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Senator Johnson pulls Pulaski County planning-board bill after extended debate over representation and penalties
Summary
Senate Bill 87, which would require two-thirds of county planning-board members to live in unincorporated Pulaski County and create a civil penalty for certain subdivision-plat violations, drew extended questioning and concern and was withdrawn by its sponsor for further drafting and stakeholder work.
Senator Mark Johnson, sponsor of Senate Bill 87, told the Arkansas Senate that his proposal was aimed at ensuring local representation on a county planning board and adding enforcement for subdivision-plat requirements. "This bill only applies to 1 county and that's the 1 we're sitting in right now," Johnson said, specifying Pulaski County as the primary target of the bill as currently drafted.
The bill would require that two-thirds of the voting members of a county planning board reside in unincorporated areas of the county when a county meets statutory population and municipal-count conditions. It would also add a civil penalty provision for persons who sell property in violation of a subdivision ordinance requiring plat approval, with an exemption where the sale was not made "knowingly." The sponsor said he removed the word "flagrantly" from the statute during amendment to avoid penalizing inadvertent errors.
Senator Johnson said the measure responds to complaints from constituents in…
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