Well, good evening and welcome to the Fourth Middle City Board of Directors.

Uh welcome to our first meeting of the year twenty twenty-six.

It's good to be here.

Uh at this time, uh keep in mind these meetings are being televised live for our residents who can't be with us in person.

Um also um so with that uh I will do the invocation and I will ask Director Christina Kasavis to lead us in the pledge.

Again, welcome to our first meeting.

Let's bow.

Most precious God, we come before you this evening.

Thanking you for our city, thanking you for the amazing progress we've made over the years, and we're looking forward to an amazing future.

Bless the members of this board who dedicate their time and service to make sure the residents of our city have the very best we can afford to offer them.

Father, we thank you for that.

And Father, when time is no more, we ask that you will give us a place in your kingdom, and we'll be so delightful to praise your name forevermore.

Amen.

Good.

Here.

Kent.

Here, George Kit Savis.

Christina Kit Savis here.

Settled here.

Thank you very much.

At this time I'll ask if there are any presentation by members of the board on any item of business not already on the agenda.

Seeing none, it's a time we'll entertain the motion to approve the minutes of the December 15th special meeting and the December sixteenth twenty twenty-five regular meeting.

Second.

The Planning Commission held a public hearing to consider rezoning property located at 1401 Old Greenwood Road from residential single family duplex low density or an RSD two zone to transitional.

The property containing a little under an acre is located on the east side of Old Greenwood Road, south of South M Street.

The proposed rezoning allows the Western Arkansas Council of the Boy Scouts of America to lease office space in the existing building in support of the Boy Scout mission.

The applicant received a waiver of the neighborhood meeting in accordance with UDO section 273041.

As requested, the applicant did send letters to neighboring property owners, and they did not receive any concerns in return.

At the Planning Commission meeting, William Jackson But was present to represent the application.

There were none present to speak in favor or opposition.

The planning commission voted seven in favor with zero opposed to recommend the zoning map be amended.

Okay.

Thank you very much, Madam Clerk.

No, we only have the applicant here to answer any questions.

Okay.

This time entertain a motion to adopt the ordinance with suspension of the rules.

So with suspension of the rules second.

Thank you.

Madam Clerk, please read the ordinance.

An ordinance rezoning identified property and amending the zoning map from residential single family duplex low density to transitional for property located at 1401 Old Greenwood Road.

Okay.

Thank you very much.

This time we'll entertain any comments from the board.

Okay.

I think this is a great idea.

Boys and Boy Scouts of America is a great program.

It has been part of our community for many, many years.

And they are a fixture there on Old Greenwood Road.

And whatever we can do to assist them in growing their organization and meeting the needs of all the kids that uh choose to be a part of that.

Uh we need to do that.

Um would you like to make any comments before we uh we're that for half a century?

This has been a Boy Scout office through I don't know how many rezonings, but the current zoning says the only thing you can do there is have a Boy Scout office.

And we might want to lease some of the property to other tenants.

Uh then that requires a different zoning.

We will still have the Boy Scout process there, but uh if anybody has any questions, I'd be glad to entertain them.

Thank you for being here.

And our state directors here also thank you for being here.

Are there any comments from the board?

Okay.

Seeing none.

Okay, seeing none.

Um Madam Clerk, please call the roll.

Director Rego?

Yes.

Good.

Yes.

Kemp?

Yes.

George Kittsavis?

Yes.

Christina Kit Savis, yes.

Settle?

Yes.

Martin.

Yes.

Okay.

Thank you very much.

At this time, we will entertain a motion to adopt the emergency clause.

So move.

Second.

Thank you.

Madam Clerk, call the roll.

Directors good.

Yes.

Kemp?

Yes.

George Kit Savis.

Christina Kit Savis.

Yes.

Settle.

Yes.

Martin?

Yes.

Rego.

Yes.

Motion passes seven in favor, zero.

Thank you very much.

Congratulations and good luck.

Thank you.

Okay.

We'll go to item number two.

Item two is a resolution authorizing acquisition of sewer utility easements needed for a consent decree construction project for a total cost of $5,640.

Coming to the podium for these next few items is Todd Midke, the city's new Director of Engineering, who started with us just yesterday.

So welcome, Todd.

Well, nothing like jumping right into it, right?

Um course uh Deputy Director Jimmy Johnson may also insist if needed, but uh any comment for any questions uh of the board.

Okay, you recognize.

Thank you, Mr.

Mayor, Vice Mayor, and honorable members of the director of the board of the board of directors.

My name is Todd Midkey.

I come here from Paris, Texas, and I'm happy to be here in Fort Smith.

Uh thank you for the opportunity to work for you and for the citizens of Fort Smith.

Uh before you today, under direct um under item number two is uh consent degree requirements under the consent degree requirements is required to undergo a complete assessment of the wastewater distribution system.

