How Bella Vista is run
Who runs Bella Vista, what it costs, and where your money goes
The city manager, council pay, the budget, your property tax bill and who provides each service, from Bella Vista's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Bella Vista
Bella Vista has a mayor-council government. The elected mayor is the full-time chief executive and runs the city's day-to-day operations, and the six-member city council passes ordinances and adopts the annual budget.
What they are paid
- Not eligible for city benefits
Bella Vista city staff
218 full-time-equivalent positions, including Fire 84, Police 69, Street 28. FY2026. Approved full-time headcount for 2026, plus 10 part-time positions. City of Bella Vista · Dec 2, 2025
Arkansas has no statewide pay database. The 2026 budget shows payroll by department only, with no pay list by employee. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Bella Vista in the red?
Cities must pass a balanced budget, so "profit" and "deficit" mean something different here. The useful questions: does the city's everyday money (the general fund) cover its everyday costs, how much does it keep in savings compared with its own target, and how big are its pension and debt bills.
The city's own outlook
The 2026 budget projects general fund operating revenue $152,731 above operating spending. The city's capital request sheet shows 2026 requests exceeding available funds by $535,591 and lists $12,981,752 in unfunded capital expenditures through 2030. City of Bella Vista · Dec 10, 2025
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $5.1M (2025-12-31). The city's own target: Before funding capital requests, the city holds back a reserve requirement of 25% of estimated operating revenues ($6,361,125 for 2026). City of Bella Vista · Jul 15, 2026
Why we skip the "budgeted deficit": many cities plan to dip into savings, then spend less than planned. The audited result tells you what really happened.
Where the money comes from and goes
The general fund only: the city's everyday money for FY2026.
Comes from
- County sales tax$9.9M · 39%
- City sales tax$4.8M · 19%
- Property tax$4.6M · 18%
- Franchise fees$2.3M · 9%
- Ambulance service$1.4M · 6%
- Building inspection fees$1.2M · 5%
- Other$1.2M · 5%
Goes to (FY2026)
- Fire and ambulance$10.2M · 40%
- Police$8.2M · 32%
- Planning and development$1.5M · 6%
- Transfer to street fund$1.2M · 5%
- Administration$1.1M · 4%
- IT$1.1M · 4%
- Library$1M · 4%
- Other$981,489 · 4%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Of each property-tax dollar a Bella Vista homeowner in the Bentonville School District paid on the 2025 levy, about 75 cents went to the school district, 16 cents to Benton County and 9 cents to the city. Homes in the Gravette School District part of Bella Vista pay 51.72 mills, and those in the Pea Ridge School District pay 57.93 mills.
9¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Bella Vista
- Bentonville School District46.8 · 75%
- Benton County9.7 · 16%
- City of Bella Vista5.73 · 9%
- Total (mills ($ per $1,000 of assessed value))62.23
2025 property tax rates for a home in Bella Vista in the Bentonville School District (Benton County). Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration: 2025 Millage Report (2026 Collections), Benton County · Mar 1, 2026
See what a Bella Vista home costs each year, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Bella Vista is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityBella Vista Police DepartmentCity of Bella Vista · Jul 15, 2026
- FireThe cityBella Vista Fire DepartmentCity of Bella Vista · Jul 15, 2026
- Ambulance (EMS)The cityBella Vista Fire DepartmentCity of Bella Vista · Jul 15, 2026
- 911 dispatchThe cityBella Vista Police Department, Dispatch DivisionAnswers calls for police, fire and medical help 24 hours a day.City of Bella Vista
- WaterPrivate companyBella Vista Village Property Owners AssociationThe POA privately owns and operates the water system.City of Bella Vista
- TrashContractorRepublic ServicesCity of Bella Vista
- StreetsThe cityBella Vista Street DepartmentCity of Bella Vista · Jul 15, 2026
- LibraryThe cityBella Vista Public LibraryCity of Bella Vista · Jul 15, 2026
- RecreationPrivate companyBella Vista Property Owners AssociationThe POA manages many recreational amenities.City of Bella Vista · Jul 15, 2026
Compared with similar cities
The cities in this state closest in population that we cover. Read it for scale, not as a ranking: cities provide different services.
| Per city | ParagouldAR | SherwoodAR | Bella VistaAR | BentonAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 31,135 | 33,620 | 34,518 | 38,898 |
| Top administrator's base pay | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | $9,970 | Not confirmed |
| General fund per resident | $875 | $1,017 | $733 | $624 |
| Debt per resident | $195 | $531 | $327 | $884 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $482 | $235 | $441 | $438 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | — | — | 6.3 | — |
Figures as shown in each city's section, divided by its population. Years differ by state, and pension figures are measured differently in each state (each city page says how).
What Bella Vista publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: Adopted budget posted online City of Bella Vista · Dec 15, 2025
- No: City manager's contract findable onlineBella Vista has no city manager; the elected mayor runs the city. We found no contract for the finance director. City of Bella Vista
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes online City of Bella Vista · Dec 15, 2025
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentA council resolution sets 2026 pay: $9,970 a year for council members and $135,356 for the mayor. City of Bella Vista · Dec 15, 2025
- No: Employee pay publishedThe 2026 budget shows payroll totals by department only. We found no pay list by employee. City of Bella Vista · Dec 2, 2025
Questions to ask your council
- Unassigned general fund balance was $5.1 million on December 31, 2025, while the 2026 capital sheet uses a 25% reserve requirement of $6.36 million. How does the city plan to meet that reserve?
- The capital request sheet lists $12,981,752 in unfunded capital expenditures through 2030. Which projects will wait, and how will the rest be paid?
- The city's share of LOPFI's net pension liability is $15.2 million. How will rising police and fire pension costs fit in the budget?
The fiscal year runs January 1 to December 31. By December 1 the mayor gives the council a proposed budget, the council discusses it at a meeting, and it must be enacted before February 1. The 2026 budget was presented on December 2, 2025 and adopted on December 15, 2025. See who is running for council
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