Board of Directors - Regular Meeting

Good evening. I would like to call to order the July 21st, 2026 Little Rock City Board of Directors meeting. We'd like to welcome those in attendance as well as those watching at home or streaming online. Madam Clerk, if you would please call the roll.

Director Miller, Director Richardson, Director Webb, Director Peck, Director Hines, Director Lewis, Director Comperis, Director Phillips, Director Adcock, Vice Mayor Weirich, Mayor Scott.

Present. Now I want to take this time to recognize City Director Lance Hines who will give our invocation.

Please bow your heads. Thank you. Please bow your heads. Mr. Lord, we come before you today to handle the business of the constituents and people that live in our fair city. Please watch over us tonight as we seek your guidance in everything that we do. Please protect our first responders, our public works, and anybody who's out working in the wonderful heat you've created for us this day. But please protect us and watch over us. In your son's name we pray. Amen. Amen.

Please stand for Pledge of Allegiance. Ladies and gentlemen, members of the board at this current juncture, we do not have quorum. What we will do is do some other necessary items until a member of the city board of directors comes to this meeting so we can make quorum. In addition to that notice, we were already aware that we would not have a full slate of members here today. Uh, to suspend the rules to go to second and third readings. So we will once a member, uh, comes to this meeting, hopefully the next few minutes we will, uh, read all of the resolution. We'll have a quorum. We'll read all of the resolutions past the resolutions because all it takes is six votes to pass the resolutions. It takes eight votes to suspend the rules to go from second reading to third from first reading to second reading, second reading, third reading and ultimately the passage of the items and particularly the group items and the separate items. And so it's our intent to pass all the resolutions once a representative of the city board attends And also our intent, particularly those I know I see Little Rock Water Reclamation Authority, you all have your bonds. And so our goal is through the first reading today, we'll have a special call meeting on next Tuesday at four o'clock. We should have the number of folks there available to get everything passed on the group items and the separate items in which you'll still make your deadline. We will hopefully open the public hearing today as well.

You do have a quorum. You count for purposes of a quorum. So we won't have to wait for another member here to be able to hold the public hearings. We can't vote is what we can't do. Oh, that's new information.

I never knew that. But I can't vote.

You can't vote, but you are quorumed.

Oh, OK. I didn't know I had that superpower. All right. No, I'm sorry about that. Madam Clerk, if you would read the modification, but I can't. Well, hold on. Mr. Attorney, we have modifications on the agenda. It does take votes, but I can't vote. So I don't have that superpower, right? Right. No. Okay. I just want to be clear. I can be a quorum, but I can't vote. Lord. So we won't even read the modifications. We'll just do the resolutions for right now. Madam Clerk. And then after we have the resolution, just so everyone understands the order, we'll do the resolutions. I know the Markham Street pedestrian bridge is a hot topic. We'll have a brief presentation from that as well, and then we'll carry on. Madam Clerk.

A resolution authorize an increase to the professional engineering services contract with Michael Baker International Incorporated and amount not to exceed $25,000 to provide for additional engineering for the Hillaro Springs bridge replacement project and for other purposes funding from the $0.38 capital improvement sales tax and limited tax general obligation capital improvement bonds. A resolution to approve the 2026 to 2030 Consolidated Plan and the 2026 Annual Action Plan for submission to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to authorize the City Manager to execute agreements with approved applicants and for other purposes. A resolution to authorize the City Manager to enter into a public agency service agreement to provide fueling services to the Housing Authority of the City of Little Rock doing business as Metropolitan Housing Authority and for other purposes. A resolution authorized the city manager to enter into a contract with Brown's Dump Bodies Incorporated in an amount not to exceed $148,300 plus applicable taxes and fees for the purchase and installation of two 12-yard dump beds with no hydraulic provisions on two international chassis trucks in the city's fleet for the use by the street division of the city's Public Works Department and for other purposes. A resolution authorizes city manager to enter into a lease agreement addendum with Crane Investments LP and Kelly Commercial Realty LLC as assigned to 3FC LLC in an amount not to exceed $801,045.22 to extend the three financial center lease for three year term through July 2029. A resolution authorizes city manager to enter into a contract with Sharp Property Management Services Incorporated doing business as a sharper image an amount not to exceed $63,089.40 plus applicable taxes and fees for commercial janitorial services to clean the 12th Street substation facility, including tenant spaces of Southern Bancorp and Philander Smith University three days a week for a term of one year and for other purposes. A resolution authorizes City Manager to enter into a contract between the City of Little Rock School District for the School Resource Officer Program Agreement for the 2026-2027 school year and the 2027 summer session and for other purposes. A resolution authorizes City Manager to enter into a contract with Rush Truck Centers of Arkansas Incorporated an amount not to exceed $234,901.26 plus applicable taxes and fees for the purchase of two 2027 HV507 SFA international chassis trucks for use by the City Street Division of the Public Works Department and for other purposes. That concludes the consent agenda.