As part of that and the project number 19-15-C1, we would like to bring forth to you the offers of uh the offers of um sewer utility easements for three properties totaling approximately $5,600.

And I would love to answer any questions you might have on this project.

Okay.

Again, thank you.

Thank you for being here.

Madam Clerk, are there any citizens' comments on this item?

None indicated.

This time we've entertain a motion to adopt the resolution.

So thank you.

Any comments from the board.

Director Neil Moore, recognized.

Just a quick question.

This might be for Coley.

Um Kobe, I I think it's you know, we're we're we're trying to to work with these property owners.

It does talk about imminent domain there in the in the ordinance or at least in the in the memo.

Um does does that come back to the board if we can't come to agreement and there is imminent domain, or is this does this basically give authorization to to do imminent domain?

I think the resolution is broad enough.

Either section two or section three says in the event negotiations are not successful, the city administrator and the city attorney are authorized to initiate an imminent domain proceedings.

Can we can we be made aware of that if uh negotiations don't sure absolutely okay?

Thank you.

Okay.

Any other questions from the board?

Okay, seeing none, please call the roll.

Director Ken?

Yes.

George Kit Savis.

Christina Kinsavis.

Yes.

Settle?

Yes.

Martin.

Yes.

Rego?

Yes.

Good.

Yes.

Motion passes seven in favor, zero opposed.

Thank you very much.

We'll go to item number three.

Item number three is a resolution authorizing acquisition of temporary construction easement needed for a consent decree construction project at a cost of 150 dollars.

Mr.

Meckey.

Thank you.

I have nothing to add.

Okay.

Thank you very much.

Are there any citizens' comments, Madam Clark?

None indicated.

Okay.

Motion to adopt the resolution.

Some of Second.

Thank you.

Okay.

Okay.

This time uh are the board comment.

If not, please call the roll.

Director George Kit Savis.

Yes.

Christina Cassaves, yes.

Settled.

Yes.

Martin?

Yes.

Rego?

Yes.

Good.

Yes.

Kent.

Yes.

Motion passes seven in favor, zero opposed.

Okay.

Number four.

Item four is a resolution authorizing acquisition of sewer utility easements and temporary and temporary construction easements that are required for consent to create construction project for a total cost of $8,929.40, Mr.

Mickey.

Thank you.

This is for a separate project, and these are residential properties for temporary construction easements and sanitary sewer permanent easements.

Okay.

Thank you very much.

Are there any citizens' comments?

None indicated.

Motion to adopt the resolution.

So moved.

Second.

Thank you.

Any board comments?

Madam Clerk, call the roll.

Director Christina Kit Savis.

Yes.

Settle.

Yes.

Martin?

Yes.

Rego?

Yes.

Good.

Yes.

Kent.

Yes.

George Kit Savis.

Yes.

Motion passes seven in favor, zero opposed.

Or item number five.

Items five and six relate to a change order, acceptance of completion, and then final payment on a consent decree construction project with vortex services for project number uh 23-19-C2.

Item five is a resolution authorizing change order number one with Vortex services.

This change order is deductive both in price and in completion schedule as it reduces the contract by just over a million dollars and removes 56 days from the completion schedule.

Fantastic.

Okay.

Thank you.

Any comments from you, sir?

Open to any questions you may have.

Okay.

Thank you.

Or then citizens' comments.

None indicated.

Okay.

Motion to adopt the resolution.

So moved.

Second.

Thank you.

Any other comments from the board?

Director settled in.

Well, uh, I mean, I think this is really good.

Um, shows you know our our team coming together, saving citizens' money.

It's a million dollars.

Um I had reached out, and I know um Mr.

Mickey has just been here for a day, uh, but I reached out to uh Lance to talk about this.

And if um if you could go to page 139 and 140, just so the folks can see um some of the condition of some of this.

Uh Josh, if you could yeah, there you go.

So um Todd, if the best you can based on what Lance was telling us today, can you show us what we're seeing there in that bottom that bottom picture?

Absolutely.

Um as is typical in gravity sanitary sewer lines when there's concrete pipe involved, any time there's a gap over the decades that gap widens or increases or uh hydrogen sulfide gases eat away at that gap and roots can intrude into the pipes.

And that happened in this case where these uh routes were probably blocking and blocking solids as they flowed downstream.

So before a pipe bursting operation commences, it's important to kind of rotor root those roots out of there and get a fairly clean environment for the pipe bursting rod to come through and is it pulls through it can as much as humanly possible get a nice clean invert so without dips in it because if you leave those routes, sometimes it can skew that bursting head.

Right, and we never want that right.

I think that's all they did that with this change order.

That's ultimately what gives us a dry weather SSO, is that correct?

Right.

