Mary Godwin,  Prescott-Nevada County Economic Development executive director, outlined the scope of the project and the structure of the incentive. “It will create four new additional jobs. Currently, they have 654 people that are employed out there,” she said .

Godwin explained that the program is administered by the state and is designed to encourage reinvestment by Arkansas industries. “It’s called the sales and use tax back incentive program, and it was put in place by the state to encourage the industries in Arkansas to continue to invest in their facilities, keeping their machinery updated,” she said .

Under the arrangement, the state refunds its 6.5 percent sales tax on qualified capital investment. “The state sales tax is at 6.5 percent, so the 6.5 percent times the 9.6 million is $624,000 that the state will be giving them,” Godwin said . The state then asks local governments to consider rebating their own portions. “Nevada County is at 2 percent and the city of Prescott is at 2 percent so if you approve this, then your part would be $192,000,” she said.

She said that the rebate does not involve funds already collected and on hand. “This is not money that you’ve got to call [City Accountant] Carl [Dalrymple] and say, do we have money to do this? It’s money that has not been sent to the city. So if they don’t do the project, you’re not going to get the money anyway,” she said . The refund would be handled directly by the Department of Finance and Administration if the council endorsed the resolution.

Godwin detailed the necessity of the improvements. “They’re basically going to be installing new silos at the back of the facility. That’s where the Short Line Railroad comes in, and the carbon black … has to go in these silos,” she said. The current system has become unreliable. “Their system now is so old that they can only store 50 percent in each of the current silos. There have been times that they were not able to store enough carbon black to keep the facility going,” she said.

“The state developed this program, and when they do their 6.5 percent then they come to us and say, okay, we’re doing this. You need to have some money in the game as well. You need to show local commitment that you want to keep them here, that you want to help them any way possible,” Godwin said.

The council adopted a resolution formally endorsing Amrize for participation in the tax back program and authorizing DFA to refund local sales and use taxes. The motion carried unanimously.

As the meeting began, the council approved minutes and January financials before hearing from Godwin on other economic development matters. She announced the upcoming Arbor Day celebration. “March the 20th at 11:30 a.m. is when we’ll have our Arbor Day celebration. We’re going to do that in the downtown area, either by the gazebo or over by the marquee sign this time,” she said .

She also reported on cemetery maintenance bids, noting of the current contractor, “We’ve had the least amount of complaints that we’ve ever had. When there’s been a problem and we’ve called, they take care of it quickly,” adding, “We’ve had lots of compliments.”  The council voted to accept the bid.

Godwin provided an update on broadband expansion efforts undertaken by the Arkansas Broadband Office using federal funds, stating, “South Central came in and did at their own expense all of the city of Prescott. So the city of Prescott’s been in good shape for a long time." 

In response to a question from Howard Austin regarding a dilapidated structure commonly known as Mama Max’s, Godwin confirmed, “Yes, top of the list, but it is a complicated one. Until that estate gets settled, it makes it hard."

Prescott-Nevada County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Valarie Cobb outlined a full slate of events the chamber will sponsor over the next several weeks. “We have started working on the chamber banquet. We’ve set a date for April 30th.  Small town, big memories is our theme,” Cobb said. She said the chamber is encouraging residents and businesses to share “pictures old or new” for a slideshow and will again invite businesses to decorate tables to showcase their work.

Cobb reported that community coffees are scheduled throughout the remainder of February and announced a meet-and-greet for the new school superintendent. “I encourage you all to come to that and welcome him to our community,” she said.  That event is scheduled for February 26th at the chamber offices on 121 West Main. 

She added that the chamber is expanding its outreach online. “We’ve really been trying to push social media. It’s just free advertising,” she said, noting that the chamber has been highlighting board members and will begin featuring local businesses individually to better inform residents and visitors about services available in Prescott.

Looking ahead, Cobb said the chamber has scheduled the community Easter Egg Hunt and is preparing for its annual crawfish boil, with a date to be announced. She also confirmed that nominations are being accepted for Citizen of the Year and Hometown Hero awards, with submissions available by paper or online form.

Prescott Police Sgt. Jeremy Hubbard delivered a detailed report on department activity. “In 2025 we had 399 reports taken, which roughly averages over a year 57 reports per officer that we had last year,” he said. So far this year, “we’ve got 12 felony report and 26 misdemeanor charges,” he reported.

The council also adopted Resolution No. 1 of 2026 requesting the Arkansas Department of Transportation designate a portion of Highway 67 South as the Cody Kisselburg Memorial Highway.

During citizen communications, a resident of Wildcat Road voiced concerns about heavy truck traffic and deteriorating road conditions: “My concern is the road is awful there. If we’re going to do this, I would like for the road to be fixed”  Mayor Terry Oliver responded that the city would involve the appropriate authorities in responding to her request.