Sulphur Springs’ mayor resigns one more time

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

SULPHUR SPRINGS - In possibly the shortest city council meeting in Sulphur Springs’ history, the mayor read resignation letters from two council members and then resigned himself.

In a meeting which lasted from 7 to 7:20 p.m. on Oct. 10, after calling the meeting to order and public forum time ended, Mayor Bobby Simon read the resignation letters of Alderman Bill Medley and Alderwoman Deborah Medley.

Then, after reading their resignation letters, Simon himself resigned his mayor’s post verbally. The three of them rose up together and walked out of city hall.

With no mayor and without a “supposed” quorum, the meeting adjourned.

What happens next?

Listed on Page 8 of the Arkansas Municipal League’s “Guidebook for Municipal Officials of Mayor/Council Cities,” Rev. May 2013, it reads that in an incorporated town such as Sulphur, “the city council shall fill the mayor’s unexpired term by either a majority vote of the aldermen or a special election.”

To fill a council member’s position, the Municipal Law in Arkansas, Question and Answers manual supplies this insight on page 23: “How many votes does it take to fill a vacancy on a six-member council ?”

The answer under the question reads, “Three. Ark. Code Ann. 14-42-103 provides that vacancies shall be filled by a majority of the remaining members. A majority of a quorum is also required. Three votes satisfy both these requirements, Atty. Gen. Opinion No. 97-265.”

Sulphur Springs’ city attorney, Seth Bickett, said he would call the Municipal League to answer the question: “What happens next ?”

News, Pages 1 on 10/16/2013