Arkansas Blog

I am a jp. It's not uncommon for me to run into a fellow jp and inquire as to how county road 48 is coming along, is the bridge out your way being repaired, have you noticed our sales tax revenue is going up, don't you think we need to improve the salaries of all county employees, how are we going handle the need for another clerk in the tax assessor's office and so forth. If that's illegal, then I'm guilty. I chair two qc committees. I always announce to the local media the time for any meeting scheduled and where. I can't announce that I've just run into JP Smith and asked how the county animal pound is operating.

Our Budget and Finance Committee will be in a very important meeting in about three weeks to deal with the county's 2009 budget and trying to get a handle on our anticipated revenues is going to be a booger. But it's all public and no one will show up except the county officials involved and one or two others.

Cato, don't worry too much. From the 13th Edition of the Arkansas Freedom of Information Handbook:

"Q. Are social gatherings of members of governing bodies subject to the FOIA?
A.: No, as long as any discussion of governmental business is only intermittent and incidental to the social function. But any regular gathering of members of a governing body demands close scrutiny. [Op. Att'y Gen.] 95-020."

Id. at 27.

Link to the APA's downloadable copy at the click