MH City Council continues discussion of new sign ordinances, grant for Farmer’s Market

It was a busy 42 minute meeting for the Mountain Home City Council Thursday evening as they continued discussion on two new sign ordinances and approved applying for a grant for a pavilion at the Farmer’s Market.

The council heard the second readings of the new billboard and yard sign ordinances which both had changes following their first readings earlier this month.The biggest change to the billboard ordinance is the wording on wall murals, which still garnered the most discussion Thursday evening. Wall murals are not considered signs in the updated ordinance, but they could be if they have words in them. The city is going to get more input from Arnold Knox, the city’s Director of Planning and Engineering, about how to handle whether to allow wording in wall murals.

When it comes to the yard signs, the biggest changes from the previous meeting is allowing four banners instead of two in town to promote an event; for events that six or fewer days, signs can go out 14 days prior to the event; for events that last longer seven days, signs can go out 21 days in advance; both commercial and non-commercial signs will be allowed in residential zoned areas; and permit fees will be set at $20 per event.

Both ordinances will come up for their third and final readings at the next council meeting Aug. 7.

The council also passed an ordinance to apply for a grant from the state for $888,000 to build a pavilion at the Farmer’s Market downtown. It’s an 80/20 matching grant, meaning the city will have to come up with $170,000 in matching funds, but Mayor Hillrey Adams told the council a person had agreed to donate the matching funds if the grant is approved.

The city will have to so site, dirt and concrete work.

The pavilion will be 90X150 and will have an ADA accessible bathroom.

The artist rendering is not exact. There will not be bricks along the bottom, it will be open.

The council also approved an ordinance to lower the wholesale water rates to three wholesalers that purchase water from the city, Midway, Northeast Lakeside and Lakeview.

The rates are set based on the 2024 audit. Public Works Director Steve Hill says the city paid off one bond in 2024 and expenses were down.

City Attorney Roger Morgan pointed out the formula is the same one that lowered the rates this year that was used in 2018 that raised the rates when the Northeast Public Water Authority (NPWA) sued the City of Mountain Home alleging the city breached a 2012 contract by improperly calculating the rates charged to the NPWA.

In other business, the council voted to accept the 2024 General Fund Audit Report. City Treasurer Alma Clark told the council the audit was given a clean opinion.

Clark also updated the council on where the budget stands just past the midpoint of the year. She says everything is right on track. Revenues are at 59.36% while expenses are at 73.83%. She says most of the spending is done between May and August, so the expenditures will slow down the rest of the year.

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