I am a 40+ year resident of Hot Springs Village. I’ve seen its finances ebb and flow. We are no longer a country club, we are a small town with some very expensive needs. Next year the Village will have an important election to remove/change some of its current policies and procedures.

Our General Manager Hale should not have to go “hat-in-hand” to both Quorum Courts for our tornado clean-up. We have paid taxes for this emergency assistance.  Because we are unincorporated, both Saline and Garland counties can legally collect and keep our share of “turn-back funds.” Over the 50+ years HSV has existed, each county government has collected piles of HSV property tax money. Incorporation would also make us eligible to apply for many more grants. The two previous Cooper Developments in Arkansas have incorporated in order to meet their financial obligations.

  A number of years ago, Fountain Lake property owners just outside our West Gate, voted to incorporate. (This area does not include the school district with the same name.) We share a short contiguous border with this city, which is one of the principal factors to be considered when seeking incorporation. The POA committee presently studying our policies and procedures should also include a legal opinion of what would be involved were we to seek annexation to Fountain Lake (city). Could we remain a gated community within their incorporated city? Fountain Lake (city) could act as the collecting agency for both areas and transfer our share of those funds to our POA. Most large cities have private gated communities within their boundaries.

Next year marks the seventh year since Villagers have had the opportunity to change our policies and procedures. Why not add a question about incorporation while retaining our gates as a private community?  We need to have legal advice on the “pros and cons” of attaching ourselves to our neighbor.  At the very least, this tactic should provide leverage with both counties to loosen their purse strings.

Patricia V MacDonald


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