So I know we deal with a lot of wet weather SSOs, but that's a that's why we get a dry weather SSO.

Um the other the other thing is page 141.

And I just asked Lance this.

Got this this is this is a manhole fix and and it's a brick manhole that was replaced by by uh concrete or or whatever material that is.

Um I'd ask him how old he thought that that uh that manhole was, and I think he said probably in the uh somewhere between the 30s and the 50s that manhole was there.

Absolutely, and it's a piece of history, but it has to go right.

There's letting water in.

We're not sell we're not giving any of those bricks away for for people, are we?

I mean with you.

Not like we did Creekmore Pool, right?

Yeah.

So it just I mean it just yeah, it just kind of shows the the condition of some of these things that we're that we're dealing with.

So uh Mr.

Mickey, thank you very much.

Uh welcome to the team and thanks for the uh information.

Thank you, sir.

Any other comments from the other comment I want to make is pictures like this what we have here are good uh good explanations as we move forward uh and showing the public what we do, and so the more pictures we have on the packets will be better in the future.

So thank you.

Thank you.

Uh if there are no further comments, Madam Klerk, call the roll.

Director Settle.

Yes.

Martin?

Yes.

Rego?

Yes.

Good.

Yes.

Kemp?

Yes.

George Kit Savas?

Yes.

Christina Kittsavis.

Yes.

Motion passes seven in favor, zero opposed.

We'll go to number six.

Item six is a resolution accepting completion and authorizing final payment to vortex services for this project we just spoke about.

Uh Mr.

McKee.

Thank you.

This came in approximately one million dollars under budget and saved several working days as well.

So as is necessary for every final payment, it comes before the board of directors.

But this is a little bit special because we have uh great water and sewer crew that are called into action at a moment's notice, oftentimes, and that happened on this project between the time of design and when it was constructed by the contractor.

So several of these pipe segments had to be replaced by our careers beforehand, therefore saving money from pipe bursting, so we could pass that savings on to the citizens here and have more money for future projects.

Okay.

Again, thank you very much.

Any citizens' comments?

None indicated.

Motion to adopt a resolution.

So moved.

Thank you.

Any other comments from the board?

Please call the roll.

Director Martin.

Yes.

Rego?

Yes.

Good.

Yes.

Kemp?

Yes.

George Kit Savans.

Christina Kit Savis.

Yes.

Settle.

Yes.

Motion passes seven in favor, zero opposed.

Okay.

Thank you.

This time.

Uh we quickly arrived to the consent agenda.

Um Mr.

Dingman, you're recognized.

Thank you, Mayor.

Item 7A is the only item on our consent agenda this evening.

It's a resolution authorizing amendment number one to extend the agreement with converged strategies related to the mission installation resilience grant by 90 days to March 31st, 2026.

There are no additional dollars associated with this amendment.

Uh grants and government relations uh coordinator Chris Hoover will speak into any questions that there may be for this item.

Okay, thank you.

Any citizens' comments, Madam Clerk?

None indicated.

Okay, thank you.

Just time we will entertain a motion to adopt a consent agenda item.

So moved.

Okay.

Second.

Okay, thank you.

Any further comments?

If not, please call the roll.

Director Rigo.

Yes.

Good.

Yes.

Kemp?

Yes.

George Git Savis.

Yes.

Christina Get Savas.

Yes.

Settle?

Yes.

Martin.

Yes.

Motion passes seven in favor, zero opposed.

Okay.

Thank you very much.

We are at the uh official forum.

Again, happy new year to all of you.

Um the if you have not had a chance to look at the uh Forcement of Regional Chamber of Commerce website, uh, they have a great report, uh, four-quarter report on the uh on the FMS mission at at uh Ebbing Air Base uh outstanding report.

It gives you an update on all the great things that are happening out there.

Also, they highlighted the 142nd field artillery and uh some other things.

So if you get a chance, uh take a look at that report.

Um I'd like to uh spotlight our leak report.

Uh we're making tremendous progress on repairing the leaks around the city, and again, uh thanks to the team uh headed by Matt Meeker.

Uh we really appreciate that tremendous progress.

If you'll note there's been a change uh reduction in 99 water leaks.

Um and so we're making tremendous progress in that area.

And then they do if you go to the Fort Smith City website, you'll see a report that's produced by our utility department.

Uh thanks to all the downtown business businesses that helped sponsor the New Year's Eve ball drop.

Uh had lots of fun.

Uh couple of two or three thousand people downtown.

Uh had a band, fireworks, and uh had some good weather.

So again, thanks for downtown business association and appreciate all the residents that took time out to come downtown.

With that, we'll go to Director Neil Martin.

Any comments?

Nothing for me tonight, Mayor.

Thank you.

Director Settle.

Uh just two things.

Uh I'd like to uh acknowledge the passing of two people.

