Fort Smith change-of-government signatures to be turned in Tuesday

A group of citizens seeking to place a Fort Smith change-of-government question on the November ballot plan to present more than 3,700 signatures to Fort Smith officials Tuesday (July 21) morning. They also plan to continue collecting signatures.

Fort Smith attorney Joey McCutchen, a leader in the effort to place the question on the ballot, said they plan to present around 3,720 signatures to Fort Smith Mayor George McGill in his office at 10 a.m., Tuesday. He said they will then hold a press conference outside city offices at 623 Garrison Ave., in downtown Fort Smith.

The group had to submit 2,608 valid voter signatures by late July or early August to provide time for signature verification by Fort Smith City Clerk Sherri Gard. 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 within the corporate limits of the city.

McCutchen said petition gatherers had an “extensive phone conference” Friday morning with Gard and Colby Roe, a lawyer with the Daily & Woods law firm that represents the city, “to clarify questions surroundings the process of submitting, counting, verifying and notifying petitioners.”

“The signature gathering process has been a rewarding experience,” McCutchen told Talk Business & Politics. “Our 100% volunteer team have work extremely hard and have been nothing short of amazing. The team has witnessed over 3,700 energized Fort Smith voters from all walks of life sacrifice and engage in the petition process. There is nothing more American than citizens fighting for their right to vote on their own form of government. We are excited to submit the signatures and begin the new conversation and debate of pros and cons of each form of government.”

Fort Smith mayoral candidate Shayne McKinney, who also has been a leader in the effort, is expected to join McCutchen for Tuesday’s signature presentation.

In 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.

The Fort Smith Board of Directors recently rejected two attempts to approve a resolution that would place the question on the ballot without going through the signature process.