Hot Springs Board Awards $56K CDBG Infrastructure Contract, Authorizes RAISE Grant Application for Trail Construction

The Board of Directors awarded a $55,791 contract to Gosley Construction for drainage, sidewalk, and ADA improvements at Park Avenue and Holly Street locations, approved a performance-based utility billing audit contract with no upfront city cost, and authorized filing a federal RAISE grant application for trail design and construction.

Hot Springs Board of Directors Agenda Meeting Agenda Meeting January 9, 2024 Confidence: Medium Independent — not affiliated with the City of Hot Springs

Published: May 17, 2026 · Last updated: May 17, 2026

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The short version

The Board awarded a $55,791 contract to Gosley Construction Company for community development block grant (CDBG) infrastructure work covering drainage, sidewalks, and ADA ramps at two locations near Park Avenue.
The city approved a contract with ISI Water Company (WCA) to audit utility billing records going back to 2016; WCA will receive 50% of any additional revenue recovered for 48 months after errors are corrected — no upfront city payment is involved.
The Board authorized filing a U.S. Department of Transportation RAISE grant application for trail design and construction; the record does not show a city spending commitment at this step.
Finance Director Karen Scott presented the city's November 2023 financial statements; the Board acknowledged receipt.
Gary Troutman of the Greater Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce and Hot Springs Metro Partnership delivered a report on economic development activities including site visits and workforce development.

By the numbers

Total identified spending

$55,791

Votes taken

includes procedural votes

Unanimous votes

Largest single item

$55,791

CDBG Infrastructure Improvement Projects Contract

Emergency / ratification items

Resident questions unanswered

Money approved

Item	Amount	Vendor	Vote	Source
CDBG Infrastructure Improvement Projects Contract	$55,791	Gosley Construction Company Inc.	Passed	`item:4`
Total identified spending	$55,791

Major decisions

Contract for Utility Billing Services with ISI Water Company

Item: Contract authorization — performance-based utility billing audit with ISI Water Company (operating as WCA). No upfront city payment; WCA earns 50% of recovered revenue for 48 months after billing errors are corrected.
Vote: Passed
Cost: No upfront city cost specified in the record. WCA compensation is contingent on recovered revenue.
Vendor / responsible: ISI Water Company (WCA)
Discussion level: Brief Brief presentation
Resident impact: The audit will review water and wastewater billing accounts going back to 2016, when the city moved to its New World billing system. Accounts with incorrect meter classifications or missing charges may be corrected, which could change bills for some customers.
What the Board said or did: Staff explained the city issued a Request for Proposals in November 2023 and received one qualified response. The audit is expected to take 6–9 months and is recommended by the Arkansas Water and Wastewater Managers Association (AWWMA). The Board approved without recorded debate.
What remains unclear: The record does not show a cap on WCA's potential compensation, what process residents would have to dispute a billing correction, or how customers will be notified if their accounts are affected.
Source: item:3

RAISE Grant Application for Trail Design and Construction

Item: Grant application authorization — filing and acceptance of a U.S. Department of Transportation RAISE grant (Rebuilding America Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity) for trail design and construction.
Vote: Discussed
Cost: The record does not show a city spending commitment at this step.
Vendor / responsible: n/a
Discussion level: Brief Brief presentation
Resident impact: If awarded, the grant would fund design and construction of trails and trail connectors in Hot Springs. Specific locations are not identified in the available record.
What the Board said or did: Staff explained the RAISE program has separate funding pools for capital projects and for planning projects. The city attended RAISE workshops and was advised to split its projects into separate applications, directing projects further along in planning and environmental review into the capital category.
What remains unclear: The record does not show which specific trail corridors are included, the grant amount being requested, any required local match, or the application deadline.
Source: item:5

Approved without separate discussion

These items passed without individual debate as part of the consent agenda.

CDBG Infrastructure Improvement Projects Contract

Vote: Passed · $55,791 · Gosley Construction Company Inc.

item:4

Locations affected

Park Avenue near Park Place Baptist Church

Park Avenue corridor

CDBG drainage, sidewalk, curb and gutter, and ADA ramp improvements

Status: Planned
Tom Ellsworth Drive at Park Avenue intersection

Park Avenue corridor

CDBG drainage, sidewalk, curb and gutter, and ADA ramp improvements

Status: Planned
Holly Street at Park Avenue intersection

Park Avenue corridor

CDBG drainage, sidewalk, and ADA ramp improvements

Status: Planned
Trail corridors (unspecified)

Subject to RAISE grant application for trail design and construction

Status: Planned

Watch list

Open follow-up issues we'll check on in future briefings.

RAISE grant outcome

Open

The Board authorized the application for a U.S. Department of Transportation RAISE grant for trail design and construction.

Why it matters: Grant award would fund trail infrastructure in Hot Springs, but record does not show timeline for decision, specific corridors included, or local match requirements.
Next check: Monitor for U.S. Department of Transportation decision announcement and Board reporting on grant status.

CDBG construction schedule

Open

Contract with Gosley Construction was awarded for $55,791 in infrastructure improvements at three Park Avenue area locations.

Why it matters: No construction start or completion date appears in the record; residents in affected areas will need to know when work begins.
Next check: Confirm construction timeline and track project progress at Park Avenue near Park Place Baptist Church, Tom Ellsworth Drive and Park Avenue, and Holly Street and Park Avenue.

Utility billing audit findings

Open

WCA will audit utility billing accounts going back to 2016 over 6–9 months, with potential corrections to customer bills.

Why it matters: Audit could affect customer billing; affected residents need clear notification of corrections and dispute procedures.
Next check: Monitor for audit preliminary findings, customer notification process, and any Board updates on corrected accounts.

Source notes

This briefing is based on the public records below. Every claim above can be traced back to one or more of these sources.

video: Meeting Video and Transcript
agenda: Agenda Items 1–5

Confidence: Medium

Video transcript and parsed agenda items available. Minutes not yet available. Vote counts not fully recorded for some items.

How we know this

We do not invent facts.
We cite source records.
We distinguish what happened from what remains unclear.
We use neutral language.
We correct errors when found. See corrections.