Petition for certification to change the form of city government followed by 7-0 vote by the Fort Smith Board of Directors

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Fort Smith City Clerk Sherri Gard on Tuesday certified as sufficient a citizen petition seeking to place a question on the November ballot asking voters whether to change the city’s form of government.

In a certification dated Aug. 18, Gard stated that the petition, which would switch Fort Smith from its current city-administrator form to a mayor-council form, has been signed by at least 2,607 qualified electors. That number equals 15 percent of the ballots cast for mayor in the most recent general election, the threshold required under Arkansas law.

The initial petition was submitted to Mayor George McGill on Aug. 3 in 646 separate parts. Supplemental parts were submitted on Aug. 14 (55 parts) and Aug. 17 (31 parts), according to the certification.

Gard reviewed all petition parts and determined they met the statutory requirement. She certified the petition as sufficient.

The certification follows state law under Ark. Code Ann. § 14-48-105. If the mayor issues a proclamation and it is filed with the Sebastian County clerk by Aug. 25, the question would appear on the Nov. 3 general election ballot.

A change, if approved by voters, would take effect after elections in November 2028. Under the proposed structure, the mayor would serve as the city’s chief executive. The city would have an eight-member council with two members from each of the four wards, and the city clerk, city attorney, and city treasurer would become elected positions.

The Fort Smith Board of Directors had twice declined to place the question on the ballot by ordinance, most recently in July. The citizen petition process does not require board approval once the clerk certifies sufficient signatures.