The Little Rock Board of Directors is the elected body that governs Arkansas’s largest city, holding what state law calls the “supreme legislative and executive” power over municipal affairs. It has eleven members: seven directors elected from geographic wards, three directors elected citywide, and the mayor. The board sets policy, passes ordinances, approves the budget, and oversees the city manager who runs daily operations.
Who Sits on the Board
State law sets a baseline of seven directors for any Arkansas city under the city manager form of government, and gives that board every power the pre-reorganization mayor and council once held.1Justia. Arkansas Code Title 14 Chapter 47 – 14-47-109 Board of Directors Generally Little Rock has expanded on that baseline by local ordinance. The current board seats ten directors plus the mayor.
The seven ward directors each represent a specific geographic district. The three at-large directors answer to the city as a whole. Every resident therefore has a ward director tied to their neighborhood and three citywide directors they can also contact. Ward lines are redrawn after each federal census; following the 2020 count, which put Little Rock above 200,000 residents, all seven wards were redistricted to keep representation roughly equal.
What the Board Does
Arkansas Code § 14-47-109 names the board the “supreme legislative and executive body” of the city.1Justia. Arkansas Code Title 14 Chapter 47 – 14-47-109 Board of Directors Generally In practice, that covers most decisions that shape life in Little Rock: passing ordinances, setting the city tax rate, approving the annual budget, authorizing contracts and municipal bonds, and making zoning calls that determine what can be built where.
Ordinances follow a set procedure before they become law. A general or permanent ordinance must be read on three separate days unless two-thirds of the board waives that step. Passage requires a majority of the entire elected membership, not just those present. Once passed, an ordinance is published in a local newspaper and generally takes effect 90 days later, which leaves room for residents to challenge it by referendum.
The Mayor’s Role
The mayor presides over the board but does not vote on routine matters. The mayor votes only to break a tie, though the position counts toward the quorum needed to do business.
The mayor’s other powers are not automatic. Under Arkansas Code § 14-47-140, a city has to grant them by ordinance or voter petition. Where authorized, the mayor can veto ordinances, resolutions, and orders passed by the board; the board can override a veto with a two-thirds vote of its membership. The same statute allows an authorized mayor to hire and remove the city manager (with board approval or a two-thirds override), prepare the annual budget, hire or remove the city attorney, and appoint people to fill vacancies on city boards and commissions subject to board confirmation.2FindLaw. Arkansas Code Title 14 Local Government 14-47-140
The City Manager
The board sets direction. The city manager carries it out. Arkansas Code § 14-47-119 requires every city under this form of government to employ a city manager on an indefinite basis. In cities over 100,000 residents, like Little Rock, the mayor may be authorized to do the hiring.3Justia. Arkansas Code Title 14 Chapter 47 – 14-47-119 Employment of City Manager Either way, a majority of the elected board can fire the city manager at any time, with or without cause.
Section 14-47-120 gives the city manager authority to supervise and control administrative departments, agencies, and employees to the extent the board grants that authority by ordinance. The manager also nominates people to fill vacancies in city employment and on boards and commissions, subject to board confirmation.4Justia. Arkansas Code Title 14 Chapter 47 – 14-47-120 Powers and Duties of City Manager
How Directors Are Elected
Board elections are nonpartisan by statute. No party labels appear on the ballot, and each candidate files for a specifically numbered position.1Justia. Arkansas Code Title 14 Chapter 47 – 14-47-109 Board of Directors Generally Ward candidates must live in the ward they want to represent. At-large candidates and the mayor must live within city limits. Every candidate has to be a qualified elector.
Directors serve four-year terms, staggered so that the whole board is never on the ballot in a single cycle. The seats are split into a class of three and a class of four, elected in alternating years. There are no term limits. Section 14-47-109 states plainly that a director “shall not be prohibited from holding successive terms of office.”1Justia. Arkansas Code Title 14 Chapter 47 – 14-47-109 Board of Directors Generally
Vacancies and Recall
When a seat opens mid-term, the board calls a special election by resolution and the mayor signs a public proclamation announcing it. The city indicates that in the interim the mayor nominates a replacement subject to board confirmation, and residents may submit applications at any time.5City of Little Rock. Boards and Commissions
Voters can also force a sitting director out through recall. Under Arkansas Code § 14-61-119, a recall petition needs signatures equal to at least 35 percent of the total ballots cast for all candidates for that position in the most recent general election. The petition must state the grounds for removal and be filed with the city clerk within 90 days of when signature collection began.6FindLaw. Arkansas Code Title 14 Local Government 14-61-119
Attending and Speaking at Meetings
The board meets on the first and third Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m. in the City Hall boardroom. The schedule can shift for holidays or special circumstances, and the current calendar is posted on the city website.7City of Little Rock. 2026 Little Rock City Board of Directors Meeting Calendar Residents who want to address the board usually sign in before the meeting and can speak on specific agenda items or during a general public comment period. Comments are generally limited to three minutes per speaker.
Every meeting is subject to the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act. Section 25-19-106 requires that every meeting of a municipal governing body be open to the public, whether formal or informal, regular or special. Any vote taken by secret ballot must use signed ballots that are kept and made available for public inspection. The board can close its doors only in narrow situations such as discussing hiring, firing, or discipline of a specific employee, and it has to announce the reason in open meeting first. Nothing decided behind closed doors has legal effect unless the board reconvenes in public and votes on it there.8Justia. Arkansas Code Title 25 Chapter 19 – 25-19-106 Open Public Meetings
Rules Directors Live Under
Directors file an annual Statement of Financial Interest with the city clerk by January 31 covering the previous calendar year. Under Arkansas Code § 21-8-701, the statement discloses each source of income over $1,000 for the director and their spouse, along with any names they do business under. A director who leaves office mid-year still has to file for the portion of the year they served.9Justia. Arkansas Code Title 21 Chapter 8 Subchapter 7 – 21-8-701 Persons Required to File Arkansas Ethics Commission gift rules apply as well, treating board members the same as state legislators for gift purposes.10Arkansas Ethics Commission. Rules on Gifts
One rule catches some people off guard. A sitting director cannot hold a second city role unless state law expressly allows it. Section 14-47-109 bars directors from serving the city in any other capacity, which keeps the line between policy-making and administration clean.1Justia. Arkansas Code Title 14 Chapter 47 – 14-47-109 Board of Directors Generally A director who wanted a job in a city department or a seat on a city commission would have to resign from the board first.