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Votes at a glance — Fort Smith Board of Directors, June 17, 2025
Summary
Summary of formal votes taken by the Fort Smith Board of Directors at its June 17 meeting, including ordinance adoptions, contract approvals and appointments announced after executive session.
The Fort Smith Board of Directors took the following formal actions at its June 17, 2025 meeting.
Ordinances and emergency clauses - Ambulance-rate ordinance (Item 1): Adopted (6-0). Emergency clause adopted (6-0). The ordinance amends section 12-32 of the municipal code to reference the state rate index established by recent state legislation (Act 867). - Parcel-number correction (Item 3): Adopted (6-0). Emergency clause adopted (6-0). Ordinance amends ordinance 40-25 to correct a tax parcel number for property at 1504 Bell Avenue. - Insurance proceeds appropriation (Item 4): Adopted (6-0). Ordinance appropriating recent insurance proceeds (staff reported roughly $135,000 in proceeds for department vehicle/property repairs).
Contract and procurement actions - Sewer remedial measures change order (Item 6): Approved (6-0). Board approved a change order to the Forsgren contract in the amount of $235,067.75 and added 60 days to the project schedule; the work increases linear feet of repaired pipe as part of consent-decree remediation. - Lee Creek lagoon cleaning (consent item, 7c): Approved on consent with recorded vote of 4-2 (Christina Gitsavas, Settle, Martin and Good in favor; George Gitsavas and Kemp opposed). Staff corrected a packet error (documented increase was 32%, not 76%) and said the vendor was the lone bidder this year.
Other consent actions (approved 6-0 unless noted) - Application to COPS hiring grant program (consent) - Application to law enforcement mental health and wellness grant program (consent) - Utility easement acquisitions for relocations (consent) - Transit: acquisition of three passenger vans (consent item) — board noted federal/local match and general fund implications (consent vote passed 6-0)
Personnel/governance - Personnel authority ordinance (Item 5): Failed (2-4). The proposed ordinance that would have placed hiring/disciplinary/termination authority for department heads with the board was defeated; two directors voted in favor, four opposed.
Other items - Appointments announced from executive session: Airport Commission — Bridal Hagy; Audit Advisory Committee — Levon Morton; Community Development Advisory Committee — Thomas Bankerski; Future Fort Smith Committee — Chris Chaney; Library Board of Trustees — Sandy Sanders; Fort Smith Municipal Employees Benevolence Board — Lt. Dewey Young, Daryl Clark, Maria Miller, Rhonda Hayes; Property Owners Appeal Board — Megan Rayner; Sales Tax Review Committee — Amy Whittington, Lee Easley, Michael Johns; Transit Advisory Committee — Melissa Bixby and Melissa Woodall. The board voted to adopt all appointments (voice vote recorded on the floor).
Votes not separately listed above include routine consent items adopted 6-0 except where noted. For adopted items, staff will proceed with contract execution and administrative steps as indicated in each item’s packet.
If you need the vote roll call for a specific item, the board’s clerk recorded roll-call tallies in the meeting minutes.
