Pulaski County committee amends commercial-use ordinance, sends measure to full court

The Pulaski County Quorum Court committee on (February, date not specified) approved an amendment to Ordinance 24 I 69 — which would establish procedures and policies for commercial use of county facilities — and voted to send the measure to the full court with a due-pass recommendation.

The amendment clarified the definition of commercial uses to expressly include media, removed Article 6 in full, and struck the emergency clause, committee members said. The committee approved the amendment by roll call, 9 ayes, 5 nays and 1 abstention, and later voted 9–5–1 to forward the ordinance as amended to the full Quorum Court.

Justice Rebecca Davis, who introduced the motion to advance the ordinance, said she worked with staff to address concerns raised at an earlier meeting and intended the changes to make the scope clearer. "I got probably a hundred text and calls about how could I not know that something happened in Pulaski County. So I just wanted something so in the future we would be aware," Justice Davis said.

During debate, Justice Blackwood said she continued to believe the ordinance "overreaches" and gives too much authority to the executive branch, and therefore could not support it. Justice Stowers asked whether the ordinance language restated the county judge’s existing constitutional jurisdiction; a county attorney representative said he believed it was consistent with Amendment 55 to the Arkansas Constitution but said he would verify the point with the county attorney, who was absent.

The committee approved the amendment in a roll call that recorded votes by name. On the final roll call as amended, the following votes were recorded: Miss Medlock, Mister Elliott, Mister Stowers, Mister McCoy, Mister Robinson, Mister Keith, Miss Massey, Miss Capps and Miss Davis voted yes; Miss Ward, Miss Curry, Mister Person, Miss Blackwood and Miss Lewison voted no; Miss Young Baker abstained. The chair announced the result as 9 ayes, 5 nays and 1 abstention.

The amendment details provided to the committee included: (1) an expanded definition in Article I to clarify that media activity is permitted under the commercial-use rules, (2) removal of Article 6 in its entirety, and (3) deletion of the ordinance’s emergency clause. Committee members said attorneys will review the revised text before the full Quorum Court considers adoption.

The committee’s action was procedural: forwarding the ordinance with a "due pass" recommendation means the full Quorum Court will consider adoption at a later meeting. The county attorney’s office will verify legal consistency with the Arkansas Constitution before that hearing, committee members said.