Agenda Highlights 1/16/24

At the Fort Smith Board of Directors Meeting scheduled for 1-16-24, the Board will vote on whether to approve issuing industrial revenue bonds for a $30 million dollar expansion to an existing Fort Smith facility. Which facility is seeking the bonds has not been publicly announced yet and the issue is currently code named Project NOTUS, but the name of the business will be revealed at the meeting. The facility expansion will allow the company to double their employee count in Fort Smith and those added jobs will each pay over $20 per hour.

The Board will vote on measures that would allow payments of $2500 each to 5 property owners on Edinburgh Drive for flood damages and that would amend the City’s Tort Claims Policy to establish a program that would allow for payments to property owners for flood damage resulting from delayed drainage improvements .

This issue was discussed in depth at last week’s study session meeting. As a result of discussion at the meeting, changes were made to the amendment to the policy that was originally proposed. Those changes include wording that requires that claimants demonstrate that flooding was due to the delay of specific drainage improvements that were included on the City’s 5 year Streets, Bridges, and Drainage Capital Improvement Plan, that the property be located outside of the National Flood Insurance Program regulatory flood zones, that the property owner or tenant have flood insurance, that the payment would be limited to the lesser of $2500 or the deductible on the claimant’s insurance policy, and that the program be limited to a budgeted amount and that payments would be made on a first-come-first-serve basis until those funds are exhausted.

The Board will vote on establishing the system for vouchers for spaying and neutering of pets for low-income Fort Smith residents. The voucher system originally mentioned in the most recent animal ordinances limited the vouchers to one per household per year, but the proposed version would allow up to 4 vouchers per household per year through 2026 and then would only allow for one per household per year after that. The reasoning behind that proposed change is that while the spay/neuter ordinance is still new and the stray population is still such a problem that some households might need more vouchers to sterilize their multiple pets in the beginning years of the program.

The proposed voucher system would include an online application process with vouchers covering up to $100 per animal and could be used to also cover microchipping and rabies vaccination if provided at the same time as the sterilization. The vouchers would be issued on a first-come-first-serve basis until the allotted budget for the program is exhausted. The allotted amount for 2024 is $150,000.

The Board will vote on establishing a trap-neuter-return (TNR) system for feral cats. The proposed system would offer payment to veterinarians who are registered as vendors with the City for submitted invoices of up to $50 per feral cat for services including sterilization, vaccination, ear notching and record keeping. The payments would be available up to the allotted budget amount for the program. The intention of the proposed program is to help reduce the population of feral cats.

The Board will vote on demolishing vacant houses at 4401 Armour, 1903 North 13th, 1405 North 21, and 9108 Enid.

The Board will vote on funding to cover the $1.6 million gap between the originally estimated cost and the current estimated cost for the expansion of the airport runway. The increased costs are due in part to additional FAA requirements related to runway lighting and navigation equipment. $900,000 of the additional cost will be reimbursed, leaving the City with an actual total cost to the City of $700,000. The costs will be paid as the invoices for the work arrive. The first of the invoices related to the added costs (one for $197,779) has already arrived and is in need of payment.

The Board will vote on purchasing properties at 3101 Stanard and 816 Hillside at a total cost of $345,000 through the flood buyout program through which the City purchases properties with flooding issues when the cost of purchasing the property is lower than the cost of the public drainage system improvements needed to remedy the flooding issue.

The Board will vote on renewing the annual agreements to make payments of up to $60,000 to Area Agency on Aging, up to $9,500 to Project Compassion, and up $175,000 to Sebastian Retired Citizens Association for services provided to citizens of Fort Smith including the programs offered at the local Senior Activity Centers. The funding for those payments would come from the City’s portion of the county wide sales tax that is designated for services for Fort Smith senior citizens. The Board will also vote on whether to renew the long-standing annual agreement with the Fort Smith Museum of History to pay up to $20,000 to cover their utilities.

The Board will vote on purchasing a Pierce Enforcer Aerial Midmount ladder fire truck for $2,172,069 to replace ladder truck #3 that primarily serves Chaffee Crossing. The fire truck would not be paid for until it is delivered and delivery is expected to be 39-40 months away.