The Hot Springs Village Governmental Affairs Committee met on Friday, June 9, where numerous subjects were discussed. Committee officers were elected, and Forest Spicher from Hot Springs Fifty for the Future explained what his organization does. Representative Lanny Fite was recognized for his extensive contributions to the state and the Hot Springs Village area. In a spirit of continued acknowledgment, Chair Pettey recognized the substantial contributions of committee members and many others. Kevin Sexton shared how he has been busy cultivating relationships with area businesses, and Melissa Speers updated the committee on Jessieville School affairs. Both Garland and Saline County Quorum Court Justices of the Peace gave an update, with Saline JP sharing a surprise announcement. Let’s dig into the meeting.

Board Chair and GAC liaison Joanie Corry conducted the annual election of officers. Bob Pettey will serve as Chair again. There were two nominations for Vice-chair – Sam Sacco and Paul Bridges. Sacco withdrew, leaving Bridges to fill the Vice-chair position. Stephanie Heffer agreed to again serve as Secretary.

Corry passed out a new POA Board Committee Member Code of Conduct that all committee members must sign. This form addresses avoiding conflict of interest, protecting confidential information, and social media usage. “Violation of the Code of Conduct will subject you to disciplinary action up to and including removing you from your Board Committee.”

Guest Forest Spicher from Fifty for the Future

Bridges introduced guest speaker, Fifty for the Future Board Member Forest Spicher. Fifty for the Future is an Arkansas non-profit organization established to contribute funds to worthy organizations to promote economic growth. Spicher presented a video that featured short clips detailing some of the projects the group has been involved in over the years.

Spicher said fifty is the number of community leaders the group strives to have.

Spicher said his father was in law enforcement, and he served on the criminal justice committee that studied the Garland County Jail. The jail was designed to hold 88 inmates, but 220 inmates were being housed. Ultimately the committee proposed a larger jail be built. This was funded with a 1% sales tax increase.

He also helped with “Full Steam Ahead,” which led to building a 5,000 square feet exhibition hall.

Spicher said he recognizes the economic impact the Village has on the greater area, and because of this, he contributed his efforts to extend the expressway. Additionally, he worked to promote bridge work and paving projects.

The “Fifty” organization also works to recruit candidates to run for office, but doesn’t endorse individuals.

Spicher said they are funded by individual member dues of $250 annually. A couple pays $300 per year.

Recognition of Lanny Fite, Arkansas State Legislature Representative

Bridges said that Representative Fite stepped into public life in 1998 when he was elected as Saline County Judge, serving in this capacity for approximately 15 years. When Ann Cooper was termed out in the legislature, he ran and was elected, serving around ten years where he represented Arkansas, Hot Springs Village, and Saline County.

Bridges said Representative Fite co-sponsored House Bill 1015, authored by Representative Richard McGrew, to amend the Arkansas Water and Air Pollution Control Act; and exempt certain property owners’ associations and homeowners’ associations from specific water permit actions. “I don’t think we understand the positive impact of that. Nor do we understand how difficult it was to get that passed because the impact was financially based on saying … we may be a private community. Still, we are equivalent to other cities – we contribute. The Village is larger than most Arkansas public sector cities and villages. That in itself had a financial impact behind the scenes and set the stage for future eligibility for certain things we deserve,” shared Bridges. Bridges said there was a lot of interaction with agencies and work in the background, and Representative Fite worked on that.

Representative Fite was instrumental in raising the homestead exemption.

“We are blessed to have representation. Someone asked me recently, ‘Why are we acknowledging Lanny right now when in fact, he will not leave office until January 2025?’ In reality, that is an easy answer. Somebody that has done so much – you can never be too early to recognize and acknowledge what they have done. And Lanny has done a lot for Arkansas. This is not all about Hot Springs Village…

Representative Fite responded, “When I was elected, I had not worked in politics, and it was quite a learning curve.”

Thanking the Village, Representative Fite said, “Hot Springs Village is a special place to me.” The representative said he has great friends in the Village and has a membership and plays Village golf.”

Pettey said, “On behalf of the committee, the property owners, and everybody else, we just want to say ‘thank you.’

Chair Pettey Recognizes Committee Members and Contributors

“I just wanted to take a minute to thank everyone for your hard work…We only have ten people on this committee, and we get 20 people showing up. That is because we have support and assistance,” stated Pettey.

Pettey continued, “We’ve had a really good year, and we’ve got some momentum going, and let’s keep it moving forward.”

