OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Fort Smith Board of Directors Regular Meeting – June 2, 2026

Meeting Portal — Tuesday, June 2, 2026
BodyFort Smith, Arkansas
SessionMeeting Portal
DateTuesday, June 2, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:38:31
Transcript — Verbatim
4:23

Good evening and welcome to the fourth of the city of order of directly regular meetings are all being televised live.

4:28

This time I'm gonna ask Director Regal, would you mind doing the invocation?

4:31

And Director Good leaders in a pledge.

4:50

Please bow your heads with me in a word of prayer.

4:53

Lord, we're so grateful for the opportunity to be here this evening, serving and participating in the governance of our community.

5:00

We're we appreciate the health that has allowed us to be here tonight, and we ask for your continued blessings to be shown to our community.

5:07

In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray.

5:09

Amen.

5:36

Thank you.

5:42

Madam Clerk, if you would please call the role.

5:44

Directors Rego.

5:46

Here.

5:47

Good.

5:48

Here.

5:48

George Get Savis.

5:49

Here.

5:50

Christina Kittsavis.

5:51

Here.

5:51

Settled.

5:52

Here.

5:52

Martin.

5:53

Here.

5:54

Okay.

5:54

Thank you.

5:56

Just um.

5:57

Just I'm going to ask if there's a presentation by our memory board or directors of any item of business not already on the agenda.

6:05

Okay.

6:06

Seeing none.

6:07

We'll ask for approval of the May 19th, uh, 2026 minutes.

6:12

So move.

6:12

Second.

6:13

Thank you.

6:14

All in favor.

6:15

Aye.

6:16

Thank you.

6:19

A reminder, a motion and second to adopt each of the following items must be offered before director comments or maybe and public comments on items must pertain to the presented item.

6:31

With that, we're going to go right to the citizens' forum, Madam Clerk.

6:36

Yes, we have several.

6:37

The first being Andy Postrick.

6:39

And each will have five minutes.

6:44

Hey, thanks everybody.

6:45

My name's Andy Poster.

6:47

I live in Fort Smith.

6:48

I love living in Fort Smith because of our clean drinking water.

6:51

I was I actually traveled a lot recently and uh had to drink other cities tap water and it was bad.

6:58

And uh, you know, every time I uh turn on the tap, the water comes out clean, and and that's a miracle to me.

7:03

So um I think that we don't recognize some of the more positive, mundane things that are happening, and I just wanted to uh give my props to the water department for that clean water that we all enjoy.

7:14

Uh I was also at a conference about a week ago.

7:16

We talked about municipal finance, and I just wanted to recommend this book for anybody who is running for something or just wants to learn a little bit more about municipal finance.

7:27

It's called You'll Pay for This, and it's by Michelle Durand Wood.

7:31

Uh he spends about the first half talking about like how accounting works, what the difference is between a balance sheet and an income statement is.

7:39

Here, when we're at the city meetings, we're working on the budget, we're very, very focused on the income statement, which is important, but I also think that he makes a strong case that the balance sheet is just as important and it's something that we all ought to know how to read and how important that is.

7:55

He talks about a concept called bezel, which I enjoy pretty much.

7:59

It's uh comes from the word embezzlement, and that idea is uh when when there's a crime like embezzlement, there's a period of time where the criminal, the fraudster, has the 100 dollars and the victim also thinks that they have 100.

8:14

And so there's a total amount of wealth that they think exists of 200, when in reality that there's only one hundred dollars that exists, and cities can sort of run into the same issue where they believe that there is more wealth than there actually is, and he sort of walks through that process as well.

8:31

Um, but even if you just read the first half of this book, uh, everybody, if you're running for something, I highly recommend it.

8:37

Um, it would it gives you a great introduction to municipal accounting, and uh and that's all I wanted to share.

8:44

Thank you.

8:45

Thank you.

