Bill Burckart Campaign

11/27/2025

11/27/2025

11/12/2025

Normal men and women doing remarkable things, and their willingness to sacrifice there lives for our freedoms is why we need to remember them all.

Blessing, happy Veterans Day

10/08/2025

Bentonville Accepting Applications for Public Art Advisory Committee and Tree and Landscape Advisory
Bentonville Accepting Applications for Public Art Advisory Committee and Tree and Landscape Advisory
The City of Bentonville is accepting applications for Bentonville residents to serve on either the Public Art Advisory Committee or the Tree and Landscape Advisory Committee. Both committees serve in an advisory capacity to city staff, mayor, and city council for a three-year term that will begin January 1, 2026.

The Public Art Advisory Committee concentrates on matters related to public art. Members review, evaluate and recommend art for placement on city property, provide technical advisement on the public art program and raise public awareness of the benefit and value of public art. Ideal candidates are arts professionals, including curators, visual artists, art historians, collectors, fabricators, architects, landscape architects, graphic designers, and educators.

The Tree and Landscape Advisory Committee focuses on trees and landscaping. Members make recommendations for monthly landscape awards, provide feedback on codes and policies related to the urban forest, and assist during tree giveaways held twice a year. Ideal candidates are professionals in fields such as forestry, botany, horticulture and landscape architecture.

Bentonville residents with a passion for the arts or the natural environment and a desire to serve their community are encouraged to apply. Applicants must:

Be a registered voter
Reside within the corporate limits of Bentonville
Be available to attend monthly meetings and occasional special meetings
To learn more about the Public Art Advisory Committee, visit: www.bentonvillepublicart.com.

To learn more about the Tree and Landscape Advisory Committee, visit https://www.bentonvillear.com/466 /Tree-Landscape-Committee.

To apply, visit: www.bentonvillear.com/305/Boards-Commissions or call 479-271-3112.

Application deadline: November 7, 2025

Here you will have access to our agendas and minutes, boards, commissions, and committees, and member information.

10/03/2025

Posted on: October 2, 2025
2025 Fall Tree Giveaway
Bentonville, AR… The City of Bentonville is hosting its fall tree giveaway. The goal of the giveaway is to increase the city’s overall tree canopy, promote a healthier environment and improve the physical appearance and visual character of the built environment.

Approximately 500 trees are available to Bentonville residents. Only those residents that live within the city limits qualify for the tree giveaway.

There is no pre-registration. Trees will be distributed first come, first serve beginning at 7:30 am.
All Bentonville residents must show their Bentonville driver’s license or utility bill before receiving their tree.
There is a limit of two trees per Bentonville address.
The giveaway is made possible by the City’s Tree & Landscape Advisory Committee, Compton Gardens & Arboretum and Walton Family Foundation.

Event Details

When: Saturday, October 18, 2025

Where: Bentonville Municipal Complex (3200 SW SW Municipal Dr)

Time: 7:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.

Available Tree Species Include (subject to change):

Ohio Buckeye
Tulip Poplar
White Flowering Dogwood
White Pine
Yellowwood
Contact: For questions, contact Taylor Allen, Community & Economic Development Planner, [email protected] or call (479) 271-3122.

09/12/2025

Bentonville E-Bike Rebate Program

BENTONVILLE, AR… - Bentonville Parks and Recreation is pleased to launch year two of the Bentonville E-Bike Rebate Program. Recent changes to the program include increased rebate amounts of $300 for all bike categories and expanded income eligibility modifications. The next application window opens on Monday, September 8, at 9:00am and will close at 10:00am on Monday, September 15.

The Bentonville E-Bike Rebate Program demonstrates the commitment Bentonville has towards alternative forms of transportation by providing safe and intuitive trail corridors and assisting its residents in purchasing bikes that best suit their needs. Rebates are provided for specific types of bikes including standard, mountain, adaptive, and cargo e-bikes. Rebates are awarded by random selection with set amounts based on income qualifications. Those eligible to participate in the Bentonville E-Bike Rebate Program must be a City of Bentonville resident and 18 years of age or older.

To learn more about Bentonville Parks and Recreation, please visit us online at www.playbentonville.com, or call 479.464.PARK (7275).

09/12/2025

Celebrate the grand opening of Phillips Park, Bentonville’s new 50-acre premier baseball complex, with a ribbon-cutting event, home run derby, and fireworks, tonight, Sep 12, from 5:30-9:30p.

