Tina Dale

6 days ago | talkbusiness.net | Tina Dale

Building activity in the Fort Smith metro declined in April but continues to stay ahead of the same time last year. Building permits in Fort Smith, Greenwood, and Van Buren totaled $16.453 million in April, down 56.7% from the $37.982 million in April 2024. The April tally was down 38.4% from the $26.723 million in March. Year-to-date, the three cities reported $90.296 million in permitted projects, up 5.6% from $85.511 million in the first four months of 2024.

1 week ago | talkbusiness.net | Tina Dale

Martin Mahan has a plan for Fort Smith Public Schools – a 100-day plan in fact. He was named the new superintendent of schools for FSPS April 8. A week later, the board voted during a special called meeting to name him as acting superintendent effective immediately and approved a contract with a start date as superintendent July 1. The three-year contract goes through June 30, 2028, and stipulates an annual salary of $225,000.

2 weeks ago | talkbusiness.net | Tina Dale

Fort Smith sales tax revenue was down once again in March, making city revenues generated from sales and use taxes down around 2% from last year for the first quarter. The city’s share of the Sebastian County sales tax was $1.846 million in March, down 4.7% from $1.937 million in March 2024, according to the March sales tax report posed by the city. The March county tax share was down 6.57% from the $1.976 million forecast by the city.

3 weeks ago | talkbusiness.net | Tina Dale

The Fort Smith Board of Directors on Thursday (April 24) voted during a special called meeting to not hire Rebecca Cowan as the city’s internal auditor. The unanimous vote followed an almost two-hour executive session. Thursday’s vote followed reporting on April 23 by Talk Business & Politics that Cowan is out of jail on a signature bond  for a fugitive from justice violation, which is a felony charge.

3 weeks ago | talkbusiness.net | Tina Dale

Rebecca Cowan, the person the Fort Smith Board of Directors hired to fill the position of internal auditor, is out of jail on a signature bond for a fugitive of justice violation, which is a felony charge. The board on Tuesday (April 22) unanimously approved a resolution to hire Cowan for the position of internal auditor with an annual salary of $110,000.02. The city issued a press release Wednesday announcing the board’s decision to hire Cowan.