Quorum Court prepares for meeting

Washington County officials to have session tonight using app

FAYETTEVILLE — Washington County’s justices of the peace held a training session Wednesday morning to prepare for tonight’s virtual Quorum Court meeting.

Several justices of the peace joined the session using the Zoom meeting app and discussed the procedures to be used today. The county is expected to have elected officials participate from remote locations with some provision for public comment either over the Zoom app or from the Quorum Court meeting room where up to 10 people may be allowed to view the meeting.

Sue Madison, justice of the peace for District 12, objected to the training session, saying the county needed to provide public notice and allow for public participation in compliance with the state’s Freedom of Information Act. The law states that “Except as otherwise specifically provided by law, all meetings, formal or informal, of the governing bodies of all municipalities, counties, townships, and school districts and all boards, bureaus and commissions, or organizations of the State of Arkansas, except grand juries, supported wholly or in part by public funds or expending public funds, shall be public meetings.”

Madison left the meeting after being told by Brian Lester, county attorney, it was only a training session and didn’t fall under the provisions of the state law.

“I don’t consider this a meeting,” Lester said. “We just have to be sure your cameras work and you can log in. No business is being discussed.”

Madison said later she left the session because she wasn’t satisfied with Lester’s explanation.

“In my view, that was a meeting,” Madison said. “The public needs to be able to hear what we have to say and be able to comment on it.”

Madison said she’s concerned about tonight’s regular meeting as well. The Arkansas Municipal League has raised questions about quorum courts meeting via teleconference or other technologies. An amendment to clarify the state’s public meetings law and allow such meetings is being considered by legislators in the fiscal

session now being held in Little Rock.

Other justices of the peace had no concerns about Wednesday’s training session. Butch Pond, justice of the peace for District 15, said no county business was discussed so he was comfortable with the gathering.

“As long as we don’t exchange ideas outside an official meeting, I think we’re OK,” Pond said.

Patrick Deakins, justice of the peace for District 5, agreed Wednesday’s gathering wasn’t a public meeting.

“Today was limited to a training session,” Deakins said. “I think it’s fine to have everybody logged in and to make sure it all works.”

Suki Highers, justice of the peace for District 11, said she thought the training session was legal, but the county should have made some provision for public comment and participation.

“I am concerned that we didn’t test the public comment part of it,” Highers said. “There were some members of the public logged on and I think we could have asked them to speak, to be sure it works. I’m a little bit uncomfortable with that part of it.” Tom Sissom can be reached by email at tsissom@nwadg.com or on Twitter @NWATom.