Van Buren Council Member Kody Morris

11/04/2026

WE WON! 🇺🇸

I’m incredibly grateful and honored to have earned the opportunity to serve as Ward 3, Position 2, on the Van Buren City Council!

Although I was unopposed, I want to give a special thank you to everyone who took a moment to consciously select my name when voting for all unopposed candidates. That extra thought and intentional vote means more to me than you know. I don’t take your support and vote for granted.

Most importantly, I want to thank my wife , Bethany Morris for her unwavering love, support, and encouragement. She has been by my side through all of this, and I couldn’t do it without her. I’m lucky to have her in my corner.

Thank you to all my supporters and those who helped with my campaign, specifically my mom Kathy Lenington Bentley and my best friends dad, Tommy who helped pass out hundreds of door hangers, to Ashley Love for your help with graphics and marketing, to the Van Buren Professional Firefighters Local 4078 for their endorsement, and to everyone who voted.
Thank you, Ward 3 and Van Buren! I look forward to continuing to serve our community and working to make Van Buren an even better place to call home!

The best is yet to come!

11/03/2026

I’m incredibly honored and grateful to receive the endorsement of the Van Buren Professional Firefighters Local 4078

Having the support of the men and women who dedicate themselves to protecting our community means a great deal to me. These are the people who show up when others need help, often putting themselves in harm’s way to serve others.

I appreciate the trust and confidence they have placed in me, and I look forward to continuing to work alongside them to make Van Buren an even better place to live, work, and raise a family.

Thank you for your endorsement, your service, and everything you do for our community.

Van Buren Professional Fire Fighters Local 4078 is proud to endorse Van Buren Council Member Kody Morris for Van Buren City Council.

We believe in supporting leaders who care about our community and the future of Van Buren. We look forward to working together to continue making our city a better place for our citizens and the men and women who serve it.

11/02/2026

Congrats to Perk Express - Van Buren on their ribbon cutting today! So proud of this group of people. Go check them out and get some good coffee!

10/29/2026

One of the rewarding parts of serving our community is getting to support the men and women who serve and protect Van Buren every day. I enjoyed stopping by the Van Buren Police Department and Van Buren Professional Firefighters Local 4078 today to show a little appreciation and bring them some donuts. Thank you for all you do for our community!

10/27/2026

We had our city council meeting tonight at City of Van Buren - City Hall and passed many ordinances and resolutions.

1. An ordinance authorizing the issuance of sales and use tax bonds. The city will issue bonds in December for $45 million, with $36.8 million allotted for the community center and $8.2 million for a new fire station. We tried to pass this last month, but the bond market was too volatile. Bonds finally stabilized, and we locked in our 5.17% interest rate today. This ordinance passed 6-0. The community center is coming! Firefighters will have a new station on Bryan Road.

2. A resolution to enter into a contract with MAHG Architect, Inc. This is for services for the new community center project. They do beautiful work! This resolution passed 6-0.

3. A resolution for a code enforcement tax lien. This is to approve a tax lien to the Crawford County Tax Collector for grass cutting, abatement of other nuisances, and demolition of a condemned building. This resolution passed 6-0.

4. An ordinance amending the Zoning Chapter of the Van Buren Municipal Code – Data Centers. Let me be clear: there are no current plans for Van Buren to get a data center. This ordinance supports the Arkansas General Assembly-approved Act 851 of 2023, known as the Arkansas Data Centers Act of 2023. This is for the City of Van Buren to get ahead of any potential data centers entering Van Buren. The data center ordinance states a data center must be in an Industrial Two zone for permitted use. The ordinance clearly states many conditions that must be met prior to issuing a permit. I would have liked to see data centers be under a conditional use for added protection; however, the current ordinance has many specified conditions that must be met under the current permitted use. The Planning Commission recommended the amendment be adopted by the City Council and modeled the ordinance after Fort Smith, North Little Rock, Fayetteville, Conway, and Little Rock. This ordinance passed 6-0.

5. An ordinance adopting a zoning ordinance amendment establishing regulations for short-term rentals. This ordinance is needed to help regulate short-term rentals like Airbnb and VRBO. The goal of this ordinance is to provide guidelines that balance a homeowner’s right to use a property as a short-term rental while protecting the public health, safety, and welfare of neighborhoods and the entire community. This ordinance also clearly defines other transient dwelling units to help distinguish the difference between those and short-term rentals. This ordinance passed 6-0

6. Lastly, I had the honor of introducing a very smart and talented high school student from Ward 3. Rebecca Colley is a Van Buren High School student who spent this past summer completing an internship at the University of Arkansas Chemical Engineering Department. She confidently and professionally presented her experience to the mayor and the City Council. Ward 3 and Van Buren are very proud of you, Rebecca!

10/21/2026

An exciting improvement for Van Buren’s parks!

The City of Van Buren - City Hall has new signs going up at all city parks, making it easier than ever for residents to help keep our parks clean, safe, and well-maintained.

Simply scan the QR code on the sign to visit the city’s website, where you can report vandalism or park maintenance issues.

Thank you to our Parks and Recreation Department and the City of Van Buren for continuing to find ways to improve our community and take care of the spaces we all enjoy!

10/21/2026

Huge shoutout to my mom Kathy Lenington Bentley and my best friends dad, Tommy! These two have handed out over 350 of my door hangers in Ward 3 over the past couple of weeks! They have trekked miles, talked to many residents, and helped me with my campaign. Not just anyone will willingly volunteer and show up to help with campaigning. I appreciate the two of them so much for helping out in such a huge way! Thank you both!

10/19/2026

Early voting starts today! Get out and cast your vote! Early voting goes until November 2 with Election Day on Tuesday November 3!

Reminder, I am running unopposed so you will not see my name on the ballot. It will show up as “Unopposed Candidates”.

10/18/2026

Early voting starts tomorrow, Monday October 19!

Van Buren early voting location
• Emergency Operations Center�1820 Chestnut Street, Van Buren
Additional Crawford County early voting location
• Alma Community Center�114 Collum Lane East, Alma
Hours
• Weekdays (Monday–Friday, October 19–23 and October 26–30): 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
• Saturdays (October 24 and October 31): 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
• Final day (Monday, November 2): 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Locations are closed on Sundays.
Registered voters in Crawford County may use either early voting site. Bring a valid photo ID.
For more details, to confirm your registration status, or to view your sample ballot, visit www.voterview.ar-nova.org.

Election Day is Tuesday, November 3 (polls open 7:30 a.m. – 7:30 p.m.).

Get out and vote! 🇺🇸