Public hearing scheduled on ‘sufficiency’ of 1% petition forms

Fort Smith City Clerk Sherri Gard will hold a public hearing April 20 on the “sufficiency of referendum petitions” that seek a public vote on the 1% prepared food tax.

The hearing is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m., and will be held in the Bartlett Community Room at the Fort Smith Police Department.

On Mar. 26, about 4,460 signatures were submitted to Fort Smith City Clerk Sherri Gard. 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. Barring a successful citizen-initiated referendum, the tax will go into effect June 1.

On April 1, Gard informed organizers of the petition drive of two problems — no ballot title was submitted with the petitions, and each petition sheet did not have attached a copy of the ordinance sought to be referred.

Gard has until April 25 to make a decision on the petition sufficiency, which may include information on the number of accepted signatures.

Brian Meadors, the attorney representing the Citizens for Responsible Taxation, resubmitted on April 11 the documents calling for an election on the 1% prepared food tax. Meadors is threatening “possible criminal charges” if the city of Fort Smith does not accept the resubmitted documents.