Faulkner County officials paused substantive committee business after members raised concerns that the meeting had not received the typical 72-hour public notice.

County Judge Alan Dodson, who said he had consulted County Attorney Phil Murphy, told the group legal arguments could be made either way but advised caution. "My advice to the chairman was to lean on the side of building public trust rather than risk further distrust," Dodson said.

The disagreement over notice arose early in the session when a committee participant said the session had not been publicly posted with the usual three-day notice. Members discussed whether to treat the gathering as a working session — where questions can be asked but no final votes are taken — or to postpone substantive deliberations until a properly noticed meeting.

Dodson said that, while counsel believed an argument could be made that the meeting complied with the letter of the law, his recommendation reflected broader concerns about public confidence. He said staff had spoken with County Attorney Phil Murphy and urged transparency in the current climate.

Rather than proceed with full budget work, members discussed scheduling additional evening meetings. The group resolved to look at evenings and agreed to hold committee sessions on Nov. 10, 11 and 13 at 6:30 p.m., with the aim of finishing work so the full Quorum Court could consider the budget at its meeting on the 18th. Members noted a quorum of at least three is required for formal action and discussed conflicts that would prevent some justices from attending certain dates.

The committee also discussed whether to keep the normal Budget & Finance Committee meeting on Veterans Day and weighed daytime meeting options; some members said daytime meetings would be difficult because of work commitments. Staff were asked to coordinate schedules and circulate the confirmed dates.

No formal votes or ordinances were recorded during the session; members characterized the gathering as not being a formal committee meeting and therefore did not make final decisions. A participant closed by saying they would not call the gathering adjourned because no formal meeting had taken place.