Uh uh former mayor uh Bill Vines passed away last month, and we just got notice today that uh Buddy Coleman from ERC that uh was a pillar in this community because I passed away also.

Just wanted to thank you.

Director Christina Gasavage.

Nothing for me, thank you.

Okay, Director George Gasavage.

Yeah, yeah.

I uh do we have anything coming up on the animal shelter on an agenda for an agenda to be discussed?

Not specifically, although I do intend to schedule for them to do an annual report uh to the board in in the near future.

Well, the reason I'm asking, you know, they're they're sitting on six, seven hundred thousand dollars that they were gonna use for the new shelter that's falling through now.

Who who controls that money?

I I don't know who that money belongs.

It doesn't belong to the city, but I don't know who controls that money.

Well it has to belong to somebody.

And and I don't know who that is.

It's falling through.

What does that mean?

Huh?

What does it mean it's falling through?

Well, there's not gonna be a new shelter belt.

They just it's not feasible in the next ten years.

Okay.

You know, they gave the land back to the college that would donate the five acres.

I gave that back, so we're not gonna do it.

But I'm saying there's seven hundred thousand dollars sitting there.

What I mean I don't know.

I don't know that that money's actually been collected if they didn't have a project.

If they hadn't moved forward with it, they may have gotten pledges, but may not have collected the dollars.

It would seem they could use that money for day-to-day operations and just let it sit there.

And that would save us a lot of money.

Unless that's not what they collected it for.

Well, I know I understand that, but why don't you why don't you get it right?

I certainly will inquire of that and we will schedule a new question.

Yeah, I'd like to I'd like to tell uh but they are coming in front of the board for questions eventually, aren't they?

They will.

I haven't like I said, I haven't scheduled that yet, but I do intend for that to happen soon.

So if the shelter just dissolves, who gets the money?

See, that's this is my question.

Well, nobody knows.

I mean, well, I mean, it depends on what money you're talking about, George.

I mean the money that was put back for the for the new shelter.

Like I said, I don't know that they've actually we can we can figure that out.

I don't know what the answer is.

Nobody figured that out eventually.

We can look into it.

I mean, I don't, you know, if it's a public.

I just want to know who who actually controls that who owns that move controls the money.

Where would it go if they were to shut down?

Uh two different questions.

Well, I don't know the answer either right now, but we can we can inquire and get you a response.

Okay.

The shelter shutting down.

Is that is that no, I'm not saying shut it down.

I'm just saying are you are you saying the shelter is shutting down?

Who?

You know.

Okay.

Okay.

I thought I thought that's what I heard.

No, no.

Said if they shut down.

The new shelter that was gonna be built is is off the table.

It's not okay.

But no, they're not shutting them.

I'm saying why can't I use some of that money for day-to-day operations?

Okay, all right, all right.

It was just gonna sit there.

Okay.

All right, thank you.

Okay.

Uh Director Kemp.

Nothing, Mayor, other than I traveled over the holidays and uh with my family, and even as I came back home, I'm just reminded how much I love coming home to Fort Smith.

Thank you, Mayor.

Director Good.

Thank you, Mayor, but nothing tonight.

Director Rigo.

Thanks, Mayor.

Uh just kind of wanted to uh build on some of the acknowledgments that uh director Settle uh shared and also acknowledge the passing of uh John Taylor uh last month.

Uh he was a tremendous uh leader uh in the community um you know involved in so many good causes.

Uh a friend of my uh wife's family uh for five decades and um we're really gonna miss him and he made a real positive difference.

Okay, thank you.

Uh Mr.

Damon, you recognize.

Uh nothing from me, Mayor.

Thank you.

All right.

Thank you very much.

Does anybody know who who was was Bill Bynes the mayor before Jack Freezer after?

After.

After Jack Freeze.

Yeah.

So Jack Freeze, Bill Bynes.

Mayor Baker.

Mayor Sandy Sanders, Mayor George Sanders.

And then Mayor McGill.

Yeah.

Okay.

All right, thank you.

Um at this time we're going to go into executive session uh and convene uh specifically to denoting a review of applications of recently interviewed uh candidates for a position of city administrator.

We're gonna reconvene.

Uh no.

Okay, I think we've got everybody in place.

I'd like to make a motion that uh the city uh moves forward engaging with a uh search firm to conduct a nationwide search for our vacant city administrator position and that uh director Lee Kemp continues as our board liaison and representative in that process.

Sure, do we need it all in favor say aye?

Okay.

We need a vote.

Okay.

We need a vote.

Uh please call the roll.

Yes.

Good.

Yes.

Kemp.

Yes.

George Kit Savas.

Christina Kit Savis.

Yes.

Settled?

Yes.

Martin.

Yes.

Motion passes seven in favor, zero opposed.

Okay, thank you.