Holiday Island is at a fork in the road. Let's choose it on purpose.
Holiday Island has already become a city. The next step is deciding how the services HISID still provides can move into one city government. The Long Range Plan is the framework for that transition.
Start here
New to this? Pick the question you care about most.
What's changing?
Holiday Island is moving toward one city government, as services now provided by HISID move to the City.
See what is changing →What is the plan?
The Long Range Plan lays out five phases: roads, water and sewer, public safety, recreation, and eventually phasing out HISID.
See the plan →What could it cost me?
See how the proposed changes could affect a Holiday Island property like yours.
Open the Cost Calculator →What happens next?
See the planned timeline, and which steps still need a vote, a budget, a petition or other action.
See the timeline →What is still undecided?
Some parts of the transition are planned. Others depend on decisions and approvals still to come.
See what is still open →Why this matters
Holiday Island became a city in 2020.1 Since then, the City and HISID have each kept providing different services. The Long Range Plan is the framework for bringing those services together over time.
One community. One government. One clear place to be accountable.
On November 3, Holiday Island votes on the next step
A proposed 2.5% City sales tax is on the November 3, 2026 ballot. It is a ballot measure, not an adopted tax. Here is what the Long Range Plan says about it:
- What it is for. The ballot measure would authorize a 2.5% local sales and use tax for general fund expenses and capital improvements.2 The Long Range Plan identifies the added administrative cost of consolidation as the principal reason for it, about $437,000 a year1. It is one part of the funding framework, alongside property tax, water and sewer rates, and Urban Service District fees.
- If it passes, planning for the water and sewer and fire department transitions can begin. It does not complete or guarantee them; each still has its own requirements.
- If it fails, future transition planning is put on hold, those services stay with HISID, and the assessment is not reduced beyond the road transfer. Roads move to the City on January 1, 2027 either way.
Source: Long Range Plan, September 22, 2026, pages 5–6. The earlier May 2026 feasibility study estimated the tax would raise about $502,660 a year3, based on 2,452 residents and $82 per person for each 1% of tax. That is a projection, not future revenue anyone can promise.
What happens next?
- October 2026: the City is asking residents for comments on the Long Range Plan.4
- November 3, 2026: voters decide on a proposed 2.5% City sales tax.2
- 2027: the Long Range Plan calls for the City to assume 100% of road maintenance responsibility beginning January 1, 2027.1 Endorsed / Planned
- 2027 to 2029: water and sewer, public safety and fire, and recreation are planned to follow. Planned
- 2030 and later: the phase-out of HISID, with no date set.
The Long Range Plan is an endorsed framework, not a guarantee of every future step. Later steps may depend on votes, annual budgets, petitions, paying off the sewer bond, legal actions, and future City and HISID decisions.
What does this mean for me?
The transition changes how Holiday Island pays for roads, public safety, recreation, administration and other services. What it means for you depends on your property, and on which proposed changes are finally approved.
A community worth planning for
Holiday Island has more than infrastructure to protect. It has two golf courses, a marina, pools, trails, campgrounds, a community center, and a location that makes it attractive to residents, visitors and future families.
Finish what we started
Holiday Island's Future is an independent resident project that supports continuing the transition toward one city government. We believe residents deserve a clear explanation of the facts, costs, plans and remaining decisions.
Sources cited on this page
- City of Holiday Island & Holiday Island Suburban Improvement District, Long Range Plan, September 22, 2026 (Resolution 2026-015). Link
- University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service, "Arkansas Voters Have Local Ballot Issues to Decide in November Election," August 2026 (Holiday Island measure: a 2.5% local sales and use tax for general fund expenses and capital improvements, per the Carroll County Clerk). Link
- 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, "Long Range Plan Now Available: Your Input Is Needed," October 2026. Link