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Record of Proceedings

Property Owners Appeal Board Regular Meeting - July 13, 2026

Meeting Portal — Monday, July 13, 2026
BodyFort Smith, Arkansas
SessionMeeting Portal
DateMonday, July 13, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 20:22

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0:00

Okay.

0:01

Call the call to order today's meeting of the property owners appeal board.

0:05

This is a regular meeting.

0:06

Today is uh July 13th, 2026.

0:11

Chair, would you call the open?

0:13

Justin Sparrow?

0:14

Here.

0:15

Megan Rayner?

0:16

Here.

0:16

Karen Lewis?

0:17

Here.

0:18

Pete Hannem.

0:19

Here.

0:19

Randy Hall.

0:23

Okay.

0:25

First order on the agenda is the approval of the minutes of the April 13th, 2026 meeting.

0:36

Yes, I make a motion.

0:38

They be approved as sent.

0:40

I second.

0:41

I have a motion and second to approve the minutes of the April 13th, 2026 meeting.

0:47

All of those say aye.

0:49

Aye.

0:50

Any opposed?

0:52

Motion carries.

0:54

Next item on the agenda is items of business.

0:58

The first item is to select the chairperson for July 26th to July 27th.

1:06

Are there any nominations?

1:08

I nominate just to carry on for another year.

1:13

A second.

1:14

Alright, are there any other nominations?

1:21

I don't mind, sir.

1:24

Not very taxi.

1:27

All us in favor.

1:28

All in favor say aye.

1:29

Aye.

1:30

Aye.

1:31

He looked like he was gonna motion carried.

1:35

I uh I will continue to be the chairman for at least one more year.

1:40

Um second item of business that's handled today are the uh schedule two evenings in September in which this board will meet to hear appeals from uh the public, I guess, on your cases that can be brought before this board.

1:59

Um so two evenings in September.

2:02

Are there any conflicts or any uh suggestions on which evenings we should meet?

2:09

I have no conflicts at this time.

2:12

So with anything not in September.

2:17

Are you having statements?

2:21

What what do you want us to do?

2:23

What's best for y'all?

2:29

Uh-oh.

2:32

Um it's whatever's most convenient for y'all because we've already indicated the ones that we cannot be in attendance.

2:40

Where is that?

2:42

Oh, that package attended.

2:47

I already have a meeting that evening.

2:56

So any of the white spaces that we're trying to do when you're wanting to do two consecutive days if you want to do two it is entirely up to the board, whatever is most convenient for the membership.

3:12

1617?

3:14

That's works for me.

3:16

Yeah, that works marsh me.

3:18

Doing that.

3:19

No confidence.

3:21

You do need a motion.

3:24

Uh appeals meetings in the month of September on the 16th and 17th.

3:33

A second, sorry.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Homelessness████████████████████████████████████36%
Public Safety█████████████████████21%
Property Management█████████████████17%
Procedural████████████████16%
Community Engagement██████████10%
Summary of Proceedings

Property Owners Appeal Board Regular Meeting - July 13, 2026

The Property Owners Appeal Board of Fort Smith, Arkansas met on July 13, 2026 at 11:00 AM at the Blue Lion (101 North 2nd Street, Room B). The meeting included approval of previous minutes, election of a chairperson, scheduling of appeal hearings, review of delinquent property cleanup liens, and a report from the Neighborhood Services Department.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of Minutes: The minutes of the April 13, 2026 meeting were approved unanimously as submitted.

Discussion Items

  • Selection of Chairperson 2026-2027: Justin Sparrow was nominated to serve another term as chairperson. The nomination was seconded and carried by voice vote. He will serve from July 15, 2026 to July 14, 2027.
  • Scheduling Appeal Hearings in September: The board discussed potential evenings. September 16 and 17, 2026 at 6:00 PM were selected, with no conflicts from members. The hearings will be held in Room B of the Blue Lion. A motion to adopt these dates passed unanimously.
  • Review of Delinquent Liens for 2026 Appeal Process: City Clerk Sherri Gard reported that the lien report was delayed due to a software issue and only became available late on July 10. Preliminary numbers for 2026 showed 264 liens totaling $140,226.89, involving 159 properties and 150 property owners. The number of repeat offenders was not yet determined. For comparison, the 2025 numbers were 399 liens worth $188,180.69, 201 properties, and 186 property owners. The board noted the apparent decrease but acknowledged the preliminary nature of the data. Staff will update the board if any changes occur.
  • Report of Neighborhood Services Department Activities: Director Shawn Gard presented the June 2026 monthly report. Key highlights:
    • A new property maintenance inspector was added in 2026, bringing structural enforcement inspectors to three (plus five for environmental violations).
    • New structural cases in 2025 totaled 203; by June 2026 the department had already exceeded that with 219 new cases.
    • Environmental inspections for January-June 2026 totaled 6,427, with 6,214 warnings issued, 6,131 follow-up inspections, and 190 contractor abatements.
    • Court hearings for environmental cases in 2026 (through June) numbered 225, with $13,065 in fines and 48 compliance cases.
    • Gard discussed increasing homeless encampments, squatters in vacant structures, and coordination with police and fire departments. A homeless committee meets quarterly with non-profits. Next Step Day Room is relocating to South 6th and I Street with 30 transitional housing units, which may affect downtown homelessness.
    • Board members asked about geographic distribution of homelessness and the city's approach to addressing the issue. Gard noted that most encampment residents are not from Fort Smith originally and are attracted by available services.

Key Outcomes

  • The board approved the April 13, 2026 minutes.
  • Justin Sparrow was elected chairperson for the 2026-2027 term.
  • Appeal hearings were scheduled for September 16 and 17, 2026 at 6:00 PM.
  • The delinquent lien report was reviewed; staff to provide updates as necessary.
  • The meeting was adjourned by unanimous motion.

Meeting Transcript

Okay. Call the call to order today's meeting of the property owners appeal board. This is a regular meeting. Today is uh July 13th, 2026. Chair, would you call the open? Justin Sparrow? Here. Megan Rayner? Here. Karen Lewis? Here. Pete Hannem. Here. Randy Hall. Okay. First order on the agenda is the approval of the minutes of the April 13th, 2026 meeting. Yes, I make a motion. They be approved as sent. I second. I have a motion and second to approve the minutes of the April 13th, 2026 meeting. All of those say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Motion carries. Next item on the agenda is items of business. The first item is to select the chairperson for July 26th to July 27th. Are there any nominations? I nominate just to carry on for another year. A second. Alright, are there any other nominations? I don't mind, sir. Not very taxi. All us in favor. All in favor say aye. Aye. Aye. He looked like he was gonna motion carried. I uh I will continue to be the chairman for at least one more year. Um second item of business that's handled today are the uh schedule two evenings in September in which this board will meet to hear appeals from uh the public, I guess, on your cases that can be brought before this board. Um so two evenings in September. Are there any conflicts or any uh suggestions on which evenings we should meet? I have no conflicts at this time. So with anything not in September. Are you having statements? What what do you want us to do? What's best for y'all? Uh-oh. Um it's whatever's most convenient for y'all because we've already indicated the ones that we cannot be in attendance. Where is that? Oh, that package attended.

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