Elected officials and key personnel from cities and towns across Arkansas gathered in Little Rock or joined their colleagues online for the Arkansas Municipal League’s 2023 Winter Conference, held January 11-13 at the Little Rock Marriott and Statehouse Convention Center. Attendance was strong, with 803 participating in person and 190 following the proceedings virtually. Newly elected officials and first-time officeholders were well represented, with 172 new mayors, council members, city clerks and other officials taking part.

The conference covered an array of topics important to cities and towns, including a series of sessions dedicated to “City Government 101,” the popular League curriculum that covers the essentials of local government, including the statutory roles of elected officials, an overview of Arkansas’ Freedom of Information Act and an introduction to the many services and programs offered by the League to assist municipalities.

With the 94th General Assembly of the Arkansas Legislature getting underway in January, the conference also featured several sessions on bills likely to appear during the session that would affect cities and towns and how local officials can best stay engaged with the legislative process.

Education is the focus of each annual winter conference, and this year’s event included five hours of core certification credit and three hours of continuing education credit as part of the League’s voluntary certification program for municipal officials and personnel. Municipal leaders who have obtained or maintained certification status over the past year, including the inaugural class of Level 2 certification, were recognized during Wednesday’s opening night banquet.

Key sessions and takeaways from #2023AMLWC

The Arkansas Legislature convened for the 94th General Assembly in early January, and several key sessions of the 2023 Winter Conference focused on the goings on at the state capitol, including legislation likely to come before lawmakers that would affect cities and towns. The three main issues expected to be addressed in the session are criminal justice, taxes and education, League General Counsel John L. Wilkerson, left, said, and these will all have at least indirect effects on local governments, and defending local control remains the League’s focus. “We are very protective of local control, and I cannot emphasize that enough.”

One issue the League has spent several legislative sessions advocating for is giving cities and towns the ability to publish public notices on the internet in order to better reach citizens, whose news consumption is increasingly online. According to A.C.A.§ 16-3-101, public notices—such as new ordinances—must be published in a newspaper in the county or, if there is no newspaper in the county, in “five (5) of the most public places.” As print newspapers and their readership have diminished, cities continue to spend money but aren’t reaching their citizens, said League Legal Counsel Blake Gary, who is positive about amending the law this session. “For the first time, I believe it actually has legs to get passed.”

On the issue of public notice publication, “it’s about local control,” said League Legislative Liaison Jack Critcher. “Seems like everything that comes up we go back to what we stand for: local control. And it resonates pretty well over there with the legislators.” Critcher began his political career as mayor of the city of Grubbs and went on to serve several terms in the legislature before joining the League staff.

A panel of League staff members and officers provided an overview of how a bill makes its way through the legislative process. They also stressed the importance of local officials building relationships with their representatives at the capitol so when issues that affect cities and towns arise, municipal leaders are ready to advocate for local control. From left, League General Counsel John L. Wilkerson, League Legal Counsel Blake Gary, Crossett Mayor and District 4 League Vice President Crystal Marshall, Cave City Mayor and League President Jonas Anderson, League Legislative Liaison Jack Critcher, and League Executive Director Mark R. Hayes.

League Executive Director Mark R. Hayes, left, and several members of the League staff provided an introduction to the five major benefit programs: the Municipal Health Benefit Program, Municipal League Workers’ Compensation Program, Municipal Legal Defense Program, Municipal Property Program and Municipal Vehicle Program. The League exists to serve its members, Hayes said. “We are you and you are us, and we don’t exist without you. So let us know what we can do to help.”

League Deputy Director Whitnee V. Bullerwell opened the conference with an overview of the voluntary certification program for municipal officials and personnel, which has grown tremendously since its introduction in 2010. “We strongly believe as a League that municipal education and professional development are truly vital for you all to be best suited to do your jobs,” she said. Last year the League added Level 2 certification courses, and the inaugural graduating class was recognized during the conference’s opening night banquet.

Cave City Mayor and League President Jonas Anderson, League Counsel Blake Gary and General Counsel John L. Wilkerson held a panel discussion and Q&A session covering the state statutes that govern who does what at city hall. “Now that you’re elected, especially for you newly elected officials, the work really begins,” Anderson said. “It’s really critical that you understand the basics of holding office at the local government level. If you haven’t figured it out by now, there’s a lot to it.”

Transparency is essential for good governance, and League Code and Opinions Attorney Linda Burgess, right, and General Counsel John L. Wilkerson covered the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act, which helps ensure the public’s business—from meetings to records to hiring and firing—remains public.

Since being approved by Arkansas voters in Amendment 91 to the state constitution a decade ago, the Arkansas State Aid City Street Program (citystreet.arkansas.gov) has helped fund more than 700 projects in hundreds of cities and towns across the state. “Since 2013 the State Aid Street Committee has approved over 2,050 miles of improvements to city streets, which would take us past New York City from Little Rock,” said the program’s attorney, Steve Napper.

For many cities and towns, particularly smaller and more rural communities, Main Street is also a state highway, which can mean barriers to overlays and other improvements. Under a new State Aid City Street Program initiative in partnership with the Arkansas Department of Transportation, the city of Crossett was able turn a portion of state Highway 133 into a city street in exchange for a new overlay. It was “a win-win” for the city and for ARDOT, said Mayor Crystal Marshall, the League’s 2022-2023 District 4 vice president. She encouraged other small cities to consider the program and apply for funding.

Settlement money resulting from the litigation brought against opioid manufacturers and distributors by Arkansas’ cities, towns and counties has begun arriving and will continue to be paid out over the next 18 years. From left, a panel including Colin Jorgensen, litigation counsel for the Arkansas Association of Counties; Tenesha Barnes, deputy director of the Arkansas Opioid Recovery Partnership; Kirk Lane, director of the Arkansas Opioid Recovery Partnership; Mark R. Hayes, League executive director; and Magnolia Mayor Parnell Vann, League first vice president, discussed how cities, towns and counties will use the funding to mitigate the addiction crisis in our state.

In an emotional presentation, the Arkansas Opioid Recovery Partnership (ARORP) awarded just over $1 million in funding to the Hope Movement Coalition’s You Are Not Alone Project. According to the ARORP, the funding will allow the organization to develop support services for families who have lost a loved one to substance use disorder or fentanyl poisoning with an emphasis on the mental health and overall well-being of each family member. For more information on the partnership and funding opportunities, please visit www.arorp.org.