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BELLA VISTA — The city is going into 2026 with an eye on smart growth, according to spokeswoman Cassi Lapp.

“We are very rapidly growing, which means we’re continuing to see residential construction, we’re continuing to see use of the library, more fire and EMS calls, so we are really just working really hard to continue to keep up with that growth in a responsible way,” Lapp said.

Two places the city is putting extra money into dealing with that growth are trails and the public library.

Bella Vista’s 2026 city budget includes $25.3 million in planned expenditures, an increase of $1.2 million, or 5%, over last year. The biggest jump in expenditures is in the Planning and Development Department, which increased 16% to $446,245. Part of that increase is to pay for a trails coordinator.

The trails coordinator will be the liaison for projects and events related to city trails held by external organizations or internally, according to Lapp. The coordinator will handle outreach and collaborations as well as the day-to-day work like emptying trash at the trailheads, she said.

The OZ Trails Bike Park at U.S. 71 and Mercy Way is set to open this summer. Mayor John Flynn has said the prospect of that new tourist destination is already affecting planning by the city and local businesses.

“The new bike park will open in 2026,” Lapp said. “That’s not a city initiative or a city-run property, but it will definitely bring on some excitement and some changes and new things, whatever that may be, that will come following the opening of that.”

OZ Trails Bike Park will be the first chairlift-served bike park in Northwest Arkansas, with more than 30 trails for riders of all skill levels and a variety of other attractions.

The city’s budget also includes money for two new positions at the public library, which has seen a lot of growth in the last year in terms of attendance at events and general traffic, Lapp said. The two new positions are meant to address that growth.

Suzanne Adams, library director, said the city’s growth has meant the library needs to grow alongside it. Part of the need for new employees comes from the number of people coming to events in the library’s children’s center, the most popular event being “Baby Storytime” for newborns through 18-month-olds. Adams also mentioned other popular events such as the “True Crime Club,” which draws people from as far as Fayetteville.

The library’s steady growth will require more books and more shelving, which the library will be looking into this year, Adams said.

PUBLIC SAFETY AND REVENUES

Public safety will see additions this year as well.

The Police Department is set to add one full-time uniformed officer and will elevate the resource officer at Cooper Elementary from part-time to full-time.

“I was pleased about that,” Flynn said. “It’s sad, but nowadays security is a big thing at the elementary schools.”

The Fire Department, meanwhile, will add three firefighters.

The 2026 budget projects total general fund revenues of more than $25.4 million — an increase of more than $2.1 million, or 9% over 2025. That is also about $100,000 more than the expenditures budgeted for 2026.

“I felt good about it, the way it finally came out,” Flynn said. “I thought it was good that the current operating revenues are greater than the operating expenses — that’s what we are always going for. Our people were able to stay within budget.”

Key revenue sources include city and county sales taxes, which are projected to exceed $14.4 million — $4.8 million in city sales tax and $9.9 million in county sales tax — over half of the total revenues. Property tax is the second largest revenue source at $4.6 million, or 16.3% of total revenue.

Residents voted in November to extend the city’s existing 1% sales tax, which helps in the funding of several major capital projects. That approval was significant because of how many things it affects, Flynn said.

“It affected how much we had to put in for capital expenditures, because so many of them were covered by that. Once that passed it was kind of the key to everything,” he said.

State and county turnback revenues total $3.7 million and franchise fees generate $2.3 million. While the telephone and cable franchise tax revenues continue to decrease, the decline is offset by the increase of electric and residential sewer growth. The franchise fee revenue bond will be paid off with the new 2026 bond.

The Administration Department increased its budget 11% to $464,437. The court decreased its budget by 36%, and the Human Resources Department sees a 10% decrease in expenditures.

“I think things went pretty smooth in the process,” Flynn said. “It’s always a little bit of an effort to make sure that things balance out. Basically, you don’t want to spend too much money, but you still want to give the citizens what they need. That’s always a little bit of a challenge in Bella Vista.”

The complete 2026 budget is available on the city’s website — bellavistaar.gov — under Departments and Finance.

A RESIDENT’S PERSPECTIVE

Bella Vista resident Patricia Ettestad said she loves the city’s library, walking trails and the feeling of being outside the hustle and bustle of a larger city and the congestion that comes with it. The beautiful lakes, kind people and great places to eat are part of what drew her to Bella Vista, she said.

In light of all the good, Ettestad said in order to keep Bella Vista a place people like to live, she would like to see policies put in place that protect homeowners.

She expressed concerns that developers sometimes behave with little to no regard for homeowners near where they are developing and the city has done little to nothing to protect homeowners. She and her neighbors have experienced trash in their yards, trees falling on property without notification, loud music and overclearing in relation to developer and contractor work, she said.

“It would be good to have changes that affirm that homeowners are just as valuable as developers so that Bella Vista remains a place where people want to live and not just a place to vacation,” Ettestad said.

The Bella Vista Library’s children’s center is shown Wednesday. The library is getting two new employees in the 2026 budget as library leaders aim to keep up with growth in patrons. Visit nwaonline.com/photos to access our photo gallery.
(NWA Democrat-Gazette/Jada Robison)