Classifieds fort smith ar

FORT SMITH -- Multiple agencies have banded together to empty riverside railroad tracks south of downtown Fort Smith of homeless camps and steer inhabitants to homeless services. From talks that began last spring, the decision was made to remove the homeless people who have been living along the tracks and in the private railroad right of way, according to a Fort Smith news release. Officials plan to have the homeless people in the area between South E Street and the Poteau River removed by Sept. 30 so the railroad can use a bush hog in the area and build a fence to keep people off railroad property. Involved in the project are the city; the Fort Smith Police Department; police with the Arkansas and Missouri Railroad, Kansas City Southern Railroad and the Fort Smith Railroad; Riverview Hope Campus; Next Step Homeless Services; Community Rescue Mission; Salvation Army; and the United Way of Fort Smith Area. City Administrator Carl Geffken called the homeless camps a risk management … [Read more...] about Fort Smith groups target homelessness

FORT SMITH -- City officials have told the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency it is not raising sewer rates any more to pay for requirements of a federal consent decree but will pay what it can afford, which is about $200 million less than the original cost estimate. Fort Smith sewer customers pay 2.2 percent of their median household income on their sewer bills, surpassing the EPA's maximum affordability rate of 2 percent of median household income, City Administrator Carl Geffken said in a news release. "We drew a red line," Geffken said in the release. "We said the city of Fort Smith is not raising residents' sewer rates any higher and, by their own guidelines, the EPA should not force us to." With the current sewer rates, which have been raised 167 percent over three years since the consent decree went into effect in 2015, the city is estimated to generate $200 million to $256 million over the 12 years of the consent decree. In the past three years, the city has spent more than … [Read more...] about Capping sewer rates, Fort Smith tells EPA

FORT SMITH -- The city administrator suggested city directors consider leasing or selling the Fort Smith Convention Center as part of their discussion about whether to continue subsidizing the facility. In a recent email to Mayor Sandy Sanders and city directors, Carl Geffken wrote that while convention center staff members have done a good job of operating the 40,000-square-foot convention center and 1,300-seat theater in downtown Fort Smith, the city still has to contribute $770,000 this year from the general fund to help cover its expenses. "We all want economic growth and prosperity for all of Fort Smith, which means we have to review and consider all options -- these and others the board may come up with during discussion and study -- to decide on the smartest course of action," Geffken told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. He said the convention center will be one of the topics discussed in an upcoming but as-yet-unscheduled strategic workshop. Geffken mentioned in the email SMG … [Read more...] about Fort Smith considers options for facility

FORT SMITH -- Fort Smith School District voters passed a 5.558-mill property tax increase Tuesday night, the first tax increase in 31 years, that officials say will finance a five-year, $120 million improvement plan. With all 52 precincts reporting, the unofficial results were: For 7,621 Against 4,731 In a statement from the school district, School Board President Susan McFerran said she was "elated and so proud of the Fort Smith and Barling communities for realizing the importance of this decision." Barling is a part of the Fort Smith School District. The tax rate for residents within the school district will increase from 36.5 mills to 42.058 mills. The district calculates that the increase will add about $111 to the annual real estate property tax bill for a house appraised at $100,000, which is assessed for tax purposes at $20,000. A mill is a taxing unit equal to one-10th of a cent. Each mill is charged against each dollar of assessed value and produces $1 of property tax for … [Read more...] about Voters OK millage rise for Fort Smith school renovations