Site work, paving and new construction of a mixed-use development in Searcy, Arkansas. Conceptual plans call for the construction of a 32,930-square-foot, two-story above grade educational facility; and for paving for a sidewalk / parking lot.

The Searcy City Council did something for one of its school districts that the Bald Knob City Council wasn’t willing to do a few months ago for its district: The council waived the permit fee for a new school building. However, the Searcy council had a reason – a “much longer” sidewalk – for waiving the city’s fee, which Planning and Development Director Richard Stafford said would have been around $47,000, for the new two-story animal science building the district included in its plans at the high school if voters passed a 30-year millage extension, which they did May 13 with 83.61 percent of those who voted in favor. The extension allows the district to borrow up the $25.5 million against its debt service mills for projects that also include adding safe rooms at its three elementaries and middle school, which the Searcy School Board has decided will be in-room shelters. The animal science building is projected to be 41,146 square feet under the roof and 32,930 square feet in the interior, with space for, among other things, a greenhouse, livestock pens, labs and an arena. Noting that the city has “a great relationship with our school,” Stafford told the council last Thursday that the district had “submitted some plans to us to build this new ag center. It is a really cool facility.” Stafford said the $47,000 the city could have charged would cover about half of the cost of “the half-street improvement from the corner all the way up to Audley Bolton [Drive]” that the school district also is making. He said the estimated costs of that project are just over $100,000. “We met with the schools about waiving their building permit fee if, during their construction, they constructed additional sidewalk and curb from where they’re building the new ag building to the corner of Ella [Street] and Audley Bolton,” Stafford explained Thursday. “They are required by code to build a sidewalk along Ella directly adjacent to their project site only, but if the school and the council agreed, this would extend those improvements all the way to the corner. So there would be a much longer sidewalk and curb. That is what the council voted to do.” Mayor Mat Faulkner said the improvements would be a benefit for both the school and the community. Councilman David Morris asked Stafford if he knew if the city customarily waived building permit fees for school projects before Stafford was hired in 2022 as planning director. Stafford said not that he was aware of, adding that the Searcy School District paid the building fee for Lion Arena, which was completed in 2023, “and all other projects.” City records show that the district was charged a $62,325.35 fee for a new construction building permit for the arena. Stafford added that the city was not just waiving the fee this time for the animal science building, though, but getting something in return for it that will help with the city’s bike trail. The Bald Knob City Council discussed the fee for Lion Arena before making its decision in June to not grant a request by Bald Knob School District Superintendent Dr. Jed Davis to either waive or lower the city’s $42,801 fee for the new elementary school the district is building. Davis proposed paying $5,000 for a permit fee “and at the end of this project, when we determine the conditions of the roads, if the city and our person agree that we don’t need any major road repairs, then I’m saying we you you 25 percent of whatever is left” and the rest is used by the school for things like video equipment or more playground equipment. “I mean, it’s a standard building permit that we charge,” Mayor Gary Looney said. “It’s not anything that we have just come up with for the school. It is $50 plus $2.50 per $1,000, and the demolition permit is $100.” The new elementary is expected to cost roughly $17 million, with the district paying around $11.4 million of the price after voters agreed to allow it to refund four bond issues and extend the existing debt service mills to generate funds for the project. Looney said the city has an obligation to look out for itself. “This is not by any means to rip off the school to see what we could get; it’s just not. I feel like all these costs were already figured in.” He said that the fees are not inflated, but this is an opportunity for the city to get the money due to it according to city code. “In my opinion, the only people that are going to get hurt [if the fee wasn’t charged] is the city of Bald Knob; that’s it.”