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Bella Vista collagePhoto: User:Brandonrush, Michaelkrewson, Doug Wertman, Alfred Carrillo, flickr user Learning Lark · CC BY-SA 3.0
Town Hall · Bella Vista

Bella Vista spent less per resident in 2022 than 93% of similar cities

Bella Vista’s city government spent $23 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $726 per resident.

Town website
Next public meeting

Board of Zoning Adjustment

4:30 pm · 2483 Forest Hills Blvd.

All meetings →
Day-to-day spending, 2024
$23.0M
year to December 31, 2024
Per resident, 2024
$726
In 2022: $622, less than 93% of 30 similar cities
Long-term debt
$14.1M
end of 2024, reported
City staff, 2025
199
full-time · 24 part-time · March payroll $1.2M
Typical tax bill
$1,796
0.61% of home value · AR 0.55%

What stands out about how Bella Vista is run

Read from the city’s budget, meetings and official records.

Agendas posted online6 upcoming meetings posted, with agendas.Spends less than most similar citiesIn 2022: $622 per resident, less than 93% of 30 similar cities.A shared school districtShares Bentonville Public Schools with 4 other towns.Split between districts3 State House districts cover Bella Vista; your street decides yours.
★ What stands out · Meetings

6 upcoming meetings at town hall

From Bella Vista’s own agenda portal, checked daily. Agendas can change up to the meeting, so check before you go.

Recent meetings

Go in person

Most meetings are open to the public, and many have a public comment period at the start.

Agenda portal ↗
Your share of the 2024 budget

About $726 per resident a year, or $1.99 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: fire, at 36%.

Where the money comes from
Sales taxes 31%From other local governments 31%Property taxes 12%From the state 9%From the federal government 6%Interest, fines & other 5%Fees & charges 5%Other taxes & licenses 3%
Not in the receipt.Building projects $12.8 million; interest on debt $421,000. With these, the whole budget was $36.3 million.
Compared with similar places

$622 per resident in 2022: less than 93% of them

Bella Vista’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($622 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 30 Arkansas cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,032, and the middle half spent $869–$1,144. Bella Vista spent less than 93% of them.

Middle half of the group, $869–$1,144Median $1,032Bella Vista

Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →

The group
30

Arkansas cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Bella Vista itself left out).

Over the years

Day-to-day spending is up 26% since 2022

Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Bella Vista reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.

Day-to-day spending by fiscal year

2022$18.3 million
2024$23 million

Per resident: 2022: $622 · 2024: $726. Per resident it went from $622 to $726 (up 17%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 29,423 to 31,733.

City staff
199

full-time in March 2025, up from 185 in 2022.

Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.

Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $1,796 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.61% of the home’s value, vs 0.55% across Arkansas.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Bentonville$2,871
Bella Vista$1,796
Arkansas$1,040
Gravette$866
$1,796
typical bill a year
0.61%
effective rate
$296,700
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Bella Vista’s rate.

Can I afford it? →

The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate.

Tax bills are one input to Bella Vista’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Bella Vista →

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Bella Vista

Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.

See cityofbellavista.com for Bella Vista’s current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Bella Vista yet.cityofbellavista.com ↗
Who works for Bella Vista

One full-time city employee for every 159 residents

On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (31,733).

By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025

Fire80
Police60 + 3 pt
Roads & transportation27
Administration & buildings9 + 16 pt
Parks & libraries8 + 4 pt
Courts, inspections & corrections5
Other10 + 1 pt
199
full-time
24
part-time
$1.2M
payroll for March 2025
$14.2M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$70,400
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
42
sworn police officers
69
full-time firefighters
Compared, 2022.Bella Vista had 6.3 full-time staff per 1,000 residents in March 2022. The median for the 21 of the 30 Arkansas cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools that reported 2022 staff was 9.5: Bella Vista had fewer than 95% of them. Same group and year as the budget comparison.

The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.

The school district

Bentonville Public Schools

Bella Vista’s K–12 school district, shared with Bentonville, Centerton, Cave Springs, Highfill. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Bella Vista →
$12,660
per pupil · AR $13,585
19,137
students
$318.7 million
long-term debt

Of the $12,660 per pupil, $7,393 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.

The district: schools, scores and graduation →

Where the district’s money comes from
Local 21%State 74%Federal 4%

Arkansas districts overall: 16% local, 70% state, 14% federal.

Also serving Bella Vista

Gravette School District · $12,692 per pupil

School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.

Elections · 2024 general election

Bella Vista’s votes are counted by county

Arkansas reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Bella Vista alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Benton County’s results.

President · Benton County’s results128,400 votes · results as certified
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican62.1%79,798 votes
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat35.2%45,150 votes

Others: 2.7% (3,452 votes).

Most votes in Benton County: Donald J Trump

Arkansas: Trump 64.2%, Harris 33.6%

The county’s page

100% of Bella Vista lies in Benton County. Every 2024 race in Benton County is on the county’s page.

Benton County’s 2024 results →
DemocratRepublicanLibertarianIndependent / other

Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.

Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017. All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.

Who represents Bella Vista

From town hall to Washington

Every level of government that speaks for Bella Vista.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
    Officials: cityofbellavista.com ↗
  2. 2
    Arkansas HouseBella Vista is split between 3 districts
    Hope DukeMindy McAlindon
  3. 3
    Arkansas SenateState senator
    Jim Dotson
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
    Sarah Huckabee Sanders
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
    Steve Womack
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Arkansas
    John BoozmanTom Cotton
Find your state legislators by address ↗

Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.

Next door

How Bella Vista compares with the towns next door

Bella Vista spent $622 per resident in 2022; the 2 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $744 to $1,097. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.

Gravette: $744 per resident (2022)Bentonville: $1,097 per resident (2022)GravetteBentonvilleBella Vista
Spends the leastSpends the mostEstimate or no figures
TownDay-to-day, per resident (2022)Tax bill
Gravette$744$866
Bentonville$1,097$2,871
Bella Vista$622$1,796

Day-to-day spending in 2022, the last year every government was counted, for governments that reported it; hospital and utilities left out. Tax bill: the typical homeowner’s bill (Census ACS, 2020–24).

Reach Bella Vista’s government

The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.

The Handbook →
Official websitecityofbellavista.com ↗

Questions about Bella Vista’s government

How much does Bella Vista spend per resident?

About $726 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $622 was less than 93% of 30 Arkansas cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools.

What is the property tax rate in Bella Vista?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,796 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.61% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.55% across Arkansas. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityofbellavista.com.

Who runs Bella Vista’s government?

See cityofbellavista.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Bella Vista yet.

How did Bella Vista vote in 2024?

Arkansas counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Bella Vista alone. Benton County, where 100% of Bella Vista lies, voted Trump 62.1%, Harris 35.2% for president; its page has every race.

How many people work for Bella Vista?

199 full-time and 24 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $1.2M (about $14.2M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Bella Vista in the state legislature?

Bella Vista is split among 3 State House districts, so your address decides. The Arkansas Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Its State Senate district is District 34 (Jim Dotson). Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

When is the next public meeting in Bella Vista?

The next posted meeting is Board of Zoning Adjustment on Monday, November 9, at 4:30 pm in 2483 Forest Hills Blvd., from the city’s own agenda portal.

Ask neighbors about Bella Vista’s government

Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.

Town Square →
Ask neighbors

Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll; day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →