JP Bill Sparks wants to talk about a proposed “constitution amendment.”
He requested that a discussion about the constitution amendment proposal be added to the April Pope County Quorum Court meeting agenda.
So, it was added as item 6 on the agenda.
No information about specifics is available.
The Quorum Court meeting begins at 5:30 PM [April 3, 2024].
It can be viewed on YouTube at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxGLzbSysws
——UPDATE—UPDATE——
All JP Sparks was looking for was a discussion of potential Pope County liabilities in the event that the petition drive succeeds and Pope County is subsequently removed from Amendment 100.
How would Pope County be affected if Cherokee Nation Business were to pay out on the EDA and the amendment was changed in November?
The answer is that the EDA would have been a windfall for Pope County, and Pope County would have no liability if CNB/CNE lost the license and lost the right to have a license in Pope County.
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The discussions revealed that some of the JPs were under the impression that the last Supreme Court Ruling invalidated the Economic Development Agreement (EDA) between Pope County and Cherokee Nation Businesses.
It did not. The EDA is a contract. It is a contract that remains in full force and effect.
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In this image, on the left are Justice Lane Scott, lobbyist John Burris, and Justice Bill Sparks, from a photo taken at election headquarters after the March primary. Bill Sparks, from his official Pope County JP photo, is on the right.
Justices Scott and Sparks are both opposed to a casino in Pope County.
John Burris works for Capitol Advisors Group, a lobbying firm in Little Rock that often represents the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. Choctaw is funding the current petition efforts of Local Voters in Charge to amend the Arkansas Constitution and remove Pope County from Amendment 100, the casino amendment. They have contributed over $250,000, and rumors say they may contribute as much as $10 million.