12.7.24 – Newsbreak – FORT SMITH —
The state Attorney General has approved the agreement between the city and Sebastian County to allow the merging of the two entities’ emergency call centers.
Sebastian County justices of the peace tentatively gave their approval to the merger of the county’s 911 system with Fort Smith’s call center during a Nov. 19 meeting.
The agreement between the city and county was unanimously approved by the Sebastian County Quorum Court, with a condition that it would only move forward if the state approves. The county had been waiting for final state approval of the agreement, with the Quorum Court tabling the agreement at its October session.
The merger is part of the state’s Public Safety Act of 2019, which mandates the consolidation of these systems in each Arkansas county by the end of the year.
County Judge Steve Hotz said the state’s attorney general needed to approve the agreement with the changes the county sent in a revised agreement.
In an opinion released Monday, Attorney General Tim Griffin approved the interlocal agreement between Fort Smith and Sebastian County.
Originally, Griffin did not approve the agreement.
“In Attorney General Opinion No. 2024-085, I reviewed a prior version of your proposed interlocal agreement. I did not approve that agreement because ‘it fail[ed] to specify how to dispose of property upon partial or complete termination,'” Griffin wrote in a letter to Fort Smith attorney Colby Roe of Daily & Woods PLLC.
The only difference between the two submissions was the addition of the statement, “In the event this Agreement is terminated, property utilized by the RVCC shall be disposed of by returning the same to the entity in which said property is titled,” Griffin wrote.
The additional sentence brought made the agreement meet the state law requirements, so Griffin approved it as submitted, the letter states.
“We are looking forward to putting this thing into action,” Hotz said. “It is going to take us between 18 months and two years to get it up and operational, I would say. Hopefully, we can get it up in 18 months, but we will see.”
The combined 911 system, which will fall under the control of Fort Smith, will be called the River Valley Communications Center. The center will service the entire county, both the unincorporated areas as well as the cities such as Fort Smith, Greenwood and Lavaca.
During the Nov. 19 meeting, officials said the location and some other details along those lines have not been decided as a new River Valley Communications Center board will make those choices once it is formed.
The board to oversee the center will consist of nine members representing various entities throughout the county.
The governing board of the Communications Center will include the county judge, the Fort Smith city administrator, the sheriff, the Fort Smith chief of police, the director of the County Emergency Operations Center, the director of Fort Smith EMS, the president of the Sebastian County Rural Fire Association and the mayor of Greenwood.
Officials stressed those county employees who would be included in this system would not need to come under Fort Smith’s employment nor will they lose their retirement benefits. Those employees currently employed by the county will stay under the county unless they would like to make the change, with new positions being under Fort Smith.
Officials also noted that no one employed by the county would be terminated as a part of this merger.