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The Mountain Home City Council moved through a packed agenda Thursday, approving new rental rates for city parks and the soon-to-open Community and Aquatic Center, adopting a long-awaited zoning overhaul and accepting the final plat for the third phase of a South Sheeks Drive subdivision.
The council met April 2 in the council chambers of the Municipal Building.
The council accepted the final plat and public dedications for Big Creek Estates Phase III, developed by Mountain Land Group LLC along South Sheeks Drive.
The item had originally been placed on first reading because city staff were unsure whether enough council members would be present to suspend the rules and advance it. All members were present, and the council passed the ordinance through all three readings with an emergency clause attached.
Planning Director Arnold Knox told the council all concerns previously raised by the Planning Commission had been addressed. The commission had recommended approval in December on the condition that Entergy complete the electrical installation before the plat came before the council.
Knox confirmed Entergy has since installed all electrical infrastructure and the system is operational. Roads, water and sewer lines have also been inspected and tested.
The council approved an amendment to the city’s exclusive solid waste agreement with Waste Connections, dated Dec. 1, 2024.
Mayor Hillrey Adams said the amendment was prompted by a recent Arkansas Supreme Court decision involving Holiday Island that addressed the definition of supplemental services in exclusive waste contracts.
Under the amended language, any company or third party may provide roll-off container service under 20 cubic yards without violating the exclusive agreement. The exception does not apply to municipal solid waste generated by residential and commercial units that receive cart service from Waste Connections.
Adams said the city held several meetings with Waste Connections before reaching the agreement. He said the court decision left some areas undefined, but the amendment puts the city in compliance with the ruling as currently understood.
Parks Director Daniel Baxley presented a new rental rate schedule covering all city park facilities, including the Mountain Home Community and Aquatic Center.
The rates set prices for pavilion reservations at $20 for two hours across Hickory, Cooper, McCabe and Keller parks. The Hickory Park amphitheater stage is priced at $250 for two hours. Sports field rentals at Clysta Willett, Keller and Dr. Ray Stahl Soccer fields are set at $100 per day, with a $25 hourly rate at a two-hour minimum.
At the Community Center, gymnasium rates range from $25 per hour for a half court to $1,200 per day for all courts. Meeting rooms range from $150 to $900, depending on size and duration. Non-profit organizations receive half-price rates on meeting and conference room rentals.
Aquatic facility rates include $150 for two hours of competition pool lane rental and $1,500 per day for full natatorium access during swim meets. Pool party rooms are priced at $250 for 90 minutes.
Baxley said the rates were developed by comparing what similar facilities in the region charge. He said the city has seen a sharp increase in requests from vendors and event organizers looking to use park facilities for commercial purposes.
Council members asked whether free community events like the former Friday night music series would be affected. Baxley said events that are free to the public and only need access to city facilities would not be charged. The rates apply to events where organizers charge admission or sell merchandise.
Baxley said each request will be evaluated individually. Events the city wants to support or waive fees for will go through the parks committee and the mayor’s office.
The council approved the rates unanimously.
City Treasurer Alma Clark presented a resolution formalizing the city’s method for charging administrative fees to its water, sewer and street departments.
Clark said the council approved the practice by voice vote in October 2011, but the method for calculating the fees was never formally documented. The resolution puts a 14-year process in writing.
Clark said the plan spells out how percentages are derived for each department’s share of administrative costs. She said it ensures continuity if staff changes occur.
The council approved the resolution unanimously.
The council adopted on third and final reading an ordinance overhauling the city’s commercial zoning classifications.
The ordinance splits the existing C-2 commercial zone into several subzones based on a business’s traffic generation, light pollution and noise output. The current C-2 designation accommodates everything from law offices to big-box retail stores with no distinction between them.
Under the new system, the city will freeze existing C-2 designations in place. When a new business is built or an existing site changes use, the zoning will be updated to one of the more specific categories: C-2A, C-2B, C-2C or C-4.
The ordinance passed unanimously. It had been in development through the Planning Commission and received its first two readings at previous council meetings.
Clark also received approval to open new accounts for the recently approved 2026 water and sewer revenue bond. The accounts include a checking account and a project fund within the city’s financial system.
The council approved a bid waiver allowing the Mountain Home Police Department to purchase two Ford Explorer police interceptors through the local Ford dealership, Ultimate Ford.
Police Chief Eddie Griffin told the council the vehicles are the gas-powered version, which is not available on the state bid list. The state bid currently offers only the hybrid model, which Griffin said is about $2,000 cheaper up front but has caused more mechanical problems for the department. He said the hybrid battery replacement alone runs around $12,000.
Griffin said the price from Ultimate Ford matches what the city paid for the same vehicles last year, despite price increases across the industry.
The council approved the purchase unanimously.
The council approved an updated resolution for the city’s lease of a Model 900 ECO combination sewer cleaner, originally approved at the March 19 meeting.
City Clerk Scott Liles said the interest rate on the lease agreement increased by roughly half a percent between the original approval and finalization, adding approximately $300 per month to the city’s payment. The updated numbers were presented for council approval.
Liles noted the passing of former City Clerk Cynthia Ann Wynn. He said he never worked with Winn directly but has walked in her footsteps through the records she maintained.
“From everything I’ve seen, she did a great job,” Liles said. “And clerk to clerk, that’s probably the best compliment you can get.”
Mary O’Shields of the Baxter County Democrats also thanked the city and the Mountain Home Police Department for their presence at a recent No Kings rally held on the downtown square. O’Shields praised Chief Griffin and his officers for making attendees feel safe.
The council adjourned without further business.
