Fort Smith Times Record
An Arkansas state senator has proposed a bill that would broaden the definition of a public meeting, both in-person and electronic.
Senate Bill 208, if passed, would lower the number of city directors required to constitute a meeting, going against the Arkansas Supreme Court s 2019 decision in
Wade v. City of Fort Smith that three city directors and City Administrator Carl Geffken did not violate the law in a private email exchange.
The bill, sponsored by District 21 state Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Jonesboro, defines a meeting as the gathering of two or more members of a governing body to discuss matters, including through telephone or electronically. The bill applies to all governing bodies in Arkansas and public bodies supported by or using public funds except for grand juries.