The Fayetteville Board of Adjustments voted July 7, 2025, to amend its bylaws to (1) make years of service the tie-breaker in officer elections and (2) require city board members attending virtually to show their identity and have their camera on when establishing quorum, speaking or voting, changes staff said align with Act 505 passed by the Arkansas General Assembly.

Board staff said the first change — using seniority measured by years of service to resolve ties in the election of chair and vice chair — addresses an issue that arose under the board’s staggered terms. The second change updates the board’s virtual-attendance procedures to match recent state law changes.

Hannah, a city staff member presenting the amendments, said the virtual-attendance language tracks identical text proposed by the senior assistant city attorney for the Planning Commission. “That seems to comport with what we’re looking at,” she said. Staff told the board they had spoken with Senator Clark Tucker, who supported the bill that became Act 505, and that the proposed language aligns with the statute’s intent.

Under the new language, members attending remotely must use mechanisms that establish their identity and must have their camera on when participating in quorum calls, while speaking, or when voting. Board members said the seniority tie-breaker is intended as a rare, clear procedural rule given the small, staggered membership.

The board approved both changes in a single motion. The meeting minutes show the motion carried.

The amendments will be incorporated into the board’s bylaws and applied to future officer elections and remote participation. Staff said the Planning Commission will track the same virtual-attendance approach so city advisory bodies remain consistent.

The board moved to the next agenda items after the vote.