How did the Arkansas AG respond to a question about Act 985 of 2013 and a Washington County committee-of-the-whole ordinance?

Plain-English summary

Senator Jon Woods asked the Arkansas Attorney General about the applicability of Act 985 of 2013 to a Washington County ordinance requiring a quorum court committee to be a committee of the whole.

This short opinion gives no separate legal analysis or conclusion. The AG said she had issued an opinion on the matter to Senator Uvalde Lindsey that same day, enclosed a copy, and believed it adequately addressed Woods's questions. She identified it as Opinion 2015-023. The enclosure is not reproduced in this page's original opinion text; readers seeking the legal reasoning or an answer about the ordinance should consult that opinion.

Currency note

This opinion was issued in 2015 and functions as a referral to another opinion. Check Opinion 2015-023 and current county-government law before relying on a substantive answer.

Common questions

Did this opinion decide whether Act 985 applied to the Washington County ordinance?
It does not state a conclusion. It refers the reader to Opinion 2015-023 for the issues raised by Senator Woods.

Did the AG discuss county judge consent or severability here?
No. Neither topic appears in the text of this opinion.

Where is the substantive analysis?
The AG says she enclosed Opinion 2015-023, issued to Senator Uvalde Lindsey on the same matter. That is the opinion to read for the analysis.

Background

The request concerned a Washington County ordinance requiring a quorum court committee of the whole. This opinion does not identify the ordinance by number, quote its terms, or analyze how Act 985 affected it. Its operative response is the referral to the same-day opinion.

Citations

• Act 985 of 2013 (named in the request as described by the AG)
• Op. Att'y Gen. 2015-023 (enclosed prior analysis)

Source

• Landing page: https://arkansasag.gov/divisions/opinions-foia/attorney-general-opinions-search/

Original opinion text

Opinion No. 2015-031
April 29, 2015

The Honorable Jon Woods
State Senator
Post Office Box 8082

STATE OF ARKANSAS
THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
LESLIE RUTLEDGE

Springdale, Arkansas 72766-8082

Dear Senator Woods:

You requested my opinion on questions about the applicability of Act 985 of 2013 to a Washington County ordinance requiring that a quorum court committee be a committee of the whole.

I enclose a copy of an opinion on this matter I issued today to Senator Uvalde Lindsey. I believe the opinion adequately addresses the issues your request raises. See Op. Att'y Gen. 2015-023.

Assistant Attorney General J.M. Barker prepared this opinion, which I approve.

Sincerely,

LESLIE RUTLEDGE
Attorney General
LR/JMB:cyh
Enclosure