All in favor please say aye. That's right. I don't have that superpower. Uh Oh, I guess we should. Yeah, we'll do the bridge report.

Manish? Yeah, Mayor, you can do the public hearings if you want to do that. What did you say, Mr. Attorney? You can hold the public hearings with the six that are here if you wish to do that.

I'll do that. Let's just do the public hearing. I'll open the public hearing, which is item number? 23.

23.

If you'll read that ordinance for the first time. Sorry, Manisha. Just don't sit down. It's not going to take that long.

An ordinance to authorize the issuance and sale of water reclamation system revenue bonds to provide for the payment of the principal of an interest on the bonds to prescribe other matters there that relate thereto and for other purposes. First reading.

All right. Thank you, Manisha. I already did. I opened it. Are there any comments? Any comments? Any comments? No comments. I can close. Thank you, Mr. Attorney.

Good evening. Quick update on the bridge. As you all know, last Monday was struck by a dump truck. The structural engineer evaluate that and give us a recommendation that it's beyond repair. Following that, we solicited some bids to remove the bridge and we have determined that Weaver Bailey Contractors are are the most qualified and responsive bid and that's on this agenda tonight to be considered by the board to be approved for the removal of the bridge. We have also coordinated with Entergy because there are overhead power lines and they're on standby and they've offered assistance to help us with the process. Also, there have been a lot of questions asked about what is the city going to do to replace that bridge or provide a safe crossing for pedestrians. So we have released a letter of interest today to request statements of qualifications from engineering firms to provide us engineering design services, which is due next Friday. What will happen is they will provide us a two step process in that design process. The first step will be to provide us alternatives with some design options and cost estimates. Once the preferred alternative is selected, then we will have the same engineering firm do the design and then we'll bid it and construct whatever has been selected. So that's my brief update. I can answer any questions.

Director Webb, then Director Phillips.

Thank you, and thank you for answering all the many emails I sent you last week. I really appreciate it.

You're most welcome.

So when you talk about the alternatives, could you tell me what kind of alternatives you're thinking about so the folks who are watching can hear that?

Sure. At this time, we've really not come up with any alternatives in-house. We would like to get an engineering firm involved so they can give us those opinions. an existing bridge to be replaced with another bridge is one of the options. It could be at grade, but since it's an arterial, we'll have to evaluate safety and make sure that whatever we're putting over there is actually ADA accessible and also safe.

And one of the things that you and I've talked about is even as soon as it gets demolished, making sure that there is still a connection point between the two sides of Markham. And will that be addressed in this letter? Are we going to address that separately?

We're going to have to address that separately. Because at this time, we're looking at, so we also have another project that we're pursuing. The Arkansas Department of Transportation has awarded us transportation alternatives program funding to build a side path in front of the blind and deaf school. One of the things we thought was, could we include that in that scope to provide this crossing? However, that would, you know, make the process lengthy. So we decided that we needed to do a separate contract to actually expedite the design and construction of of this crossing.

Would we consider and this would be the last follow up? Thank you, Mayor. A traffic light even as a temporary measure. So there would be a safe crossing

It is something that we are considering. Our traffic engineering team is evaluating that option and they're working right now on providing us a sketch and an estimate.

Thank you.

You're welcome.

Director Phillips.

Thank you, Mary. Thank you for that. I know this is on the agenda for a resolution today. Hopefully we can get it passed. since this is an emergency. Once it is passed, what notice do we give for the demolition of the bridge? I mean, how do we notify people around there are people traveling there that hey, on this day, this bridge is about to be demolished. So what are the what are we going to inform people of what's happening?

