Municipal league convention this week

More than a thousand mayors, aldermen and other city officials plan to gather this week for the Arkansas Municipal League’s annual conference, the league said in a news release.

The conference runs Wednesday through Friday at the Statehouse Convention Center and Marriott Hotel in downtown Little Rock. League members will meet with state leaders as the Legislature’s regular session starts Monday.

The league said Arkansas Senate President Pro Tempore Jonathan Dismang, House Speaker Jeremy Gillam, Supreme Court Chief Justice Dan Kemp, Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin, Attorney General Leslie Rutledge, and other state constitutional officers have been invited to share their views on the session during the conference’s opening night banquet at 7 p.m.

Don Zimmerman, executive director of the league, said Friday that his members are interested in the implementation of constitutional amendments passed by voters in the November general election, especially Issue 3, the removal of a cap on state-issued bonds, and Issue 6, the legalization of medical marijuana.

Issue 3 expanded an amendment previously approved by voters to allow the state to issue bonds for large economic-development projects. Issue 3 also removes several requirements restricting how local governments finance economic development.

Zimmerman said Issue 6 has generated interest in municipal zoning of marijuana operations, workers’ compensation matters and eligibility for health-insurance plans for prescribing medical marijuana.

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