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Hot Springs council adopts citywide fee schedule after heated debate over process
Summary
The Hot Springs City Council voted 5-2 to adopt Resolution 2025-27, updating the citywide fee schedule for 2026. Council members and staff debated several increases—including contractor licenses, site development permits and recreation fees—and some members objected to how information was shared.
The Hot Springs City Council voted 5-2 to approve Resolution 2025-27, a citywide update to fees and rates that will take effect in 2026.
The measure bundles changes across multiple departments: contractor licensing fees and surety bond increases, higher site-development and excavation permit charges, a proposed $50-per-video-lottery-machine annual license fee tied to alcoholic beverage licensing, and higher daily and membership fees for recreation facilities such as Evans Plunge and the Southern Hills golf course. Staff estimated the new video-lottery license fee could generate roughly $3,000 annually.
Council debate centered less on the merits of rate adjustments than on process and notice. One council member who opposed portions of the package said, “I don’t think I can vote for yes on this,” citing that many items appeared in the fee packet only shortly before the meeting and were not discussed in committee by all members. City staff responded that the fee changes were recommended by department heads and that the materials had been posted on the city website ahead of the meeting. “If you want something more or different, it’s always available and you always have time to ask questions,” a staff member said.
Supporters said the increases reflect inflation, comparisons with other communities and long-delayed updates. A council supporter noted the city must keep infrastructure and services solvent: previous master-plan work and department analyses, they said, justify incremental increases to avoid steeper future hikes.
The vote followed a roll call that produced five yes votes and two no votes. Council agreed to compile and circulate the comparative rate data and the emails and committee notes that informed the recommendations for members who requested them.
The resolution is intended to implement the new fees for calendar year 2026; several council members asked staff to present, in future packet materials, the origin and supporting data for fee changes so members can review them in advance.
What's next: staff will send the underlying rate-comparison materials and committee notes to council members; the city will apply the revised schedule starting in 2026.
