Agenda Highlights 7/21/26
At the Fort Smith Board of Directors meeting to be held 7-21-26, the Board will vote on whether to move the Citizens Forum in which residents may address the Board for 5 minutes on any topic from the beginning of each regular business meeting to the beginning of each study session meeting.
The Board will vote regarding the reversion clause for the property at 1401 Old Greenwood. The land was conveyed by the City to the Boy Scouts in 1962. The Boy Scouts funded the building of their office building on the property. The Scouts no longer need or want an office in Fort Smith. The deed for the property contains a reversion clause so that if the property is ever no longer used for Scouting purposes that it would revert back to City ownership. The Scouts have requested a removal or change to that clause. Options to be considered and potentially voted on by the Board at the meeting include
Removing the reversion clause entirely and releasing all City ties to the property
Keeping the clause but allowing The Scouts to lease the property for non-Scouting purposes
Removing the clause but if the building were ever to come up for sale the City would be given the right of first refusal and the right to purchase it at less than the current market value of the land or the Scouts would reimburse City for the current market value of the land if the building is sold to buyers other than the City
Taking no action, leaving the reversion clause in place
The Board will vote on a change to the building code that would allow for aluminum wire to be used inside buildings. The current code requires larger aluminum wires that modern construction cannot easily accommodate so builders would need to use expensive copper wire instead.
The Board will vote on whether to accept $2,440,937.55 in federal grant funding awarded from the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership grant program to be used for the Maybranch Greenway. The grant is a dollar for dollar matching grant, so it would require a local match of $2,440,936.55 from the City. The matching funds would come from the sales tax for Parks capital improvements.
The Board will vote on contracting with Goodwin & Goodwin for the construction of an addition to the Solid Waste Department Administration Building. The addition would include 1500 square ft of office space, a restroom, document storage space, an emergency generator, and replacement of HVAC units. The funds for the project would come from the solid waste sinking fund.
