Signatures submitted seeking 1% tax vote in Fort Smith

Organizers of a petition drive to force an election on enactment of a 1% prepared food tax delivered Saturday (Mar. 26) morning about 4,460 signatures to Fort Smith City Clerk Sherri Gard.

Eddie York, owner of Art’s BBQ in Fort Smith and one of petition organizers, hinted that they may have a few more signatures to deliver later in the day. The deadline is 5 p.m., Saturday.

The petitions gained two more signatures during the delivery to Gard. Margaret and Mike Carter came through the lobby — where Gard had set up her office for the day — of the Stephens Building in downtown Fort Smith. The building houses city offices and office space used by Carter. Mike Carter, the former president of AOG Corp. and former chairman of the Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce, and Margaret signed the petitions. The Carters have ownership in Whole Hog Cafe in south Fort Smith.

The effort needs 2,822 valid signatures (registered voters in Fort Smith) to push the 1% tax to a public vote.

The tax was enacted Feb. 24 by the Fort Smith Board of Directors to resolve a more than 10-year search to plug an annual deficit predicted to occur when state turnback money dried up. The state turnback program ended for Fort Smith in June 2010 from which the city received about $1.8 million a year. In 2010, the city received only $888,723. A fund balance will allow the city to cover the convention center shortfall for 2011.

Barring a successful citizen-initiated referendum, the tax will go into effect June 1.

CERTIFICATION PROCESS
After the signatures are submitted, Gard and the other two employees in the department have 30 days to verify the signatures. Gard said they take the petition forms to the Sebastian County Clerk’s office and sit down with the voter registration books to verify each signature. She said her three-person office will be busy.

Gard said her office checks numerous items, to include correct precinct, valid signatures, and that each petition page has the necessary statement from the person who witnessed each signature on a particular page. Also, each petition page must meet state law requirements as to information about the ordinance and ordinance number.

To move quickly, Gard said they mark each signature that is questionable and move on.

If enough signatures are approved, and the board moves quickly to set an election, the earliest an election could be held is June 14, Gard said. Special elections may only be held on the second Tuesday.

THE SIGNATURES
York estimated between 30-35 locally-owned restaurants helped gather signatures. Also, Frank Glidewell, former Sebastian County Judge and former State Representative, took petition forms to senior citizens centers.

“We’re going to wait and see where they come up on the (signature) count,” York said when asked about what’s next.

He added that they reviewed the almost 4,500 signatures and believe they have at least 4,300 good signatures.

“And even if we lose, say, 10% of those, we’ll be good,” York added.

It won’t be all wait and see. York noted later in the interview they would soon begin to raise money to support the special election campaign.

York, who said he is pro-convention center, said it was easy to get signatures because people wanted the issue on the ballot.

“They made a lot of people mad because they did not put it on the ballot. … They should have put this up for a vote in November, but they went with that (ordinance) instead,” York said.