Agenda Highlights 6/20/23
The Fort Smith Board of Directors meeting set for 6-20-23 will begin with a presentation honoring the Solid Waste Services collection employees Alex Barron, Dusty Grubbs, Sostane Brewer, and Sam Nelson that on May 25, 2023 heroically went into a burning house on North 30th to rescue an endangered elderly woman who was using an oxygen tank.
The Board will vote on a zoning change for 605 and 615 North 19th that would allow for an addition to built for the Harbor House facility.
The Board will vote on a zoning change for 1208 Princeton Drive that would allow for the building that is currently Just Art and Dance art and dance lesson studio to also use a portion of the building for salon, massage, and spa services.
The Board will vote on a zoning change for 3706 Towson to allow for a vacant lot to be developed into a covered RV, boat, and vehicle storage yard.
The Baord will vote on whether to increase the minimum base charge for non-emergency ambulance service from $450 to $600 and for emergency ambulance service from $625 to $750. If the increases are approved, the out of pocket cost for Medicare/Medicaid patients will not increase and the out of pocket cost for patients with private insurance that covers at an 80/20 rate would see an increase of $20-$30. In a letter advocating for the increase, Fort Smith EMS cited dramatic increases in costs of fuel, disposable supplies, ambulances, and salaries as well as a dramatic increase in bad debt as reasons for a need for the increase.
The Board will vote on whether to approve The Rock Inc. to be able to apply for a private club alcohol license to operate at 3028 North 6th, at the site that was formerly a club named Perry’s Place. The issue was presented, discussed, and approved at last week’s meeting, but there was confusion in the application that resulted in it being submitted and approved for the wrong address, the 2611 Towson mailing address of the applicant not the 3028 North 6th address where the club intends to operate. So the issue will be back for a vote with the correct address.
The Board will vote on contracting with Mickle Griffin for $498,700 for the engineering phase of Segment 3 of the Chaffee Crossing Trails project. The cost for the whole project for Segment 3, a 4.4 mile section of the trail, is estimated to be a total of $4,849,970.
The Board will vote whether to approve for Fort Smith Farmers Market to apply for a $250,000 grant from the State to go towards the construction of the first of 2 covered pavilions to be built at the lot at Garrison and 2nd Street where the Farmers Market currently operates. The cost of the first pavilion is estimated to be a total of $783,220. The City will be responsible for paying a matching share towards that cost if the grant is received.
The Board will vote regarding the audit of Fort Smith Animal Haven, with whom the City contracts for animal shelter services. This issue was discussed during the Officials Forum portion of last week’s meeting but is back for official action at this week’s meeting. The options the Board will vote on are that the Board can vote to accept the internal auditor’s report, or vote to reject the internal auditor’s report, or vote to extend the deadline allowed for completion of the audit from the most recent deadline of 6-16-23 to a new deadline of 6-23-23.
