City board previews March 18 agenda: financial statements, $150,247.66 pump purchase, repeal of downtown parking committee and airport taxiway work order

At an agenda meeting before the City Board, Mayor Bill Burrow and city staff reviewed action items scheduled for formal consideration at the March 18 board meeting.

Finance Director Karen Scott told the board staff will present resolution R25-46, asking the board to acknowledge receipt of the City of Hot Springs financial statements for December 2024; Scott recommended the board "acknowledge receipt of the December 2024 financial statements." The agenda packet lists R25-46 as a consent item.

Utilities Director Monty Ledbetter presented resolution R25-47, approving the purchase of two trailer-mounted bypass pumps from Thompson Pump Manufacturing Inc. through the cooperative purchasing program Sourcewell. Ledbetter said the pumps are a 4-inch unit priced at $71,118.58 and a 6-inch unit at $79,129.08, for a combined total of $150,247.66, and that the purchase is budgeted in the 2025 CIP funds. He described the units as intended for emergency bypassing at the city’s roughly 80 lift stations.

Deputy City Manager Lance Spicer presented resolution R25-48, a housekeeping item to repeal Resolution 93-23 (as amended) and abolish the Downtown Business District Parking Advisory Committee. Spicer said the committee — formed in September 2018 and amended later to add two ex officio members — produced a final report to the board in January 2020 and has since effectively disbanded; staff recommended that implementation decisions remain at the board level. Director Webb asked whether the committee’s work and outstanding obligations were captured in the packet; Spicer said the committee’s report lists items that have been completed and items still underway.

Staff also previewed resolution R2549, a work order (No. 2402527-1) to the city’s master agreement with Garber LLC for phase 2 preconstruction services on taxiways Alpha and Bravo at Hot Springs Memorial Field Airport. Don (surname not specified) described the work order as covering administrative and on-site representative services tied to a federal/state grant; he said the project is contingent on any changes from federal or state grant programs.

No formal votes were taken at the agenda meeting. The record shows R25-46 will appear on consent at the March 18 meeting; the other items were previewed for consideration. The transcript does not record motions, seconders or vote tallies for these items at the agenda meeting.