8:45

Thanks, Andy.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Water And Wastewater Management████████████████████████████28%
Public Engagement████████████████████20%
Procedural█████████████████17%
Community Engagement██████████10%
Engineering And Infrastructure███████7%
Public Safety████4%
Miscellaneous████4%
Personnel Matters████4%
Environmental Protection██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Fort Smith Board of Directors Regular Meeting – June 2, 2026

The Fort Smith Board of Directors held its regular meeting on June 2, 2026, addressing a consent decree project, citizen petitions for a change in government, and several routine items. Public comments focused on infrastructure needs, transparency, and calls to place a strong-mayor government question on the November ballot.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of May 19, 2026 minutes: Approved unanimously.
  • Ordinance amending the 2019 Unified Development Ordinance (childcare facilities in residential zones): Passed 7-0 with emergency clause.
  • Private club license for Last Call on Garrison Avenue (1004 Garrison Ave.): Approved 6-0 (one abstention not noted). The license is for a 5 a.m. permit.
  • Appropriation ordinance distributing insurance proceeds ($92,000 total) to city departments: Approved 7-0.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Andy Postrick praised the city’s clean drinking water and recommended the book You’ll Pay for This on municipal finance.
  • Crystal Cadelli questioned Directors Rigo, Settle, Good, and Kemp on critical needs (public safety, water/sewer, streets, drainage, affordability). She criticized spending on a $6.4 million water slide at Parrot Island, called for a five‑year pause on park capital projects, and urged the board to let citizens vote on a change in government.
  • Chris Cadelli noted an audit meeting that was not a true audit and again asked the board to place the government change question on the November 26, 2026 ballot. He challenged Directors Rigo, Settle, and Good to reconsider their votes.
  • Daniel Williams urged the board to trust citizens and put the question on the ballot, mentioning a lack of transparency around $500,000 in undocumented spending at Parrot Island.
  • Jacqueline Hooper raised concerns about enforcement of court orders (protection orders) and criticized the board’s handling of the petition issue, calling for transparency and respect for citizens.
  • Jason Skirbitz expressed frustration with the board, stating citizens are showing up in greater numbers due to the board’s actions.
  • Shane McKinney confronted directors about their refusal to allow a vote on government change, asking “Why are you afraid of a vote?” He warned that each denial generates more volunteers for the petition effort.
  • Richard Morris urged civility and reminded the board of the Arkansas Citizen Participation in Government Act protecting citizens from intimidation by officials.
  • Joey McCutcheon declared the petition drive will succeed, criticized Director Settle for abstaining and delaying tactics, and noted that the Secretary of State referred the matter to the Attorney General’s office. He asked the board to get an independent legal opinion.
  • Kristen Kitchens raised issues about oil and gas wells in flood zones, alleging city officials failed to act, and threatened legal action.
  • Lavon Morton (CPA, audit committee member) clarified that the Parrot Island review was an agreed‑upon procedure, not a full audit, and found no fraud. He noted the final report is pending responses from ARM, and recommended the city start seeking a new park operator now.
  • Michaela Gaffney spoke about people losing jobs due to potential government change and urged leaders to consider those suffering (children without water, sex trafficking, etc.).