07/25/2025

July 24, 2025 8:00 AM
BCC Annual Basketball Gym and Wellness Studio Closure
We will be resurfacing the Basketball Gym and Wellness Studio floors, August 12th - 17th. Basketball Gym will be closed August 12th - 17th Wellness Studio will be closed August 14th - 17th

07/24/2025

Public Statement from Council Member Burckart:

As one of your elected representatives on the Bentonville City Council, I want to speak directly to our community regarding a new policy announced by the Mayor’s Staff at our last City Council meeting. The policy is scheduled to go into effect on August 5, 2025. This policy would require that all conversations between all staff and City Council members be recorded, with no similar requirement imposed on interactions with any other public officials, departments, or outside parties. This policy is not a requirement of state law but an over reach by the executive branch.

Let me be clear: I strongly oppose this policy.

This directive singles out the legislative branch—your City Council—for surveillance and sets a dangerous precedent. It undermines the foundational principle of separation of powers, which protects the independence of each branch of government and ensures no one branch has undue control over the others.

As a Council Member, I have a responsibility to ask tough questions, to engage in honest and often sensitive conversations with city staff, and to advocate on your behalf. If those conversations are subject to recording only when a council member is involved—and not when other individuals are speaking to the same staff—it raises serious questions about fairness, transparency, and intent.

Policies like this chill open dialogue with staff. Any fear or intimidation that staff may have due to being recorded will inhibit them from being candid with Council Members. This results in one branch of government unable to do the citizens work and to get unfettered information to make decisions. The policy creates mistrust where collaboration should exist. It also risk politicizing the essential day-to-day conversations that allow your city government to function effectively.

While I support transparency in government, I cannot support selective surveillance that targets the representatives of the people. If transparency is the goal, let’s apply it fairly and uniformly—not in a way that undermines public trust or the Council’s ability to do its job.

I have formally requested that this policy be withdrawn before its scheduled implementation. If it moves forward, I will pursue every legal and legislative avenue to protect the independence of this Council and the integrity of our public service.

Thank you for your continued trust and engagement. I remain committed to serving our city with honesty, transparency, and accountability—values that should never be compromised by politics or overreach.

William P. Burckart
Council Member

07/21/2025

July 19, 2025 5:45 PM
BCC Competition Pool Closed for Swim Meet: Saturday, July 26th from 7am-12pm
The Bentonville Community Center Competition Pool will be closed to the public Saturday, July 26 from 7am-12pm to host the Bentonville Barracudas Championship swim meet. The competition pool will reopen to the public for open and lap swim at 12pm.

07/21/2025

LANE CLOSURES - S WALTON AND SE J STREET INTERSECTION
SE J Street and SE Dodson Street at S Walton Blvd will experience Lane Closures in the Northbound and Southbound Lanes starting 7:00pm to 5:00am, Monday 28th, 2025. This closure is for City infrastructure improvements - Bond Project PIIP22-0036.

Please contact Ryan Babbino, Right-of-Way Permit Coordinator, at (479) 271-3130, with any questions about this closure.

*Weather or unforeseen circumstances could postpone this closure.

Road Closures and Detours Map

07/07/2025

“Plan Bentonville” First Draft of Bentonville’s New Development Code Set for Community Review
The City of Bentonville invites the public to attend an community meeting on Thursday, July 17, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Bentonville Library’s Walmart Room, the City will unveil the first draft of its new Unified Development Code (UDC)—a modern, user-friendly zoning code designed to guide Bentonville’s growth in a way that reflects the community’s input and ambitions.

The July 17 gathering will include both a presentation and conversation. Stations will be set up throughout the room to help attendees explore different aspects of the draft code at their own pace. City staff and project team members will be on hand to walk you through details, answer your questions, and collect your thoughts.

Because this draft is just that, a draft, your input is essential.

What makes sense and what needs clearer explanation? What have we missed? This is your opportunity to help ensure that the final code works not just on paper, but in the neighborhoods and places we all care about.

Whether you're a resident, a local business owner, a developer, or someone simply interested in the future of Bentonville, this meeting offers a chance to explore what’s proposed, ask questions, and share your insights. Your feedback will directly influence subsequent versions of the code.

For more information, visit planbentonville.com/post/draft-udc.

Additional Info...