Help for vaccine distribution, communication sought in Fort Smith
Times Record
During the Fort Smith Board of Directors study session Tuesday, Sebastian County Emergency Management Director Kendall Beam said wants city personnel assist in the logistics of their COVID-19 vaccine distribution efforts.
Beam said city law enforcement and clerical workers could greatly assist the county s distribution efforts, which he expects the vaccine sites the county will set up to operate similar to testing sites the county has set up throughout the city.
“The city is willing and able to help whenever and wherever we can, said Deputy City Administrator Jeff Dingman.
Two topics of public focus will be discussed Tuesday evening by the Fort Smith Board of Directors.
The board will first discuss the city government s possible role in the COVID-19 vaccine distribution process in the city, which was requested Jan. 5 by Ward 3 Director Lavon Morton. Directors will then discuss its plan for water leak mitigation in the city.
The board will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the Fort Smith Convention Center.
Vaccines
Ward 3 Director Lavon Morton at the Jan. 5 meeting said he wants Fort Smith to help roll out the COVID-19 vaccine efficiently, and the city is responding.
City and county officials on Tuesday will assess how they can use their resources to better distribute the vaccine. These resources could include providing facilities for vaccine administration and communicating to the public which groups of people can get the vaccine and when.
Times Record
The precursors for several prominent decisions in Fort Smith were set in 2020. The city will see them play out in 2021.
City officials in 2020 made decisions related to the extension or implementation of taxes and the federal Consent Decree. Outside of the city government, state and federal officials vouched for Fort Smith as the location of a fleet of fighter jets for a security initiative in Pacific Indochina.
The Times Record has compiled a list of five significant decisions to be made or further considered in 2021 for Fort Smith.
Fighter jet fleet
Ebbing Air Force Base at Fort Smith Regional Airport is in the running with four other locations throughout the country for the location of F-16 fighter jets for the Republic of Singapore and F-35 fighter jets a decision officials expect to be made early in 2021.
Editor s note: This story has been updated to correct Fort Smith s poverty rate.
The poverty rate of Fort Smith hovers around 21% and for many people, $25 a year is too much to keep a companion pet, especially senior citizens on a fixed income.
In 2019, Fort Smith Board of Directors brought up the idea of pet licenses in the city limits. Several delays later, the company DocuPet gave a presentation to the board and the decision was tabled until the Jan. 12 study session.
Ward 3 Director Lavon Morton believes the board needs to study the matter more before voting to put it in effect.