# Fort Smith Advances Sewer Consent Decree Contract

The City of Fort Smith is preparing to award a **$2.474 million** contract to Arcadis for program management services supporting federally mandated sewer system improvements under a consent decree. This contract, expected to be approved at the October 5, 2026 city board meeting, will engage Arcadis to provide project management, capital improvement planning, cost control, and compliance reporting to meet EPA and DOJ requirements. City officials emphasize that Arcadis' national expertise will enhance project efficiency, transparency, and schedule acceleration. Concurrently, the city is addressing budget considerations including partial salary increases and potential one-time bonuses for police and fire personnel to improve recruitment and retention amid high workloads and turnover. This procurement represents a critical step in managing complex infrastructure compliance while balancing fiscal and workforce priorities.

**Jurisdictions:** sled
**Industries:** Construction & Infrastructure, Public Safety
**Topics:** Contracting Vehicles, Grants & Funding, Physical Infrastructure
**Published:** September 23, 2026

### Government Entities
- City of Fort Smith
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
- U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ)

### Vendors
- Arcadis (prospective prime contractor)
- RJN Group (partner engineering firm)

### Key Quotes
> Once a contract is approved, Stanley said Arcadis will within 90 days 7ave a roadmap8 for the city to follow with respect to consent decree work, and will help the city identify and produce the very early reports required by the EPA and DOJ.
> — David Stanley, Program Manager, Arcadis

> I think the program manager will help us fine tune that (bond issuance) as we go along, as were able to extend projects, and as were able to get things clicked off and done, and show us how to approach the next set of projects.
> — Jeff Dingman, City Administrator, City of Fort Smith

> Theyll help us get more perspective from a national view that we might not have had in the past.
> — Todd Mittge, Director of Engineering, City of Fort Smith

### Sources
- [9/22/2026 Board of Directors - Study Session](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJxQP8VaOfU) - City of Fort Smith, Arkansas
- [Fort Smith city staff touts need to hire consent decree management firm - Talk Business & Politics](https://talkbusiness.net/2026/09/fort-smith-city-staff-touts-need-to-hire-consent-decree-management-firm) - Talk Business & Politics