Mountain Home’s fire protection rating will drop to ISO Class 2 beginning Jan. 1, an improvement that could lead to reduced insurance costs for homeowners and businesses inside the city limits, Mayor Hillrey Adams said during his annual State of the City address Monday. Adams delivered the report at the Mountain Home Area Chamber of Commerce’s State of the City and County Breakfast at Arkansas State University-Mountain Home, emphasizing the importance of the new fire rating for property owners.
“Your ISO rating, come January 1, goes down to Class 2,” Adams said. “That’s a huge step. Make sure you talk to your insurance provider about it, because they may not automatically notify you of the change.”
The Insurance Services Office (ISO) grades fire departments on a scale of 1 to 10, with Class 1 being the highest. Insurers use this rating to calculate property insurance premiums. Mountain Home had previously held a Class 3 designation, and the new rating applies only to locations inside city limits. Adams credited the change to key upgrades in the fire department, including the opening of the Sharp Family Station 2, which celebrated its first anniversary this summer, as well as the addition of two firefighters and a new medical reserve unit.
Through October 27, the fire department responded to 3,229 calls, a majority of them medical-related, and is on track to surpass last year’s 3,541 calls. Firefighters completed 12,180 hours of training collectively this year while inspecting 508 buildings and servicing over 1,034 fire hydrants.
Adams also addressed Mountain Home’s notable sales tax collection figures. Through the first 10 months of 2026, the city’s 1% sales tax revenue reached $6.09 million, compared to $7.16 million collected in all of 2025. The public safety quarter-cent sales tax generated $2.28 million so far this year, with total collections poised to narrowly surpass last year’s record.
Building activity in the city remained robust. By October, the city had issued permits for $52.4 million in property value, $42 million of which came from 35 commercial projects. The Planning and Engineering Department plans to launch OpenGov software in the coming months to streamline plan reviews, permitting, and inspections.
On public safety, the Police Department responded to 11,834 calls from January to October, with traffic stops accounting for nearly one-third of the total. The department, which has 35 full-time officers, logged 8,481 training hours this year. The mayor highlighted the School Resource Officer program, now in its 26th year, as one of the department’s standout initiatives.
The city’s Parks Department also garnered recognition this year, winning three awards from the Arkansas Recreation and Parks Association. The department managed 58,302 employee hours, with its new community center named Indoor Facility of the Year. At McCabe Park, construction of a grant-funded fishing pier is expected to finish by year-end, with additional improvements planned for 2027.
Adams ended his address on a note of optimism, citing improvements to city streets and upcoming projects as key indicators of growth. A full rebuild of Bradley Drive is set to begin in the coming weeks, while the recently completed drainage and parking upgrades at the community center demonstrate the city’s ongoing commitment to infrastructure development.