Dec 9, 2021 - News
Breaking down Fayetteville's 2022 budget
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Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
The Fayetteville City Council approved next year’s $190 million budget earlier this week.
Why it matters: We get it — budgets sound a little boring. But money talks, so they're key roadmaps to determine what our area is prioritizing in the coming year.
Some of Fayetteville's stated goals for next year include:
- Developing a new park system master plan that will provide guidance for the next 10 years of development.
- Completing fire stations 8 and 9 and the new police headquarters building.
- Collaborating with the Fayetteville Arts Council, Experience Fayetteville, and public and private facilities to foster arts programming — and develop a plan that guides overall policy development.
- Bolstering climate resilience, which includes working to improve the energy efficiency of buildings and adding clean energy generation at city facilities.
By the numbers: The total budget is an increase of about $19 million more than this year’s plan. And it includes $56 million in the general fund, an increase of about $6.5 million.
Noteworthy new expenses for 2022 include:
- 24 new staff positions.
- Nearly $2.8 million for transportation, including improvements for pavement, sidewalks and traffic signals.
- $1.5 million for trail development.
- More than $1.1 million for police, including $444,000 in technology improvements and $201,000 for body cameras
- $982,000 for the library system, encompassing everything from new materials to HVAC replacements.
Zoom out: Read our breakdown of Bentonville’s 2022 budget, and stay tuned for Rogers and Springdale.