City of Fort Smith votes 5-2 to curtail fraud that has cost hundreds of thousands of dollars through "donations"
- Dennis McCaslin
- Feb 25
- 2 min read
On Feb 21st, 2025, the Fort Smith board of directors voted five to two to approve the AN Aareed Orcer to stop fraudulent funding of special interest organization through mayoral discretion.
Directors Jared Rego and Andre Good voted against approving the Agreed Order which you cn read by clicking here:
By approving the Agreed Order, the City acknowledged the appropriations identified in the Plaintiffs’ Complaint are prohibited by Article 12, Section 5 of the Arkansas Constitution and agrees that, from and after the entry of this Agreed Order, it will not appropriate funds to any private entity or person in violation of Article 12, Section 5 of the Arkansas Constitution.
The City further acknowledged that the following specific appropriations identified on the plaintiff’s complaint are not permissible and shall not be repeated: (1) funding for the Mercy Hospital Ball, (2) financial contributions to the Fort Smith Round Table Juneteenth Celebration, (3) donations to Steel Horse Rally, Inc, (4) sponsorships of golf tournaments or golf-related events, (5) financial support to Twisted Effects Braid Studio, LLC, and (6) any funding provided to “Begin a New Generation (BANG)” or any entity operating under the name.
Attorney Joey McCutchen stated, “ It is unfathomable that two board of directors, Rego and Good, would condone the acknowledged illegal and unconstitutional spending of Mayor George McGill and not agree that similar spending will not be repeated. No matter how noble the purpose of the spending is, our State Constitution bans this type of spending on the Mayor’s pet projects.”
Plaintiff Jimmie Cavin noted, “I am concerned that this type of unconstitutional spending is occurring on a frequent basis in cities across the State of Arkansas. I am hopeful that by holding Mayor McGill and the City of Fort Smith accountable, the unconstitutional spending will be recognized and stopped.”
You can read the ratified Agreed Order by clicking here:
