How Fort Smith is run
Who runs Fort Smith, what it costs, and where your money goes
The city manager, council pay, the budget, your property tax bill and who provides each service, from Fort Smith's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Fort Smith
A City Administrator hired by the Board of Directors runs the city day to day as its chief executive officer. The seven-member board sets policy and passes laws, and the elected mayor's role is largely ceremonial.
What they are paid
- City-paid health, dental and vision insurance for him and his dependents
- $7,200 a year vehicle allowance
- City 401(a) retirement contributions at the management rate, plus $1,200 a year to a 457(b) plan
- City-paid $100,000 term life insurance and long-term disability coverage
- Severance of at least 12 months of base salary if fired without cause
- $600 a month vehicle allowance
- Pay reduced by 1/24 for each regular meeting missed
Fort Smith city staff
1,128 full-time-equivalent positions, including Water and sewer 305, Police 224, General government 174, Fire 154, Solid waste 107. 2025. City of Fort Smith · Jul 24, 2026
Arkansas has no statewide pay database, and we found no pay list by employee for Fort Smith. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Fort Smith in the red?
Cities must pass a balanced budget, so "profit" and "deficit" mean something different here. The useful questions: does the city's everyday money (the general fund) cover its everyday costs, how much does it keep in savings compared with its own target, and how big are its pension and debt bills.
The city's own outlook
The FY2026 general fund budget is balanced for operations, with revenue $192 above operating spending, after $16.9 million in cuts across four funds. Capital spending uses $1.3 million of fund balance, and the reserve is projected at 34.7% at the end of FY2026. The city projects a $2.2 million operating gap and a 29.4% reserve in FY2027. City of Fort Smith · Dec 4, 2025
Savings
Unassigned general fund balance: $19.1M (2025-12-31). City of Fort Smith · Jul 24, 2026
Why we skip the "budgeted deficit": many cities plan to dip into savings, then spend less than planned. The audited result tells you what really happened.
Where the money comes from and goes
The general fund only: the city's everyday money for FY2026.
Comes from
- Taxes$43.4M · 78%
- State and other intergovernmental$4.5M · 8%
- Court fines and forfeitures$2.1M · 4%
- Licenses and permits$1.6M · 3%
- From savings (fund balance)$1.3M · 2%
- Transfers in from other funds$1.1M · 2%
- Other (service charges, contributions, miscellaneous)$1.5M · 3%
Goes to (FY2026)
- Police$17.5M · 32%
- Fire$15.8M · 28%
- Operation services$7.4M · 13%
- Management services$4.8M · 9%
- Non-departmental$4.3M · 8%
- Other (policy and administration, development services)$5.8M · 10%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Of each property-tax dollar a Fort Smith homeowner paid on the 2025 levy, about 12 cents went to the city, 72 cents to the school district, 14 cents to Sebastian County and 2 cents to the library.
12¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Fort Smith
- Fort Smith School District4.21 · 72%
- Sebastian County0.8 · 14%
- City of Fort Smith0.7 · 12%
- Fort Smith Public Library0.1 · 2%
- Total ($ per $100 of assessed value)5.81
2025 property tax rates for a home in Fort Smith (Sebastian County). City of Fort Smith · Jul 24, 2026
See what a Fort Smith house pays, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Fort Smith is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- FireThe cityFort Smith Fire DepartmentCity of Fort Smith · Jul 24, 2026
- WaterThe cityCity of Fort Smith water utilityCity of Fort Smith · Jul 24, 2026
- SewerThe cityCity of Fort Smith sewer utilityCity of Fort Smith · Jul 24, 2026
- StreetsThe cityCity of Fort SmithCity of Fort Smith · Jul 24, 2026
- Parks and recreationThe cityCity of Fort SmithCity of Fort Smith · Jul 24, 2026
- Public transitThe cityCity of Fort Smith transitCity of Fort Smith · Jul 24, 2026
Compared with similar cities
The cities in this state closest in population that we cover. Read it for scale, not as a ranking: cities provide different services.
| Per city | BentonvilleAR | JonesboroAR | Fort SmithAR | FayettevilleAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 63,057 | 83,296 | 90,855 | 106,623 |
| Top administrator's base pay | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | $215,000 | $167,800 |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not current (2023) | Not current (2021) |
| General fund per resident | $1,401 | $780 | $611 | $760 |
| Debt per resident | $2,380 | $211 | $2,802 | $1,286 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $877 | $343 | $717 | $586 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 11.9 | — | 12.4 | 9.1 |
Figures as shown in each city's section, divided by its population. Years differ by state, and pension figures are measured differently in each state (each city page says how).
What Fort Smith publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Partly: Council votes recorded member by member onlineBoard minutes give vote counts, and name each director only on split votes. City of Fort Smith · Aug 4, 2026
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes onlineThe city's Granicus meeting portal posts agendas, minutes and video of board meetings. City of Fort Smith
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentDecember 2022 ordinances set the mayor at $30,000 and directors at $7,800 a year, plus $600 a month vehicle allowances. Talk Business & Politics · Dec 14, 2022
- No: Employee pay publishedThe audited report gives only staff counts. We found no pay list by employee. City of Fort Smith · Jul 24, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- Pension liabilities totaled $65.2 million on December 31, 2025. What is the plan to pay them down?
Help decide what comes next
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Every number here was checked by hand against the linked document. Cities publish on different schedules, so years differ between sections; each figure says which year it describes. Spotted something wrong or out of date?
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