Board approves waterline contract, software purchase and transportation permit; amends A&P appointment process

In a series of votes Feb. 4, the Hot Springs Board of Directors approved multiple operational contracts and permits and adopted a procedural resolution affecting appointments to the Advertising & Promotion Commission.

Waterline contract: The board awarded Phase 1 of the 2024 waterline improvement project to Square 1 Enterprises Corporation, the low responsive bidder, for $1,469,316. Todd Pillar, engineering project manager, told the board the work will replace mains, add isolation valves and hydrants on streets including Winona, Miller, Exchange, Tri Vista Right, Second Street and Whittington Avenue; the project is funded from board-approved CIP water distribution funds. The resolution (R-25-22) passed on a roll call vote.

Financial/utility software: The board approved a contract with BS&A Software LLC to replace the city’s fiscal management software for a total contract price of $726,740. Finance Director Karen Scott said the product is a cloud-hosted turnkey solution that will handle general ledger, accounts payable, cash receipts, utility billing, permits and other modules; implementation will span about 18 months. The budget impact to the city is $526,740 in net new budgeted need (the FY2025 budget already included $200,000 for part of the cost plus smaller allocations in planning and utilities). Scott said the software purchase will be capitalized under new GASB rules and amortized over five years.

Charter service permit: The board approved Resolution R-25-23 granting a charter-service transportation permit to James Smith, doing business as VIP Transportation of Hot Springs. City Clerk Harmony Morrissey reported the Transportation Advisory Committee had recommended approval 5–0; Smith said he plans to begin with two vehicles under a charter business model and enforce driver dress code and standards.

Advertising & Promotion Commission process: The board adopted Resolution R-25-25 to standardize the interview-and-anonymous-preference-form process used to select board members to serve on the A&P Commission. The resolution codifies a process for a special called meeting with interviews and an anonymous selection form tallied by staff. Several speakers and directors urged that Position 2 on the Commission remain permanently reserved for the district that housed the convention center when the facility expanded; the board did not adopt that change at this meeting but directed staff to draft an ordinance to consider reserving the seat for the neighborhood tied to the convention center; the draft ordinance will be introduced at the Feb. 11 agenda meeting with possible action on Feb. 18.

Zoning: The board also adopted Ordinance O-25-06 rezoning a 1.088-acre parcel generally at 420 Convention Boulevard to C-1 (Central Business District) and amending the future land-use classification to linear commercial corridor. Planning director Kathy Selman said the change consolidates a narrow, irregular parcel with adjacent C-1 zoning and will permit future development consistent with downtown corridors.

Votes at a glance: - R-25-22: Waterline improvement contract to Square 1 Enterprises Corporation, low bid $1,469,316 — approved. - R-25-23: Charter-service permit to VIP Transportation (James Smith) — approved (TAC 5–0 recommendation). - R-25-24: Sole-source/contract award to BS&A Software LLC, total contract $726,740 (budget impact $526,740) — approved; implementation ~18 months; software to be capitalized per GASB. - R-25-25: Resolution updating A&P appointment procedure — approved; board directed staff to draft an ordinance to consider reserving Position 2 for the convention-center neighborhood. - O-25-06: Rezoning at 420 Convention Blvd to C-1 — approved.

Board members and staff said most of these items were routine procurement and planning actions intended to continue infrastructure work, modernize city software, and streamline appointment processes; the package of approvals will trigger multi-month implementation schedules for construction and software conversion.