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Record of Proceedings

Texarkana City Council Regular Meeting - June 15, 2026

Board of Directors & Commissions — Monday, June 15, 2026
BodyTexarkana, Arkansas
SessionBoard of Directors & Commissions
DateMonday, June 15, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 41:52

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.

Speaker 1

0:00

Order directors to order a couple of housekeeping things.

0:04

If uh you wish to address the board tonight, we have citizens communication cards on the ledge.

0:08

You can get one of those citizens' communication cards uh and fill it out, get that to our city clerk.

0:14

She can get that to me so we'd have a record of you speaking.

0:16

Um also if you have cell phones with you tonight, we'd appreciate your cell phone uh silence your cell phone during the course of the meeting.

0:23

At this time, we'll have a roll call.

Unassigned speaker

0:27

Is

Speaker 2

0:28

absent director Roberts?

Speaker 3

0:30

Here.

Speaker 2

0:31

Assistant Mayor Harris?

Speaker 3

0:32

Here.

Speaker 2

0:34

Here.

0:35

Director Brewer.

Speaker 4

0:36

Here.

Unassigned speaker

0:38

All right,

Speaker 2

0:38

sister Mayor Brewer.

Speaker 4

0:40

Here.

Unassigned speaker

0:41

I

Speaker 2

0:41

had it wrong with this.

0:42

I'm sorry.

0:44

Mayor Brown.

Speaker 1

0:45

Here.

0:46

At this time we'll stand for our invocation and pledge of allegiance.

0:49

I believe Director Brewer has someone to do uh prayer.

Speaker 4

0:52

Hey, before we do the prayer, uh Danny Jordan.

Unassigned speaker

0:56

Is

Speaker 4

0:56

here and also uh for the for the prayer, we're gonna have Reverend Futz uh from Lonno Baptist Church under direction of Reverend Hill.

Speaker 5

1:06

Let us pray.

1:09

Eternal God our Father.

1:11

Lord, we come to you in the name of your son Jesus Jesus Christ.

1:14

Lord, we want to thank you first, Lord, for being

Unassigned speaker

1:17

God

Speaker 5

1:17

and for being God all by yourself.

1:20

Father, we ask that you bless this city council meeting.

1:23

Father, we ask that you bless and give them all strength, Lord, to lead the city in the way that you will please for it to be led.

1:30

Father, except you remove all colorblind.

1:33

What make us colorblind, Father?

1:35

Let us see each and every one as brothers and sisters in Christ.

1:39

Father, I ask that you unify us, Lord, as one city.

1:43

Ask that you let Texas County, Arkansas shine your light, Father, that America still has hope.

1:50

Ask Lord that you give us peace, give us strength, Lord.

1:54

I pray these prayers in your darling son Jesus' name.

1:58

Amen.

Unassigned speaker

2:00

I

Speaker 4

2:00

pledge allegiance to the flags of America.

2:06

Which is one nation under God.

2:10

Indeed.

Speaker 1

2:12

Liberty and justice for all.

2:14

May be seated.

2:15

At this time, we'll move right on in to our citizens' communication time.

2:19

Uh I have Mr.

2:21

Philip Wilson.

Speaker 6

2:31

How are y'all doing tonight?

2:33

Oh, I want to thank the board.

2:36

Um for being here and allowing us to speak to y'all tonight.

2:41

Um, I want to first say to Mr.

2:44

Tyler Richards, I want to thank you for always being in our connection.

2:50

I've been dealing with you for the last three to four years, and you've been wonderful in our community, man.

2:57

I want to thank you.

2:58

We realize you can't do everything, but you do come to look out for

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural█████████████████████21%
Engineering And Infrastructure██████████████████18%
Noise Ordinance█████████████████17%
Public Engagement████████████████16%
Pending Litigation████████████12%
Technology and Innovation███████7%
Environmental Protection█████5%
Water And Wastewater Management████4%
Summary of Proceedings

Texarkana City Council Regular Meeting - June 15, 2026

The Texarkana, Arkansas Board of Directors convened for a regular meeting on June 15, 2026. The meeting began with an invocation, Pledge of Allegiance, and roll call. All board members were present.