So the first thing that we're going to do is as soon as we have a signed contract for Weaver Bailey, our contractor that we've selected, we will have a pre-construction meeting with Entergy on site just to discuss all the logistics. And then we will have a clear timeline which we will communicate through our comms department.

OK. Director Phillips, we've got the ordinance and the resolution on. The resolution's on because I knew there weren't going to be enough to do the three readings. I didn't know there might not be enough to pass the resolution. We don't really have to do either one. This is an emergency situation on a major arterial, so the city is in a position where it can act. The Public Works Department and the manager have been very careful not to just go out and hire somebody. They've gotten qualifications. The resolution was there tonight, so I could say, go ahead and do it. We'll take care of the formalities by ratification when we can pass the ordinance. I think a question needs to be asked of the public works director, because I don't know anything about roads, is if he is comfortable enough with Weaver Bailey that he could start those meetings so we could do this. I think, if I remember correctly, it's two to three days. to get the bridge taken down and cut up, and then another day to get the street back to where it can be opened. So the quicker that can start, the less disruption we're going to have on Markham Street.

Let me make sure I understand, City Attorney, what you're saying. So staff has authority to move forward with the logistics, but we would essentially ratify the contract next Tuesday at the board meeting when we have a special call meeting?

at the meeting after that, depending on how many are here.

Okay. Mayor, is that and I guess Manish, is that what we need to do? Yes. Is that your recommendation?

Yes.

Okay. Um, obviously we can't, I could make a motion, but we can't vote on it. But with my colleagues that's here, I would think we all agree that there's something just we need to move forward.

Yes, people.

Is that fair, everyone?

If everyone would nod their heads for the TV.

The two that need to nod their heads are you and the manager.

I want to make sure we all lock and step. But the city attorney did bring up something that was going to be the second part of my question when I was asking about the notice. This is going to be, I think you said, a four-day process to take it down?

Approximately.

Okay.

And Aaron, you work with public workers that have a strong communication plan, correct?

Correct. Yeah, I just want to make sure that the public is aware. Obviously, people are aware that the bridge is an issue, but demolishing the bridge is a different animal in and of itself. And I just want to make sure everyone had notice of how long it was going to take and when it was actually happening.

We will make sure that it's communicated with everybody.

All right.

Thank you, Manish. Thank you, City Attorney. Thank you, Mayor.

Thank you.

Director Adcock, then Director Webb.

Was this a commercial vehicle that struck the bridge? And was it insured?

I don't know if it was insured. It was a commercial vehicle. It was a dump truck which delivers roll-off dumpsters. And the truck's bed was raised up when the driver was driving on the street. And that's what struck the bridge.

Okay. And do we insure bridges?

I think we do have some of our bridges insured. The key here is, is that we've got to get it fixed and figure out the whole scope of whatever damage the city has and then figure out the way to try to retreat, recover that money. OK, thank you.

All right. Thank you, Manish. Thank you. I will save the clerk on doing all the other grouped items and resolutions, and we can just do it all, especially and save your voice for that.

Mayor, you've had the public hearing on the bonds. You really need to have that one read for sure.

We did. She read it.

Oh, OK. I didn't hear that.

But we will. We do know we have some folks who assigned citizen communications cards, so we'll go to that. Velvet and Anish. Velvet and Anish.

Hi. Good evening. My name is Velvet, Victorian, and I'm a student at Euler. I'm over 60. And I just wanted to say thank you again. We worked out a deal with Mr. Simpson at War Memorial Park, and we'll be hosting our first Yoga in the Park September 25. And we'll have it every other Saturday from 730 to 9 a.m. And he'll be our instructor. And that was my first initiative. And because you guys have been so good to me, I came up with another one. I really want to see Euler and the city of Little Rock work more together like they do in Fayetteville. The way Fayetteville looks is a direct result of the city and the school working together. And I think we can do this. And I got a bag for you from my head of my department. We know that you went to the business school. But we want you to come and communicate with the communication department one day.

