Agenda Highlights 5/6/25

At the Fort Smith Board of Directors meeting to be held 5-6-25, the Board will vote on the allocations for the federal Community Development Block Grants and HOME investment partnership grants. This issue was discussed at the 4-22-25 study session meeting.

The Board will vote on a zoning change for 721 North Greenwood Avenue that would allow for the existing vacant building to be used as a single family residence and would also allow for future development for light commercial uses.

The Board will vote on an amendment to the Unified Development Ordinance that would allow for duplexes to have access on present and future classified streets including boulevards, arterial streets, collector streets, and freeways. The change is proposed because variances for that are requested frequently (5 have been granted recently for subdivisions) and the change would eliminate the need to go through the planning commission process for duplex street access.

The Board will vote on amending the 2025 Operating Budget after a series of meetings reviewing the budget and hearing cuts proposed from all of the departments. The cuts were discussed at the 4-15-25 meeting, 4-22-25 meeting, and the 4-29-25 meeting. The amended budget will incorporate all of the cuts suggested by the departments except for delaying hiring of a “critical” employee in the IT department and no cuts at all will be made to the Police or Fire Department budgets. The amended budget will also account for the reduction of expenditures for credit card fees because when the original budget was made the City was still planning on paying for those fees, but instead now those fees are paid by the customers who use credit cards.

The amended budget is $4,238,060 smaller than the originally approved budget. The savings would be allotted with $1,300,908 to the General Fund, $1,207,335 to the Streets Maintenance Fund, $921,474 to the Water and Sewer Fund, and $808,343 to the Solid Waste Fund. The General Fund end-of-the-year balance with the amended budget is projected to end up with a 17.7% contingency reserve balance, still short of the 20% contingency balance threshold required by City policy at which measures must be taken including capital projects must halt, followed by budget cuts, and even lay offs if required to get back up to the 20% threshold.

The Board will vote on a resolution calling for renewal of the City sales taxes for 1/8 cent for Parks capital improvement projects, 1/8 cent for the Fire Department, 1/8 cent for the Police Department, and 5/8 cent for Streets, Brides and Drainage to be put up for a vote on the 2030 Primary election ballot. The proposal is suggested so that if the May 13 votes regarding issuance of bonds for consent decree projects and the reallocation of 3/8 cent of the Streets tax to the consent decree instead through 2059 (so that paired with the existing 5/8 cent tax for the consent decree there will be a full 1% sales tax going towards the consent decree without any increase in the total tax rate) passes that all of the City sales taxes that are not connected to bond debt service would be up for renewal all at the same time.

The Board will vote on whether to contract with Crawford Construction for improvements to Garrison Park next to the parking garage. The total cost of the project would be $85,603.97, but the CBID would be covering $77,083 of the cost, leaving the City’s responsibility only $8,520.97

The Board will vote on whether to discontinue the Street department mosquito spraying program entirely. The program costs $73,000 per year and concerns have been expressed about the health risks from the chemicals used in the spray. This issue was discussed at the 4-22-25 meeting.

The Board will vote on whether to apply for the $6 million needed to renovate and equip the building at 4501 Burrough Road to be the new consolidated 911 dispatch center from Senator Boozman’s Congressionally Directed Spending funds. The funds require a 25% local match, but the Sebastian County E911 fund will cover that contribution resulting in the City not being responsible for any of the cost.

The Board will vote on issuing non-residential solid waste permits to EZ-Gone Junk Removal and Driveway Dumpster Services and renewing Waste Management of Arkansas’s permit. The permits are for 2 years and include a 5% franchise fee.

The Board will vote on whether to purchase a replacement TarpArmor TDS30X5 30ft tarp deployment system for the landfill for $94,155.77. The tarp machine saves money and extends the life of the landfill by allowing the required coverage of the garbage to be done with tarps instead of soil.