Fort Smith Board set to vote a third time on change-of-government question - Talk Business & Politics
Here we go again. Again. The Fort Smith Board of Directors will for the third time vote during an Aug. 18 regular meeting on whether to place a change-of-government question on the November ballot. The. . .
Here we go again. Again. The Fort Smith Board of Directors will for the third time vote during an Aug. 18 regular meeting on whether to place a change-of-government question on the November ballot. The previous two votes failed to place the question on the ballot. During Tuesday’s (Aug. 11) study session, Director George Catsavis asked that the vote be placed on the next voting agenda. Director Christina Catsavis provided the second. It only takes two directors to place an item on a future voting agenda. The action by Director Christina Catsavis breaks her previous commitment to not pursue another board vote after the July 7 board vote failed. “I have stated my personal preference in a Facebook post last night so that I am on the record and I will respect the outcome of the vote tonight,” she told Talk Business & Politics on July 7 when asked if she would pursue a third vote if the second vote failed. “I don’t feel it is appropriate for me to actively campaign for it. It’s a question for the voters to decide without any undue pressure from elected representation. ”A group seeking to change Fort Smith’s form of governmentsubmittedwhat they said was 3,607 signatures Aug. 3 to Fort Smith Mayor George McGill and City Clerk Sherri Gard. If enough signatures are verified, the question would be placed on the November general election ballot. The group’s submission of 3,607 signatures is 1,000 more than the 2,607 valid voter signatures required. The office of Fort Smith City Clerk Sherri Gard will now work to verify signatures. The deadline to submit a change-of-government proclamation to Sebastian County Clerk Sharon Brooks is Aug. 25, according to state law. Gard’s office is responsible to determine the validity of signatures, which must be from registered voters who live in the city. The group has also pressured the board to place the question on the ballot without going through the signature process. During a May 19 board meeting, Directors Christina Catsavis, George Catsavis, and Neal Martin voted to place the question on the 2026 ballot. Directors Good, Lee Kemp, and Jarred Rego voted against it. Director Kevin Settle abstained, leaving the measure short of the four votes needed to pass. On July 7, Directors Christina Catsavis, George Catsavis, and Martin again voted for the resolution. Directors Kemp and Rego voted against it. Director Kevin Settle abstained. The measure fell short of the four votes needed for passage. Director Good did not attend the meeting. BACKGROUNDIn Fort Smith’s form of government, the city administrator is the CEO, managing an annual budget of more than $300 million and more than 1,000 city employees who provide safety, sanitation, water, sewer, and other key services to a city with a population of about 90,000. The city administrator is hired by the board of directors and can be fired at any time by the board. Changing to a mayor-council form of government would place management responsibility with the mayor. Most large cities in Arkansas with a mayor-council government have at least one experienced city manager supporting the mayor in day-to-day operations. The mayor-council form of government would also include elections for city clerk, city attorney, and city treasurer, according to state law. If voters approve a change of government in November 2026, elections for the new government would be held in November 2028. If voters reject a change of government, state law prevents the question from returning to voters for four years. Related