Where the money goes today
Right now, two separate governments run Holiday Island side by side: the City, and HISID. Add them together, and this small lake town already spends more than most Arkansas cities its size.
Source: 2026 budgets as presented in the May 2, 2026 feasibility study. This is the "before" picture. The September 2026 Long Range Plan describes how these responsibilities would move to the City in five phases, starting with roads in 2027.
What the City's $637,401 actually funds
| Department | 2026 budget |
|---|---|
| Administration | $200,231 |
| Buildings & Construction | $23,209 |
| Code Enforcement / Animal Control | $77,417 |
| District Court | $9,550 |
| Planning & Zoning | $8,353 |
| Public Safety (sheriff contract share) | $221,600 |
| Solid Waste | $2,566 |
| Streets & Roads | $94,475 |
| Subtotal City | $637,401 |
What HISID's $4.27 million actually funds
| Department | 2026 budget |
|---|---|
| Administration | $890,343 |
| Sewer & Water | $1,086,322 |
| Roads (net of city contribution) | $292,826 |
| Fire Department (net of city contribution) | $474,081 |
| Recreation | $1,531,305 |
| Subtotal HISID | $4,274,877 |
City ($637,401) plus HISID ($4,274,877) together add up to the combined operating total above ($4,912,278), exactly as the source study states it.
Administration is the line the Long Range Plan focuses on. It puts current administrative expense at $203,087 for the City and $890,343 for HISID, $1,093,430 combined, and projects a single long-term administration at about $640,000 once HISID is phased out2. See How We'd Pay.
How we compare to similar-sized Arkansas cities
Other Arkansas cities close to Holiday Island's population run considerably leaner budgets — and none of them even include water or recreation, two of Holiday Island's largest cost centers.
| City | Population | Budget |
|---|---|---|
| Holiday Island | 2,452 | ~$6.1M |
| West Fork1,3 | 3,131 | $4,454,884 |
| Green Forest1,4 | 2,972 | $3,496,800 |
| Carlisle1,5 | 2,180 | $2,858,886 |
Peer-city populations and budgets are the figures the City presented in its May 2, 2026 feasibility study. This site could not find those cities' adopted 2026 budgets published online to confirm them independently; the numbered references link to each city's own records for readers who want to check.
Why we run higher — three honest reasons
We're spread out
Holiday Island maintains 69 miles of roads. A typical city our size has 5 to 102. More road miles means more paving, more ditches, more snow removal, more of everything, spread across a much larger footprint per resident.
We're an older community
Most residents are retired or of retirement age, which means a higher share of medical and EMS calls, and a harder time recruiting volunteer firefighters — both of which push public safety costs up.
We invest in recreation
Two golf courses, a marina, pools, trails, and a community center are a big part of why people choose to live here — and a big part of the budget. It's a deliberate above-average investment, not an accident.
A bigger city budget doesn't automatically mean a bigger tax bill on any one household — see how Holiday Island's actual sales tax and property tax rates would stack up against these same peer towns, plus Dallas–Fort Worth, Chicago, and Kansas City, on the Tax Comparison page.
Sources cited on this page
- Mayor Dan Kees, "Can the City Do It All?" — A Feasibility Study, presented May 2, 2026 (updated May 6, 2026). Earlier feasibility estimate, not an adopted figure. Posted on the City website under About/Contact → Services. Link
- City of Holiday Island & Holiday Island Suburban Improvement District, Long Range Plan, September 22, 2026 (Resolution 2026-015). Link
- City of West Fork, Arkansas, public documents (budgets). Link
- City of Green Forest, Arkansas, City Council. Link
- City of Carlisle, Arkansas, city website and council records. Link