Agenda Highlights 5/26/26

At the Fort Smith Board of Directors study session meeting to be held 5-26-26, the Board will discuss entering into an agreement to provide wholesale wastewater treatment to Arkoma. Agreements were discussed at the 5-13-25, 5-27-25, and 6-3-25 meetings. At the 6-17-25 meeting, the Board voted against approving a new proposed agreement so Arkoma began paying the full same rate as Fort Smith customers.

The Choctaw Nation hired outside firm Hazen & Sawyer to evaluate the rates proposed by Fort Smith and found them to be “fair, defensible” and that they “appropriately captured” Fort Smith’s “cost to serve Arkoma and make a reasonable rate of return for providing the service.” The rates were also compared with Oklahoma City, Tulsa, and Fayetteville. Fort Smith was found to be cheaper than all three. In light of these results, Arkoma has agreed to discuss terms for a new five-year wastewater treatment agreement. Arkoma is working with the Choctaw Nation to develop a plan to be able to provide their own wastewater treatment as soon as possible, hopefully before the 5-year agreement term is finished.

The terms of the proposed agreement include wastewater treatment rates of $3.60 per CCF with annual increases of 3.5% through 2030, billing from 6-1-25 through 12-31-25 recalculated based on $3.48 per CCF with penalties and late fees removed, billing from 1-1-26 through when the agreement takes effect recalculated based on $3.60 per CCF with late fees and penalties removed, and a plan being established for monthly payments to be made until the full amount owed is satisfied.

The Board will discuss whether to contract with Garver for $8,575,000 for engineering for consent decree improvements to the Massard Treatment Plant including designs for 2 new aeration basins, a blower building, solids storage tanks, a dewater unit, a pump station, a peracetic acid basin, secondary clarifiers, a parallel effluent discharge line, a river diffuser, and a wet weather treatment system. Garver would devote 45-50 employees to work on the project. Typically, design costs may cost around 10% of the total project construction cost. The contract with Garver would be for 5.5-6% of the construction costs for the Massard plant project. This issue was discussed and tabled at the 5-19-26 meeting.

Inspired by the recent line-of-duty shooting resulting in the serious injury of Police Officer Newman, the Board will discuss the policy for line of duty injuries for City employees. City staff assure that Officer Newman is “100% covered” by current policies.

Under the current policy, for critical injuries that require investigation (such as Newman’s), the employee receives paid injury leave from day 1 through day 30. From day 31 until the investigation is concluded they receive paid administrative leave. After paid administrative leave they receive workers compensation at 66% of their earnings and may use any accrued sick pay and vacation toward the remaining balance up to 100% of their earnings.

For standard on-the-job injuries, there is paid injury leave for days 1-30 and workers compensation after that.

All medical expenses are covered 100% with zero out-of-pocket costs.