Agency on roads qualifies in region
Posted on Wednesday, June 11, 2008
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/adg/News/228324/
SPRINGDALE — The Northwest Arkansas Regional Mobility Authority now has enough participants to seat a board of directors, mull over highway programs and how to fund them with a mix of federal, state and local dollars.
The Bentonville City Council approved an enrollment ordinance on Tuesday, joining Washington County, Benton County, Rogers and Lowell in the state’s first local highway department.
The Springdale City Council read an enrollment ordinance once, and is expected to eventually approve the measure after a second and third reading later this month or in July. Earlier in the day, the Fayetteville City Council agreed to place an enrollment on its June 17 agenda for consideration.
Under guidelines set by state law, only five member governments are needed to constitute a quorum. Though other cities in the two-county area such as Bella Vista, Lincoln and Siloam Springs can join, Tuesday’s vote in Bentonville was enough to activate what could become the region’s chief source of revenue for nearly $ 2 billion in identified improvements.
“This is an exciting step in getting this authority going,” said Mike Malone, executive director of the Northwest Arkansas Council, a nonprofit advocate for the region’s transportation needs. Malone and his staff, along with the Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission, have agreed to volunteer support and resources to the fledgling authority.
Malone said he hopes all the 13 eligible cities in the two-county area join the authority.
“You’ll want broad representation across the region,” Malone said.
County judges and mayors, or their representatives, will comprise the board of directors. The authority cannot call for elections in its own right, but it can ask the counties to put bond and toll proposals before voters.
The authority is expected to help develop a funding scheme for at least two major projects — the U. S. 412 Springdale bypass, estimated at $ 415 million, and the Bella Vista bypass of U. S. 71, estimated at $ 225 million and rising. Other projects that might be assessed are improvements to Interstate 540 and a beltway west of I-540.
Significant stretches of the 412 bypass run through both Washington and Benton counties. Thus, funding for the road would have to be approved by voters in both counties. The Bella Vista bypass, on the other hand, is located only in Benton County, so voters in Washington County would have no say in whether funds for that project were approved.
The Bentonville vote was unanimous.
“I’m optimistic and I have positive thoughts about it,” said Mayor Bob McCaslin. “This is kind of how XNA [Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport ] started. There was nothing but a committee, and now we have a nice airport.”