Applied communication department. So we would love to have you as our speaker, annual speaker there. Will do. And this is some t-shirts from us. Thank you. Thank you. You just . So just to add to what Velvet said, we have this initiative here with the Parks and Recreation. This is an effort to bring folks to our beautiful parks, city parks. So this is just the first one. We're going to try it and see how it goes for a period of seven weeks, seven to eight weeks, and see how it all comes. And then if it all works, then we can take it to the next level. So all the board members, if you have time, 7.30 in the morning on this Saturday, come for one-hour yoga. Awesome.

Thank you.

And this is the 60 over 60.

I'm going to get 60 senior citizens. I have three already to go back to school by the time I graduate in December. Awesome. Thank you.

Leland, will you be a part of this?

Awesome.

Leland's our director of Parks and Recreation. I just wanted to make sure he was leading the way. All right, Melissa Muse.

Hello again. I was here last time, and I learned my lesson, and I brought things for you. And if a picture is worth 1,000 words, I have a couple of novels for you. First of all, thank you, Mr. Hines, for listening to the crazy lady on your vacation. I truly appreciate it and appreciate what you've already done. I did speak with Mr. Daters today from Daters Engineering, and he has a proposal that he is putting before the city. What I'm asking for on behalf of my neighborhood today is to please listen and look with discernment and judgment on these plans. because it was not done the first time. Again, this novel here will show you that was not done the first time. These pictures are just from the last three months. We have been living with this for 15 months. 15 months ago, I had a city engineer in my home. This is where it should have stopped. And instead, we end up with two weeks ago, someone in our neighborhood who was closing on her house. She has already moved to Texas. The buyer backed out because of the amount of water that was in her house directly from the development behind us. Ideally, we would love it if the developers were forced to stop what they are doing right now with their building and fix the problem that they created. make them financially hurt the way that we have financially been hurting and emotionally been hurting for the last 15 months. There was a period of time when I had outraged fatigue from this. Every single time I called the city, no one called back. No one from city planning or city engineering, not you, Mr. Hines, you answered. Nobody from city engineering, nobody from city planning ever called me back. Not one single phone call back. That is outrageous. This all could have been stopped. My final statement tonight is that if we cannot be a warning for the city, Let us be the example for the next development. Let us be the example that makes this, makes the city pause and ask the questions, ask the hard questions of Delta timber. I've asked the hard questions to them. They don't always have the easy answers, but hopefully this has stopped now and we can go forward. Again, I'm asking for the development to stop and I'm telling you it's six in the morning, six days a week. We are reminded. that we are the ones being affected as they're building their multi-million dollar homes behind us. I don't begrudge the workers at all, but it's a reminder from 6 a.m. until about 10 p.m., six days a week, sometimes on Sundays, that we are the ones being affected. Thank you.

Melissa, if you'll leave your QR code with Miss Sequina. And then Brad and Manish, if you all would get her number before she leaves. All right. Pierre Meade. Mr. Pierre Meade.

You met me a few times.

I remember. You gave me a few hot dogs and hamburgers.

I work for the city, Little Rock Public Works. We had the survey done last year, and we were looking, and I was wondering whatever became of that. But first of all, I want to make sure that you know I work for Public Works, not Public Worthless. I work in the controlled device section. There's only 14 of us, and that's who I'm speaking for right now. You had a gentleman here about a month or so ago. He was saying that I hate to say this, but his son got killed when he was crossing the street to go to school. And you know what I'm talking about? And he said, if there had been a crosswalk there, that his son would still be alive. And since then, I've been the one who put the crosswalks in the city, stop signs, speed limit signs, the lanes on the streets. I do all of that. Without those things, it would be chaos. It would be property destruction, injuries and catastrophes. So I wanted you to know that we are worth it. We do save lives. The things we do save a lot of lives, more than the police department and fire department put together in a day's time. So with that in mind, I do believe that we deserve a raise since you've had the survey and you know what we should be making. I would like for you to address that and help us out. We've been here before. You know, my friend Andrew, you know, Andrew. So I just wanted to put that back on the chart on the board so that y'all don't forget us.

And you may not be just and I normally won't do this, but just I want to make sure we're clear. We've already addressed the raise from the union standpoint. So I'm not in the union. Well, that's the reason why. All right.

OK. Well, see, this is not about the union. This is about what we're actually supposed to be making. There was no real no union. We still should be making more than what we're making. Yes, sir. So that's what I want to address. And also with the lives that we save, every one of you, everybody here today is going to go by a sign that's going to help save their life or save somebody else's life. A stop sign, crosswalks, a speed limit, even a turn that's going to be dangerous for somebody. This is the job we do. I do. And I have my people doing it also. And we do actually make a matter. And I want you to remember that.

