The City of Bryant Municipal Funding Committee will hold their regular meeting on Thursday, July 24th; 6:00 PM, at the Bryant City Hall Conference Room located at 210 SW 3rd Street. Meetings are open to the public and attendance is encouraged. If you can’t attend in person you can also watch a live stream of the meeting at https://www.youtube.com/c/BryantArkansas
Municipal Funding Committee:
Bryant City Hall Conference Room
210 SW 3rd St.
Watch Live: https://www.youtube.com/c/BryantArkansas
Date: July 24, 2025 – Time: 6:00 PM
Call to Order
Approval of Minutes
1. June 5, 2025 Regular Meeting – Unapproved minutes
• Funding Committee Minutes Unapproved 06052025.pdf
Public Comments
Old Business
New Business
City Government
2. Fee Discussion: – Options for Implementing a Cap or Extending Phase-In Timeline
3. Wastewater Master Plan Update
4. Chamber/Commercial Business/Church Meetings – Overview of Meetings
5. RFQ: Basin and Drainage Repair and Maintenance – Review
Attachment pending
Adjournments
Previous Meeting Minutes
Funding Committee Unapproved Minutes 6/5/2025
Members Present: Lisa Meyer, Jon Martin, Jack Moseley, Butch Higginbotham,
Denecia Ramsey, Scott Staples, Jim Erwin, Phillip Partain
Staff Present: Mayor Treat, Ted Taylor, Jordan Reynolds, Moriah Winkel, Rebecca
Kidder
Guests Present: Peter Cunningham & Chera Moore
Call to Order: 6:00 PM by Chairperson Meyer
Approval of Minutes-May 20, 2025 Meeting – Motion by Staples, second by Ramsey
Public Comments
●
Chera Moore expressed her appreciation to the committee and staff for their
hard work.
New Business
●
Stormwater Fee Structure – Phase 2
○
Mayor Treat provided an overview of the meeting and history of the
current stormwater fee structure:
■ Phase 1 has been in place for several years, charging $3/month for
residential and $6/month for commercial properties.
■ Phase 2 utilizes WilDan data to implement a gradual roll-out of
revised fees.
○
Ted Taylor presented updated data:
■ A detailed spreadsheet was reviewed showing proposed fees for
each business.
■ Adjustments include the addition of senior citizens into the fee
model and planning for operational funding and staffing.
■ Schools and churches will see higher fees due to impervious
surface area; schools have already been informed.
■ Example: Adjusted rate for a school from $2,400/month down to
$600/month was modeled.
■ The committee will also assist in prioritizing early stormwater
projects.
■ Phase 2 implementation would take place over a 4-year timeline.
○
Committee Discussion:○
○
■ Scott Staples asked if staffing hires would be phased in over 4
years—Ted confirmed.
■ Scott asked if the model identifies immediate projects—Ted
confirmed some are included based on total revenue projections.
■ The amended model differs from WilDan’s by adding a senior
citizen pay structure.
●
Current residential users would increase from $3 to $4.25.
●
Seniors, currently exempt, would begin at $4.25.
●
Lisa Meyer asked if seniors could be phased in starting at
$3.
■ Denecia Ramsey asked about gradually increasing to $7 by 2029
for residential and also phasing in commercial rates.
●
Scott Staples cautioned that overcomplicating the
explanation may lead to public confusion. He recommended
connecting fees to visible project outcomes.
●
Lisa Meyer inquired about 3-month rate increments for
businesses, previously suggested by Shane Knight. Ted
confirmed the model includes this flexibility.
●
Ted reviewed rate projections based on business square
footage.
●
Mayor Treat noted a built-in checkpoint in 2029 to assess the
success of the model and make adjustments as needed.
●
Lisa emphasized that rate studies will be conducted every 5
years.
●
Lisa asked how the projected $5 million in revenue would be
used.
○
Ted clarified: bond funds are restricted to projects
only. Operational costs and staffing will be covered
through the general budget.
Outreach and Timeline:
■ Mayor Treat stated that once the committee makes a
recommendation to City Council, it will go through three readings.
■ During that time, the City will conduct outreach to educate
businesses and residents.
■ Treat reiterated the importance of transparency and setting a
precedent for ongoing review every 5 years—or sooner if needed.
Special Topics: Churches & Schools
■ Ted provided an example of First Southern Church’s projected
rate—approximately $380/month—based on impervious surface.■ Peter Cunningham, Pastor at First Southern, noted that such a fee
would be a challenge for churches and nonprofits.
■ Lisa asked what churches and schools currently pay—Ted
confirmed a flat $6/month.
■ Ted stated that excluding churches and schools would shift a
burden of approximately $8,000/month to other users.
■ Jim Erwin asked what the impact would be if schools and churches
were excluded.
■ Jon Martin estimated that it would result in a $150/month increase
for businesses or a $1/month increase for residential users.
■ Ted asked if churches would be open to some fee—Peter
responded yes, though determining the amount would be difficult
due to fluctuating attendance.
■ Mayor Treat requested that church leaders assist in setting up a
meeting between pastors and city officials to discuss the proposed
fee model.
■ Jim Erwin asked what structure City Council would likely
approve—Mayor Treat said it would depend on public input.
■ Ted will email the commercial property rate spreadsheet to the
committee for further review.
■ Treat noted outreach conversations will begin soon with the
Chamber and local businesses.
Adjournment: 7:06 motion by Staples, 2nd by Higginbotham
Next meeting: July 3 at 6:00 PM in Conference Room
MORE INFO
The Municipal Funding Committee meetings are open to the public. The City encourages residents to attend to stay informed on these financial planning efforts. Find agendas for all the City meetings at https://bit.ly/COBAgendas.
If you have questions, contact Communications Manager, Jordan Reynolds, at [email protected].
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