Discussion Items

  • Item 4 – Mazard Water Reclamation Facility Improvements: Engineering contract with Garver LLC for $8,575,000 (fixed‑fee, 5.6‑6% of estimated $150 M construction cost). The project addresses the city’s largest sanitary sewer overflow (15 million gallons since Feb. 2022) as part of the consent decree with EPA/DEQ. Board discussed savings, timeline (completion by Dec. 31, 2028), and involvement of a future program manager. Public comments (Joey McCutcheon, Shane McKinney) questioned the cost and board’s qualifications but board expressed confidence. Approved 7-0.
  • Item 5 – Amendment to Half Associates agreement ($12,000 increase for easement and CCTV inspection): Approved 6-0.
  • Item 6 – Easement acquisitions for sewer utility project near Kelley Highway and N. 54th St. (37 tracts, $18,000 offers): Approved 7-0.
  • Item 7 – Consent Agenda: Contains three items: (A) Contract with Square One Enterprises for waterline improvements; (B) Bid acceptance for two service trucks; (C) Adoption of substance abuse testing policy for Fort Smith Transit. Director Christina Kitsavis pulled A and C for discussion.
    • Item 7A: Discussion centered on a complaint from Goodwin & Goodwin (third‑low bidder) alleging Square One’s bid was changed after opening. Engineering Director Todd Mitkey and City Attorney Jerry Canfield explained that the allegation was unfounded; Square One was the lowest responsive bidder. Directors voted: 6 in favor, 0 opposed, with Director Christina Kitsavis abstaining.
    • Item 7C: Substance abuse testing policy for transit to comply with Federal Transit Administration requirements. Director George Kitsavis asked about marijuana reclassification implications. Approved as part of consent agenda (with 7A separate).

Key Outcomes

  • Approved all agenda items: Item 1 (UDO amendment) with emergency clause, Item 2 (private club license), Item 3 (insurance proceeds), Item 4 (Garver engineering contract), Item 5 (Half Associates amendment), Item 6 (easements), and consent agenda Items 7A/B/C (7A passed 6-0-1; 7B and 7C passed unanimously).
  • Board directed that quarterly reports on the Mazard project be provided to the board.
  • Strategic workshop scheduled: Friday, June 26, 2026, at 8:30 a.m., Regents Bank Building, 7th floor (called by directors Good, Kemp, Rigo, and Neil Moore).
  • Petition for change of government remains a contentious issue; several citizens urged the board to place it on the November 26, 2026 ballot. The board did not take action during this meeting. The matter is pending a legal opinion from the Arkansas Attorney General, as the Secretary of State referred it.
  • Audit follow‑up: Director Christina Kitsavis noted that the agreed‑upon procedures did not cover all her questions, specifically about an $8,000 missing check, and that the review is ongoing.
  • Farewell: Mayor recognized Jennifer Petrovic, outgoing mayor’s assistant.

Meeting adjourned.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening and welcome to the fourth of the city of order of directly regular meetings are all being televised live. This time I'm gonna ask Director Regal, would you mind doing the invocation? And Director Good leaders in a pledge. Please bow your heads with me in a word of prayer. Lord, we're so grateful for the opportunity to be here this evening, serving and participating in the governance of our community. We're we appreciate the health that has allowed us to be here tonight, and we ask for your continued blessings to be shown to our community. In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen. Thank you. Madam Clerk, if you would please call the role. Directors Rego. Here. Good. Here. George Get Savis. Here. Christina Kittsavis. Here. Settled. Here. Martin. Here. Okay. Thank you. Just um. Just I'm going to ask if there's a presentation by our memory board or directors of any item of business not already on the agenda. Okay. Seeing none. We'll ask for approval of the May 19th, uh, 2026 minutes. So move. Second. Thank you. All in favor. Aye. Thank you. A reminder, a motion and second to adopt each of the following items must be offered before director comments or maybe and public comments on items must pertain to the presented item. With that, we're going to go right to the citizens' forum, Madam Clerk. Yes, we have several. The first being Andy Postrick. And each will have five minutes. Hey, thanks everybody. My name's Andy Poster. I live in Fort Smith. I love living in Fort Smith because of our clean drinking water. I was I actually traveled a lot recently and uh had to drink other cities tap water and it was bad. And uh, you know, every time I uh turn on the tap, the water comes out clean, and and that's a miracle to me. So um I think that we don't recognize some of the more positive, mundane things that are happening, and I just wanted to uh give my props to the water department for that clean water that we all enjoy. Uh I was also at a conference about a week ago. We talked about municipal finance, and I just wanted to recommend this book for anybody who is running for something or just wants to learn a little bit more about municipal finance. It's called You'll Pay for This, and it's by Michelle Durand Wood.

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