Yes, sir.

And I would like a raise.

Yes, sir.

I would like for my friends to have it. There's only 14 of us.

Yes, sir.

14 in controlled devices. And we deserve it.

Yes, sir.

That's all.

Thank you.

Do I need to stick around? Can I go?

You're welcome to stay as long as you want. But if you want to talk to me afterwards, I'll wait for you as well, whichever way you want to do. Y'all have a blessed day. You got my name and number. If you'll just leave your number with my assistant as you walk out. Who's your assistant? Bridget Newsome, but for today, Teron Cooney.

Who's that? Aaron, if you'll just... I'll just walk out.

Aaron's going to help you out. Yeah, Aaron's going to help you out, Mr. Mayor. All right.

Have a blessed day, everybody.

Have a blessed day. Director Webb.

Is it like announcement time? Yes.

First of all, I wanted to give- Before we do that, anyone, unless you want to hear the announcements from Director Webb and others, because we'll be talking, but just know we're done from- I'm not stealing the audience from you. I just want to make sure people know they don't have to continue to wait. Anyway, thank you, Director Phillips, for making- I think you were trying to insinuate something that shouldn't have been insinuated. I apologize, Director, but that was not my intent.

Thank you, Mayor Scott. All right. A couple things. I did want to give Leland and the entire Parks and Rec team a shout out because city manager and the mayor and I and others were at Alsop Park this morning seeing the brand new playground. We cut the ribbon on it. It is spectacular. And I want everybody also to know that I had a lot of constituents who weighed in with comments on the playground. And I appreciate so much that Leland and his team took those into consideration when they were doing the final touches. And a lot of times we get complaints, we get a lot of complaints, but as Leland reminded us this morning, also park has not only a beautiful new playground, they have tennis courts, they have trails, they have the pollinator garden, they have sculpture, they have the softball field, they have the pavilion, they have the Memorial bench area. And we have one hundred and fifty thousand or more uses of that park every year. So you all deserve a shout out. So that's one thing I will be passing out a moratorium. I will send it to the manager and attorney tomorrow or Thursday at the latest. And I will not be here next Tuesday for the agenda meeting if you're going to add that into your calculations.

All right. Well, we'll get it figured out. Thank you for letting us know ahead of time. We'll get it. We'll figure it out. Well, hopefully we will figure it out. All right, Director Hines and Director Phillips.

Yes, I guess this question would be for Maneesh or Grant. I know with the heat, I noticed today yard wasting impact. Are we running behind? Because I've already got calls from folks that had issues last week, and I know with the heat, we've probably been running a reduced schedule, so I'm just trying to...

So with the heat policy, the heat index policy, our street operations team is the one who, when the heat index is 105, they go back inside. Our garbage and yard waste continues. I do believe that we had some routes that had to be Split and run later this day because we had some drivers that were not present today So because of that our yard waste crews were helping collect garbage because garbage is our priority.

That's fine I just want to make sure because I'm gonna get some questions. Yes, sir. That's it.

Thank you Director Phillips Thank You mayor and I just wanted to get some clarity for the folks who are here who had items on the agenda The plan is for us to have a special call meeting next Tuesday to take care of all the grouped items and separate items at the 4 o'clock meeting. Is that the plan? And the resolutions now, but yes. Okay. So if you're here, then come back next Tuesday at 4 p.m. We'll be able to vote at that time. Thank you, Mayor. Thank you.

Director Hines. Mayor, I know we put out a statement today on the officer involved shooting of the pet in the Heights. Do we have any idea when LRPD is going to be done with their investigation so we can actually release the body cam video from LRPD officer?

I do not have an exact time. Normally, it just it could be anywhere from 72 hours to a week or so. Just depends on all of all.

I think it would help dispel. I haven't seen it myself, just heard from city manager lrpd what what the video shows but i think we've got a lot of stuff floating around the internet that may not be actually what happened so i think as quickly as we can get that out it would be helpful we'll do any questions from members of the board any questions any questions we'll see everyone next tuesday at 4 p.m meeting journey