Agenda Highlights 9/6/22
The Fort Smith Board of Directors meeting scheduled for 9-6-22 will begin with a vote on whether or not to approve a zoning change for 8301 Moody Road to allow for a dental office.
The Board will vote on whether or not to approve a zoning change to allow for Harbor House to develop a mobile home park made up of 4 trailers to provide housing for people recovering from substance abuse.
The Board will vote on whether to approve changes to the City’s employee vacation policy. The changes aimed at improving benefits to help lure and retain employees include allocating vacation time monthly instead of annually, new hires being eligible after 6 months of work, an additional 8 hrs of vacation time after 3 years of service, an additional 40 hrs of vacation time after each of the 5 ,10, and 20 years of service milestones, allowing vacation time to accumulate year to year (not to exceed 360 hours at any one time), and allowing any 40 hrs per year to be taken any time spread out during the year to meet the required minimum that must be taken as time off to be paid out for remaining unused time (up to 180 hrs may be cashed out) instead of the current requirement that it be taken as 5 consecutive days.
The Board will vote whether to approve a settlement to end four years of litigation with the City of Barling about Barling’s failure to purchase the minimum amount of water they agreed to purchase from Fort Smith. The issue would be settled by Barling paying Fort Smith a one time $325,000 fee.
The Board will vote to approve the resolution declaring their strategic goals that were decided upon at the recent strategic planning workshop. The 7 goals are-
1- To reduce chronic homelessness downtown by 5% by the end of 2024
2-To optimize staffing by hiring for positions including legislative liaison, grant writer, and cybersecurity expert
3. To market the city with the goal of having allocated the budget for that and hired the marketing firm by March 31, 2023
4. To develop a new consent decree communication plan to be implemented by January 2023
5. To strengthen code enforcement to reduce dilapidated abandoned properties
6. To identify industry incentives that can be used to attract businesses to underdeveloped areas of the city
7. To modernize animal control polices by drafting and approving measures by June 30,2023
The Board will vote whether or not to approve use of the flooded residence buyout program to purchase the home at 612 Martin Drive for $187,500. The property has previously suffered damages caused by flooding and is located in a place where it would cost the city more to fix the drainage issues than to purchase the property.
The Board will vote on whether to approve a purchase of 8 automatic vehicle annunciators from Hanover Displays that will provide passengers on board the buses audible and visual notification of bus stops in real time. 80% of the total cost of $108,813.30 is expected to be reimbursed by a federal grant.
