Change-of-government question fails to make Fort Smith Board agenda

An attempt to have a change-of-government election ordinance on the Fort Smith Board of Directors agenda has failed. City Director Christina Catsavis on Thursday (June 11) engaged the process to place the vote on the June 16 board agenda, but failed to gain concurrence from three other directors.

The ordinance, if considered and approved, would place the question on the November 2026 general election ballot. Four city directors have to agree to place an item on a board agenda.

“Ultimately, Director George Catsavis concurred with the request; however, Directors Jarred Rego, Andre’ Good, Lee Kemp, and Kevin Settle did not concur. Director Neal Martin could not be reached,” according to part of a late-Thursday memo from Fort Smith City Clerk Sherri Gard.

Catsavis said her motivation was to create certainty around a November vote.

“The reason I support Board action is because the Board also has statutory authority to refer the question to voters,” Catsavis told Talk Business & Politics. “Once thousands of citizens have already demonstrated there is significant public interest, I see no reason to delay or create additional uncertainty when the same end result is a vote of the people.”

A group of citizens are working to collect at least 2,608 registered city voter signatures to place the question on the November 2026 ballot. The signatures must be submitted by late July or early August and verified by the Fort Smith City Clerk’s office for the item to be placed on the November ballot.

In Fort Smith’s form of government, the city administrator is the CEO. Changing to a mayor-council form of government would place city management responsibility with the mayor.

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 the ballot for four years.

Joey McCutchen, a Fort Smith attorney and one of the leaders of the signature-gathering effort, said Friday (June 12) they have around 2,600 signatures. He said because some signatures may not qualify, the group is working to get 30% more signatures – around 800 – before submitting them to Gard’s office.

The board on May 19 did not approve two ordinances to place the question on the November ballot. Director Jarred Rego called for an ordinance placing the question on the November 2027 general election ballot. Director Christina Catsavis called for an ordinance placing the question on the November 2026 general election ballot. Catsavis’ ordinance received only three votes, and the ordinance by Rego did not receive a second to be heard for a vote.