Highlights of the Fort Smith Board of Directors Meeting 4/26/22

The Fort Smith Board of Directors study session meeting held on 4-26-22 , in the absence of both Mayor McGill and Vice Mayor Rego, was led by Director Settle. The meeting started with discussion of the Community Development Advisory Committee’s recommendations for allotment of federal grant funds through the Community Development Block Grant and HOME investment partnership programs of the US Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Community Development Advisory Committee Chair Gina Smith and Director of Community Development Candyce Gabucci were present to speak on the subject and answer questions. Director Martin asked about the Community Dental Clinic, if it was new or not and if it was a duplication of services elsewhere also being funded by the CDBG. Gabucci clarified that it is an organization that has existed on Armour Avenue and has received CDBG funds for years previously and is the only dental service to be receiving funds through the grant.

Director Martin asked who owns the Bailey Hill Reservoir land that is to be cleared by the Fort Smith Housing Authority with their share of the grant money. Gabucci clarified that it is owned by the Fort Smith Housing Authority. Administrator Geffken added that it is a brown field site given to the Housing Authority by the city years ago. Grabucci described the site as covered by a concrete slab that is falling in. Director Morton mentioned the Housing Authority’s plans to build 30 or 50 units on the 6 acre property and said that the cleanup for Bailey Hill “is definitely a burden for the Housing Authority”. He said that both the Bailey Hill cleanup and the money for Next Step Homeless Services were “very deserving of funds here” and that he felt it was unfortunate that they cannot afford to fund both of those causes more heavily. Gabucci added that the amount allotted for Next Step under the community development section of the grant fund is enough to cover the cost of purchasing the land for their new facility.

Morton reminded that all of the funding being discussed is entirely from federal grants, with none of it coming from city funds.

Morton asked about the oversight process for the money. Gabucci explained that it is tightly regulated by HUD and that they monitor every agency throughout the year and are in constant contact with grant recipients. No funds can be spent until Community Development has seen an exact plan, then the funds are given via reimbursement and no reimbursement is given until the receipts are seen and approved.

Morton mentioned during the pandemic having heard some complaints about the customer experience and service at Crawford Sebastian Community Development Council and asked Gabucci if Community Development had received any complaints. Gabbucci confirmed they “have received some complaints in the past”. Morton suggested that a complaint log be kept and followed up on with CSCDC and expressed his hopes that the new phone system at CSCDC will improve customer experiences.

The Board will vote on approval of the Community Development Advisory Committee’s recommendations for distribution of the grant funds at the 5-3-22 Board meeting.

The second part of the meeting was presentations from the Police, Fire, Parks, and Utility departments regarding their plans for the money from the .25% sales tax for Fire and Parks capital improvements and .75% sales tax for Police and consent decree related sewer work if those taxes are renewed at the election to be held 5-24-22.

Fire Chief Christensen spoke on the current revenues from the existing tax being crucial to building and operating Fire Station 11, the newest station, and the fire apparatus replacement program. He talked about the importance of the station and the apparatus replacement program in helping Fort Smith receive and keep an ISO Class 1 rating, the highest available rating. Homeowners insurance premiums are lower based on that terrific rating. It is also an important thing for attracting businesses because their insurance rates will also be lower.

Christensen presented some future needs that could be funded if the tax were renewed. He mentioned that when the 549 corridor is finished the city “is going to have to seriously look at Fire Station 12” and that “time is coming”. He also discussed building a maintenance facility to also be used jointly by the Police Department. The maintenance is currently being done at Fire Station 5 and it is no longer suitable for modern bigger and longer trucks and the work is having to be performed outdoors. The high cost of steel is currently pushing back plans for the facility. The Fire Department would also like to build a joint Police and Fire training classroom. Christensen praised the burn tower training facility but expressed the need for a classroom facility nearby. He said that all of the fire stations except #10 and #11 are approaching 50 years old and are “holding up”, “not deteriorating or falling down” but in need of renovations.

Director Catsavis asked about the possibility of building one combined centralized maintenance facility for all of the city departments. He called a combined facility to save money something the city “needs to seriously consider”. Christensen pointed out that special certifications are required for mechanics repairing fire apparatus but said “outside of that, having a combined facility makes sense”. Geffken added that the Streets and Utilities maintenance facilities have already been merged and that there has been serious consideration already of merging Fire and Transit maintenance into one location.

Director Morton reminded that in addition to fire related duties that the Fire Department are also first responders for other sorts of emergencies.

Director Settle asked if it might be better to rebuild or renovate old stations in their current locations or to change locations as populations have shifted over the decades. Christensen agreed that there could potentially be money saved and better service by combining a couple of stations.

Parks Director Reinert discussed some of the top projects completed with the current revenue from the tax including renovations at Wilson Park (basketball courts, a food truck area, and new playground), building Imani and Stagecoach Park, tennis court resurfacing, and improvements at Fort Smith Park (a fishing pavilion, parking lot, and dog park). He also mentioned Greg Smith River Trail, Blue Lion Bikeway, Chaffee Crossing Trail Segment one of three, and Maybranch Trail Phase 1 that is under design and out for bids soon.

Reinert spoke on some projects that could be funded if the tax were renewed. Some projects that could be continued would be making John Bell Jr. park the “premier community park” and “flagship for the future” with adding 14 pickleball courts, a water feature, basketball courts, a challenge course, a miracle league field, and park lighting. Inclusivity and restrooms are also big priorities in the Parks future plans. John Bell Jr. Park would be the test location for the first of the pre-fabricated restroom buildings that would replace dilapidated restrooms across the city’s entire park system. Reinert said that Tilles Park is “in dire need of new playground equipment” and that parking lot resurfacing is needed at multiple parks.

