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Committee advances bill allowing Little Rock to adopt alternative mayoral hiring options
Summary
House Bill 1875, presented by Representative Andy Davis, would make permissive options available for Little Rock's form of government—principally allowing the mayor to hire the city attorney and city manager, subject to city-board ordinance and two‑thirds override authority—and passed the committee by voice vote.
Representative Andy Davis told the committee that House Bill 1875 would add permissive options to Arkansas law to allow Little Rock more flexibility in its local government structure. Davis said the bill does not require any city to change its form of government; instead it makes options available that a city board (city council) could adopt by ordinance. He said the change would primarily allow a mayor, if the city board chooses that form, to hire the city attorney and city manager while preserving a two‑thirds override vote by the city board.
Committee members asked procedural questions about how the option would be created and reversed; Davis replied that the status would remain until the city board undid it by ordinance and that undoing could be accomplished by a simple‑majority ordinance vote. No members of the public were signed up to testify and the committee passed the bill by voice vote following a motion and second.
Next steps: HB1875 moves to the full House or Senate process as appropriate under the legislative calendar.
