Editing Bentonville, Arkansas (section)

==Government==
[[File:Bentonville City Hall.jpg|thumb|right|Bentonville City Hall at 117 W. Central]]

===Mayor–city council===
{{see also|List of mayors of Bentonville, Arkansas}}
Bentonville operates within the [[Mayor–council government|mayor-city council]] form of government. The mayor is elected by a citywide election to serve as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the city by presiding over all city council meetings, laws are enforced and taxpayer funds are spent prudently. Once elected, the mayor also allocates duties to city employees. Mayors serve four-year terms and can serve unlimited terms.<ref>{{cite web |title= Form of Government |url= http://www.bentonvillear.com/government/form-of-government/ |publisher= City of Bentonville |access-date= January 9, 2016 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160105064912/http://www.bentonvillear.com/government/form-of-government/ |archive-date= January 5, 2016 |url-status= dead }}</ref>

The city council is the [[Unicameralism|unicameral]] legislative body of the city, consisting of eight members. The council's duties include balancing the city's budget and passing ordinances. The body also controls the representatives of specialized city commissions underneath their jurisdiction. Members are elected at-large with no term limits and represent individual wards. Council members must live in the ward they represent.<ref>{{cite web |title=Bentonville, Arkansas City Council |url=http://www.bentonvillear.com/government/city-council |publisher=City of Bentonville |access-date=January 9, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160105064908/http://www.bentonvillear.com/government/city-council |archive-date=January 5, 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The current mayor is Stephanie Orman, first elected in 2018. Prior to becoming mayor, Orman served as a member of the City Council as well as serving in and leading several non-profit organizations.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2018/12/05/stephanie-orman-elected-mayor-of-bentonville-beating-back-walton-money-and-shadowy-dc-republican-group|title=Stephanie Orman elected mayor of Bentonville, topping Walton-backed candidate and fending off dark money from D.C. Republican group|last=Ramsey|first=David|website=Arkansas Times|date=December 5, 2018 |language=en|access-date=December 28, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181228082954/https://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2018/12/05/stephanie-orman-elected-mayor-of-bentonville-beating-back-walton-money-and-shadowy-dc-republican-group|archive-date=December 28, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Citizen boards, commissions, and committees ===
Citizen input is welcomed through the use of various specialized groups. Although some positions are appointed by the mayor, many consist of volunteers. Requirements include the applicant is a resident of Bentonville and submission of an application in order to gain access to any of Bentonville's 8 city boards. These range from appointed positions at the Planning Commission to the Bentonville Public Art Advisory Committee to the Bentonville Library Advisory Board.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://bentonvillear.com/305/Boards-Commissions|title=Boards & Commissions {{!}} Bentonville, AR|website=bentonvillear.com|language=en|access-date=May 15, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180516103734/http://bentonvillear.com/305/Boards-Commissions|archive-date=May 16, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Judicial system ===
The Bentonville District Court handles criminal, civil, small claims, and traffic matters within the city limits.  In addition, the Court handles Civil and Small Claims cases when there is proper jurisdiction. The current elected District Judge presides over all cases. Ray Bunch is the current Bentonville District Court Judge.
The [[Arkansas Circuit Courts|19th Judicial Circuit Court]] covers Benton County as a whole and operates out of the [[Benton County Courthouse (Bentonville, Arkansas)|Benton County Courthouse]] in [[Downtown Bentonville]] with Bentonville serving as the [[County seat|County Seat]].

=== Politics ===
Voters in Bentonville tend to lean conservative. The current state representatives that serve districts containing portions of Bentonville are Republican Rep. [[Jim Dotson]], Republican Rep. [[Rebecca Petty]], Republican Rep [[Kim Hendren]], and Republican Rep. [[Dan Douglas]]. The current state senator that serves the district containing Bentonville is Republican Sen. [[Bart Hester]].