City chooses Civil Service commissioner

SPRINGDALE — The Springdale City Council on Tuesday unanimously chose Greg Tuck to fill a spot on the Civil Service Commission.

The council members called an executive session to discuss the applicants for the position. The session lasted about 15 minutes, and the council voted after returning to the meeting.

This is a departure from the city’s usual processes to appoint members to the city’s various commissions.

Tuck will serve a six-year term ending in 2028. He will replace Dave Chapman, a longtime commissioner, who resigned when his term expired, said Colby Fulfer, the city’s chief of staff.

Chris Hussein, a supervising attorney with Legal Aid, and Laura Eppes, a service adviser for Doggett Freightliner, also submitted applications.

Tuck is a Realtor with Weichert Realtors and was a longtime account manager for Nestle USA.

The City Council on March 8 unanimously approved Julie Loper to fill the position left open when Eric Harris, who also had served on the commission for many years, declined reappointment. Loper also will serve a six-year term until 2028.

Council member Mike Overton during that meeting objected to the process of choosing a new commissioner.

He said council members should interview all applicants for the Civil Service Commission.

Mayor Doug Sprouse told the council he had followed the same procedure to replace Harris’ position that he had followed since taking office in 2009.

Sprouse and his staff would accept resumes for those applying to serve in the position, interview candidates and bring a name forward for council approval, Fulfer said.

The last appointment to the Civil Service Commission was the reappointment of Bob Downum in 2020.

Ernest Cate, the city attorney, explained after the meeting that council members want to interview candidates for the Civil Service Commission when more than one person applies.

Many times, Sprouse and his staff must find candidates to fill commission seats.

“I like this,” said council member Kevin Flores after the meeting. “This is the first time we’ve had more than one person apply. It’s a good problem to have. I hope we keep having this problem.”

Fulfer said the wording in the Arkansas statutes says the mayor should bring a name for council approval for most commissions.

But the state law’s wording says the council will bring the name forward for the Civil Service Commission, he continued.

The Civil Service Commission is the only city commission that can make decisions for the city. The commission hires and fires the police chief and the fire chief.

The city’s other commissions and boards include the Advertising and Promotion Commission, the Airport Commission, the Planning Commission, the Housing Authority Board, the Public Facilities Board, the Public Library Board, the Shiloh Museum Board and the Water and Sewer Commission.

Additionally, the mayor brings names for council approval for several regional boards, including the Northwest Arkansas Conservation Authority, Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport Authority and the Energy Improvement District.