Kevin Sexton, Staff Liaison Report

Kevin Sexton, Director of Business Development, Land, and Community Affairs, has been busy cultivating relationships outside the community. Sexton reported that he and General Manager Kelly Hale attended the Origami Sake ribbon-cutting ceremony. Sexton said the sake plant would provide a lot of opportunity for the area and a lot of tourism. Sexton also met with the Hot Springs Airport manager and had a second meeting with a Benton-based company called CoorsTek.

He said he is meeting with the companies in and around the region to promote afternoon golf and small business retreats with the idea of property ownership. He is cultivating relationships and planting seeds, getting the word out about the Village.

Sexton shared that 64 POA-owned lots have been sold since January, resulting in revenue of $85,000. Discovery Packages numbered 55, with 16 more scheduled to come. “Lots of visitors are visiting our community. We have had 48 day tours. This is an option for people that don’t want to stay for two or three days.”

Melissa Speers, Jessieville School Superintendent Report

Superintendent of Jessieville, Melissa Speers, said they are making progress on repair from tornado damage and expect to have everything back in place by the start of the next school year, August 16.

Speers stated that they would sell advertising sponsorships along the side of the field to help pay for tornado damage, as the damage to the field was not covered under insurance.

Bridges asked Speers how the LEARNS Act impacts Jessieville. LEARNS stands for Literacy, Empowerment, Accountability, Readiness, Networking, and School Safety.

“What is the Arkansas LEARNS Act? – A 145-page omnibus law that covers everything from school vouchers to increased pay for teachers and higher literacy standards for elementary students, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ has described her education reform package as ‘the largest overhaul of the states education system in Arkansas history.’”

The superintendent said, “I have my personal feelings about the LEARNS Act. We are fortunate. We will get enough to help cover the increase in our salaries. We must get this funding because I cannot sustain [the salary increase] as a school district if the state does not fund that. The contracts are issued, and the salaries are based on what the LEARNS Act said we must do.”

Note: “A recent judge’s order issued a temporary delay regarding the implementation of the LEARNS Act. This order prevents ADE “from implementing or enforcing any aspect of the Arkansas LEARNS Act, Act 237 of 2023, until such time that it becomes law.” Attorney General Tim Griffin filed an immediate appeal of the order to the Arkansas Supreme Court.”

Speers continued, “My concern and angst come in as a school superintendent now that this is tied up in court. Hopefully, next week there will be a resolution, and by August, it all goes into effect…My first payroll for the next year comes out in July. So, I start paying people on a contract that says they are getting $50,000 a year, or more, that the state will fund. If that gets overturned, I am still stuck with that contract. So where is the funding going to come from? We were forward-thinking enough that on our contracts, we did put a clause that if it was not funded for some reason, we would revert back to the 2022/2023 salary schedule. This will affect my licensed staff.”

Speers stated that she has plans to hold meetings to discuss how they can reward the most effective and veteran teachers. I have heard a little grumbling, saying “‘I am making the same or relatively the same as someone fresh out of college.'” The Superintendent urges her licensed staff to be patient. “We will have to be creative. We still have a limited amount of resources.”

Michael Murphy, Fountain Lake School Superintendent, was absent.

Garland County JP Larry Raney Comments

JP Raney said they had a very successful cleanup day. “It was a learning experience, and we discovered not to schedule the cleanup close to the end of the school year…We still had a very successful day and picked up a lot of trash…We will try to work with the school superintendent next year so we have a better feel for how to schedule this so it doesn’t interfere with what is going on.” This was a good program for cleaning up litter while teaching the students to be more responsible.

The Justice of the Peace said that sales tax income continues to increase.

JP Raney said he has a lot of calls about paper ballots. Garland County has a hybrid system. “It is not electronic, and it is not paper. It is a marriage of the two,” explained Raney.

Raney said they still have unfilled positions. “We cannot get enough applicants,” explained the JP. The shortage of employees primarily affects the sheriff’s department and the jail.

Saline County JP Keith Keck Comments

The Saline County Quorum Court is changing the governance structure of the Saline County Library. “One of our challenges was, who’s really in charge of what? This new ordinance gives the county judge the responsibility for the library. There will still be a library board that will handle the day-to-day type of issues.”

Saline County met with the new State of Arkansas broadband office director. Should we base homes’ assessed values on broadband capability? ” If a home has a large broadband capability, should this affect the assessed value? The State of Arkansas will receive $1.4 Billion as part of the broadband infrastructure investment. Saline County is encouraged to form a broadband committee and needs a Hot Springs Village representative.

The JP shared that he would not seek re-election and publicly endorsed Karen Crowson as his replacement. Click here to read “KECK NOT TO SEEK SALINE CO JP RE-ELECTION – ENDORSES CROWSON.“

By Cheryl Dowden