Plans were also presented for replacing the 100 year old Creekmore Park pool bathhouse with a brand new building. Reinert talked about when the state level swim meets are held in Fort Smith the participants from out of town routinely bring camping tents and change in the parking lot rather than using the sub-par bathhouse and that he is “a little bit ashamed”. Director Martin spoke of his experiences visiting pool facilities in other cities with his son who is a competitive swimmer and comparing Fort Smith pool facilities said “we don’t compete”. Geffken mentioned that our Olympic sized pool is the only one in the area and that is still a big positive for Fort Smith, but agreed that our changing facilities are not up to the modern day standard. Director Dawson mentioned that the bathhouse needed replaced back when she was a lifeguard there in 1981.

Dawson asked about the potential to partner with the Fort Smith Public Schools for them to use the Creekmore pool during the school year and then it serve as a public swimming pool in the summer. She suggested the idea as both a cost sharing measure and a way to help students have the opportunity to be involved in competitive swimming. Reinert supported the idea. He also talked about that there is not a desire to replace the dome over the pool or to eliminate the diving well. The diving well is the only deep water pool in the region and used for diving, scuba, and deep water rescue training. Director Settle suggested enclosing the entire Creekmore pool, possibly with a retractable roof, saying “If we’re gonna do it, let’s do it right”. He pointed out that NWA schools have swim teams and that he would like to see Fort Smith be able to have them, too. He expressed a desire to be able to host winter swim meets.

Director Morton spoke of our “excellent parks” and called them “important for our future growth” and talked about how companies looking for a place to locate look at quality of life including parks.

Police Chief Baker mentioned how almost every issue in the city intersects with the Police Department. He mentioned that while there are only about 89,000 residents of the city, there are 200,000 people in the city every day when you include people who live outside the city and come to Fort Smith to work, shop, etc. and that as the city grows the demand for police will also increase. Some future technological needs Baker mentioned that could be funded if the sales tax is renewed are the body camera program and a technology called Shotspotter that can precisely pinpoint the location of gunshots (even including what caliber of round was fired) and alert officers immediately. He also talked about the need to fund training programs including crisis intervention and de-escalation training . He mentioned facilities needs including that the current Police headquarters is starting to have some issues including a boiler that is a “ticking time bomb waiting to break” and that there is growing need for an East Side precinct. He also agreed with Christensen on the need for the combined training facility, adding that there would be also be an economic benefit to the facility by making Fort Smith able to host training for agencies from all over, bringing in money from those out-of-town attendees.

Baker emphasized, though that the “most critical need” for the Police Department, is personnel. In order to be competitive enough to attract and retain officers, the department is targeting an up to 23.87% salary increase for officers.

In reference to the proposed pay increase, Director Catsavis told Baker “I’m proud of you for doing that” but called it “still not enough when you factor in inflation”. Director Good agreed that the 23% was not enough and that if Fort Smith does not offer good enough amenities and pay it will not only struggle to attract officers but will also lose money by training officers only to have them lured away by other better paying municipalities. Most of the Directors chimed in praising the Police. Morton talked about increasing salaries and said of our police that it is a matter of “paying for what you’re getting, and right now we’re not”. Martin mentioned times recently that officers went above and beyond their job expectations to help people in need and praised the department’s de-escalation efforts. Good mentioned the shift in culture from police being “warriors” to being “guardians” and praised the FSPD for being so involved in the community both on and off the clock.

Utilities Director McAvoy discussed the plans to use the sales tax renewal revenue to do sewer work related to the consent decree. These plans include remediating damaged sewer systems including some pipes that are 100 years old and made of deteriorated clay and concrete, manhole repair and replacement, and capacity projects including upsizing pipes to better deal with storm water.

Director Morton asked how long any funds we currently have left over from the bond money for the sewer work will hold out. McAvoy responded that “we’re pretty much there” saying that all of the money has already been obligated and none is left. Morton asked if the tax is not renewed what the sewer rate increase would need to be to offset the loss of that revenue and cover the needed work. McAvoy answered “58-60 percent”. Morton asked if that would need to start nearly immediately, like start showing up on bills in July or August. McAvoy confirmed that it would. Morton asked what would happen if the city stopped doing the consent decree work. McAvoy answered that if the city does not comply with the consent decree it could face penalties ranging from $500 to $12,000 per day. Morton called that a “troubling situation”. Director Good assured that it was “not a threat” but asked McAvoy to re-state the amount that the sewer rates would need to increase to offset the tax if it is not renewed. McAvoy did repeat that it would 58-60% and added that that estimate was based on December 2021 and that it does not take into account inflation. He also pointed out that in times of inflation sales tax revenue goes up as the cost of goods and services goes up, helping offset increased costs, but that a sewer rate increase is a “stagnant amount”. McAvoy discussed the tax renewal allowing the Utilities Department to pay for consent decree sewer repairs as they go, saving money versus using bonds requiring the city to also pay interest on the bonds.

Director Martin spoke about the sales tax being paid by everyone who comes into the city and spends money, not just the residents who pay sewer bills. He spoke positively of the idea that it “lessens the burden on the citizens of Fort Smith”. Director Morton spoke about being surprised how many people don’t know the sales tax renewal is on the ballot and encouraged people to talk to their family and friends about the tax. He reminded that passing the renewal would result in the sales tax rate staying the same as it currently is, not an increase. He said “I have high hopes the tax will pass”. He also said there are “no contingency plans” as of yet except for the 58-60% sewer rate increase if the tax is not renewed.

The Board met in Executive Session to give their input on a candidate being considered for being hired as the new IT Director. The Board did not comment publicly on what was said in that private session.