Consent Calendar

  • The board approved six consent agenda items, including the approval of minutes from June 1, 2026, and several resolutions authorizing FAA grant applications and contracts for an ARFF vehicle and a vehicle service road at the airport. A seventh item regarding street bond projects was pulled for separate discussion by Director Harris.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Philip Wilson: Thanked city staff for their work. Inquired about obtaining a Planned Unit Development (PUD) and asked for an update on the replacement of the C. Rick Creek bridge. The city manager reported the project is in a state grant process with a projected new bridge timeline of late 2027 to 2028, and that the city is exploring self-funding demolition of the old bridge to install a temporary crossing sooner.
  • Sai Smith: Expressed strong opposition to the Tex America Big Pine AI data center, citing excessive noise, water usage, and air quality degradation. She requested the board enact a moratorium on AI data centers, arguing public tax dollars should prioritize education and teacher pay.
  • Mr. Lidale (Mount Edition Resident): Delivered an extended statement vehemently opposing the noise generated by the Tri-State facility. He argued the city council created the problem by approving the PUD and is hiding behind the law to avoid a solution. The city attorney explained that unilaterally changing the PUD could lead to a lawsuit, damages, and significant taxpayer expense. Mr. Lidale expressed his desire for the city to correct its past decision.

Discussion Items

  • Noise Ordinance and Tri-State PUD: Following public comments, the board discussed the feasibility of altering the Tri-State PUD. The city attorney advised that while the board has authority, doing so without Tri-State's consent would expose the city to substantial legal liability. No formal action was taken.
  • Street Bond Project (Item 7): Director Harris criticized the street selection for the 2025 bond project, claiming the engineering study unfairly overlooked poorer neighborhoods and specific streets in Ward 2. The city manager stated the study was an objective, data-driven process by an outside engineer. The board unanimously passed a resolution authorizing a $152,500 contract with A.L. Frank's Engineering for the design and administration of the project.
  • AMP Commission Dispute: Director Roberts defended the AMP against prior characterizations of an application being non-transparent, calling the previous discussion reckless misinformation. Director Harris denied any accusation of criminal activity and questioned the water park funding. Mayor Brown interjected to clarify that AMP operations are outside the City Council's jurisdiction and directed further questions to the AMP Commission meeting.

Key Outcomes

  • Consent agenda items 1-6 were approved unanimously.
  • Resolution authorizing the street bond engineering contract (Item 7) passed unanimously.
  • The board took no formal action on the Tri-State PUD noise complaints, following the city attorney's guidance on legal risks.
  • The city manager committed to continuing to explore options for demolishing the bridge without state reimbursement.
  • Mayor Brown deferred the AMP discussion to the AMP Commission, effectively tabling the matter in the City Council.
  • The meeting adjourned.

Meeting Transcript

Order directors to order a couple of housekeeping things. If uh you wish to address the board tonight, we have citizens communication cards on the ledge. You can get one of those citizens' communication cards uh and fill it out, get that to our city clerk. She can get that to me so we'd have a record of you speaking. Um also if you have cell phones with you tonight, we'd appreciate your cell phone uh silence your cell phone during the course of the meeting. At this time, we'll have a roll call. Is absent director Roberts? Here. Assistant Mayor Harris? Here. Here. Director Brewer. Here. All right, sister Mayor Brewer. Here. I had it wrong with this. I'm sorry. Mayor Brown. Here. At this time we'll stand for our invocation and pledge of allegiance. I believe Director Brewer has someone to do uh prayer. Hey, before we do the prayer, uh Danny Jordan. Is here and also uh for the for the prayer, we're gonna have Reverend Futz uh from Lonno Baptist Church under direction of Reverend Hill. Let us pray. Eternal God our Father. Lord, we come to you in the name of your son Jesus Jesus Christ. Lord, we want to thank you first, Lord, for being God and for being God all by yourself. Father, we ask that you bless this city council meeting. Father, we ask that you bless and give them all strength, Lord, to lead the city in the way that you will please for it to be led. Father, except you remove all colorblind. What make us colorblind, Father? Let us see each and every one as brothers and sisters in Christ. Father, I ask that you unify us, Lord, as one city. Ask that you let Texas County, Arkansas shine your light, Father, that America still has hope. Ask Lord that you give us peace, give us strength, Lord. I pray these prayers in your darling son Jesus' name. Amen. I pledge allegiance to the flags of America. Which is one nation under God. Indeed. Liberty and justice for all. May be seated. At this time, we'll move right on in to our citizens' communication time.

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