site is also part of the design, according to the agreement.
Additional pipe work includes about 6,700 linear feet of 12-inch line along Highway 178 to Rodeo Drive, 1,270 linear feet of 16-inch line tying the transmission main to a proposed Hickman Knob ground storage tank and 1,235 linear feet of 8-inch line from that tank to Skylark Drive. Construction is anticipated to take approximately 500 days once the contractor receives a notice to proceed.
The Garver fee breaks down across project management at $101,444, surveys at $256,076, geotechnical work at $67,536, cultural resources at $20,905 and environmental services at $84,572. Preliminary design is set at $367,038, final design at $180,550, bidding services at $38,512, construction administration at $228,220, SCADA application at $171,507 and construction observation at $494,160 on a rate schedule basis.
Mayor Hillrey Adams would sign on behalf of the city if the council approves the agreement, with Garver Water Team Leader Jerry T. Martin signing for the engineering firm. Hill said in his memo that approval would authorize Garver to proceed with the engineering and design services needed to advance the project.
The council will also consider a resolution waiving competitive bidding to purchase a 2026 Ford Expedition from Ultimate Ford of Mountain Home for $54,250. Police Chief Eddie Griffin is presenting the item.
The resolution states a 2026 Chevrolet Tahoe is available through state bidding for $54,710, but Ultimate Ford can provide a 2026 Ford Expedition police vehicle for roughly $500 less. The immediate availability and lower price make acquiring a similar vehicle through the routine bidding process impractical, according to the resolution, which cites A.C.A. 14-58-303 as authority for the bid waiver.
The Public Safety Committee discussed police vehicle deliveries at its April 21 meeting. Two of three new patrol vehicles have arrived and are being outfitted, with the third expected by the end of May, according to the committee minutes.
Three ordinances are also up for consideration Thursday night.
The first formalizes a demolition permit process the city has been operating informally since 2003. The proposed ordinance sets the fee at $75 for a permit that does not require a sewer inspection or capping of a sewer line, and $115 for one that does.
City Attorney Roger Morgan and City Clerk Scott Liles are presenting the demolition ordinance. Permits would be valid for six months from issuance and would automatically renew if demolition work is actively underway, according to the ordinance text. Violations would carry fines from $150 to $500.
City Clerk Scott Liles said in an email to council members that the demolition ordinance simply puts existing practice in writing. He indicated the council may read the item three times and consider adoption at the same meeting if there are no objections.
The second proposed ordinance modifies the city’s short-term rental rules. Planning Director Arnold Knox and Liles are presenting that item.
The substantive change shifts the annual licensing fee due date from January 1 to July 1 starting in 2027. To bridge the gap, the city would issue a six-month half-year license at $25 per unit covering Jan. 1, 2027, through June 30, 2027.
The annual short-term rental business license fee remains $50 per house or rental unit. Operators must still provide 24-hour contact information, use the city business license number on third-party listings such as Airbnb and VRBO, and submit to initial inspections by the building inspection and fire departments.
Liles said the council is expected to suspend the rules and read the short-term rental ordinance by title only due to the document’s length compared with how little is actually changing. He said the city anticipates three separate readings since time is not of the essence.
The third ordinance overhauls regulations on banners, commercial yard signs and other temporary signage, replacing Ordinance 2025-26 adopted last August. Knox and Liles are also presenting that item.
The biggest addition addresses mobile billboards, which the proposed ordinance defines as a movable or portable sign whose display surface area is between 100 and 150 square feet and is attached to a trailer or chassis. Mobile billboards would generally be prohibited inside the city limits, with one exception carved out for political and campaign advertising.
The ordinance also creates a new section governing banners promoting future business locations. Such banners can be up to 100 square feet and may remain on display as long as the business has an active construction or remodeling permit with the city. No permit would be required, and the banner must promote only the name of the business rather than individual products or services.
Permits for banners and commercial yard signs remain at $20. A single permit covers multiple signs or banners up to the maximum allowed for a given event, according to the ordinance.
Other items on Thursday’s agenda include a discussion of awarding one half of the late Cindy Wynn’s pension to her husband, Steve Wynn, under A.C.A. 24-12-121. Treasurer Alma Clark and Morgan are presenting that item. The state statute allows the legally recognized spouse of a deceased city clerk or clerk-treasurer married to that official 10 years or longer to receive half of the retirement benefit, at the option of the governing body.
Clark and Community Center Director Daniel Baxley will request approval to open a special checking account for purchasing card cash back at the Mountain Home Community Center. Clark and Hill will also seek approval of the 2025 water and sewer audit.
Committee reports from April will round out the meeting. Police Chief Griffin reported officers conducted 422 traffic stops in March, with 306 resulting in warnings, and that the department is roughly 80 percent through the online portion of its ALEAP reaccreditation process. Fire Chief Kris Quick reported the department logged 352 runs in March compared with 354 during the same period last year, while year-to-date runs stand at 961 versus 930 a year ago.
Quick also reported the Insurance Services Office is conducting an inspection on May 7, the same day as the council meeting. Current ISO ratings remain Class 3 in the city and Class 4 in the district.
The Advertising and Promotion Commission approved $10,000 in support for the 41st Mickey Husky Twin Lakes Classic baseball tournament running June 18-21 at its March 19 meeting. The commission also approved $35,000 in support for the Arkanfest Concert Series, with $30,000 of that earmarked for a headliner and a stipulation that the event remain at least a two-day Friday-Saturday concert series and not fall on Father’s Day weekend.
The April 21 Street Committee meeting heard concerns from a Reserve at Big Creek resident about speeding on Turnberry Court. The committee discussed installing a traffic counter to record speed and time data, a step that would inform decisions on whether to reduce the current 25 mph limit.
The Public Safety Committee discussed the same speeding concerns and indicated the issue would be evaluated with a speed trailer and targeted patrols. Additional patrol rotation is also planned near the junior high due to speeding and stop sign complaints, according to committee minutes.
The April 16 minutes show the council adopted Ordinance 2026-12 rezoning 1039 S. College Street from C-3 commercial to R-2 residential, clearing the way for a fourplex on the undeveloped lot. The council also adopted Ordinance 2026-13 accepting an extension of Libby Drive into the city, along with Resolution 2026-14 authorizing the online auction sale of a 1982 Mack water truck and a 2001 Freightliner semi-truck belonging to the Street Department.
Mayor Adams introduced Laura Yarbrough as the city’s new full-time grant writer at the April 16 meeting. Her office is in the building across the street from City Hall that houses the Treasury and Human Resources departments.
