The complete video of the meeting, courtesy of Deanna Allen, can be seen below this posting.

“I want to make an announcement. I want to resign. As of tonight, this is my last meeting,” Clark said during the Jan. 15 meeting, presided over by Mayor Dale Booker. “I cannot go forward doing some of the things that we’re doing and accepting some of the things we’re accepting.”

Clark’s resignation came near the end of a meeting that had already included extended discussion on a water utility charge to a resident, annexation law, and a proposal from the Emmet Vision Association to pay for and place a bulletin board. His decision appeared to catch other council members off guard, but Clark made clear his concerns had been building for months.

“These numbers are so bogus. They’re just thrown in there. It’s never correct. It’s never the same each month,” Clark said, referring to the city’s financial reports. “I don’t know how much time y’all spend looking at them, but we still have $8,000 in the ARPA [American Rescue Plan Act] account that we were told was completely empty.”

Clark said he had repeatedly asked for explanations but never received follow-up. “When I ask for explanations, I don’t get them. I get told, ‘I’ll get that for you,’ and I never get it,” he said. “I’m not going to be a part of the bogus made-up stuff we throw in these financials.”

Mayor Booker asked Clark to specify what numbers concerned him, but Clark said the issues were systemic. “If you sit down and start going through these and watch the next month, they’re completely different,” he said. “I’ve been doing this two years, and I’ve never been handed anything explaining why these numbers are wrong.”

Clark said he believed his resignation might be welcomed. “I really figured you’d be excited about me resigning,” he said to fellow councilman Maurice Grant. 

The council members formally accepted the resignation. Discussion then turned to how and when Clark’s vacant seat would be filled. Councilman Grant Cox suggested tabling the appointment until the next meeting to allow other interested residents to come forward, a motion the council ultimately accepted. Clark had recommended Sherri Dowings, saying she has a political science degree.

Before resigning, Clark also raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest if multiple members of the same family served on the council. “I don’t think there should be more than one family member on the board,” he said, recalling earlier conversations about that issue with Mayor Booker when Clark’s wife considered running for a council seat.

While Clark’s resignation dominated the latter portion of the meeting, earlier business included filling a separate council vacancy left by Shannon Peck, who resigned in the fall of 2025.

After discussion involving multiple nominations, the council appointed past Emmet mayor and council member Ottis “Chuck” Otwell to fill Peck’s unexpired term. Otwell was the owner of a plumbing and sporting goods sales business and is the father of Nevada County Judge Mike Otwell. Confusion briefly arose over the nomination and voting process, with Clark and other members debating procedure before a decision was finalized.

City Recorder McBride clarified that Clark nominated Otwell, while another member nominated Sandra Booker Browning, leaving a third council member to break the tie. “Maurice said he would go for Otwell because he was here,” McBride explained.

Following the vote, Otwell was seated as a council member and participated in the remainder of the meeting.

Public comment later in the meeting brought a lengthy discussion about water service to properties along Highway 299. A resident addressed the council about being charged $450 for water meter and pipe installation when she believed the standard meter deposit was $150.

“The cost of a water meter is $150,” she said. “Why were we charged $450?”

Otwell responded that $450 sounded like it contained a water meter deposit and other services, but the resident disputed that explanation. “The water meter deposit is $150,” she said. “But why did we have to pay $450?”

Water department practices and responsibility for running water lines became the focus of the discussion. Clark stated firmly that the city could not charge residents for installing water lines up to the meter within city limits.

“We cannot charge her for that,” Clark said. “It’s the city’s responsibility to put the meter. It’s their responsibility to go from the meter to their home.”

The resident said she and neighboring property owners had paid for pipe installation in a public easement in order to obtain water, and that other households later tied into the line they had paid for.

“This is coming up on year four now,” she said and described what happened when she would ask for an explanation. “It keeps getting punted from one person to the next to the next.”

Otwell acknowledged similar situations elsewhere but said the council needed more information before making a decision. “Unless the mayor or secretary can show us on the books that we’re obligated to do it, nobody is obligated,” he said.

Councilman Grant recommended tabling the matter until water department officials could attend a future meeting. “Right now we only hear one side,” he said.

The council agreed to table the issue.

Council discussion later turned to annexation, with Clark delivering a detailed explanation of why he believed a citizen petition could not override council authority under Arkansas law.

“There’s an Arkansas statute in place that governs the annexation process,” Clark said after describing what a lawyer he had consulted told him. “It defines all steps.”

Clark said the council had fulfilled its legal obligation when it voted in September to halt a proposed annexation of land in the Highway 67 area. “At that point, it’s a dead issue,” he said.

He consulted the attorney after being told by Deanna Allen, who gathered signatures for a petition to place the annexation on the ballot last year, said Arkansas Constitution Article Five could be used to bypass the council. “The Constitution cannot be used to change a state law we are following,” Clark said. “Article Five is there for [a situation] that doesn’t already have a law in place.”

Allen answered that the issue had effectively expired due to missed statutory deadlines. “Because of the lack of a meeting in November and December, it negated that,” she said.

The meeting also included a report from Allen of the efforts of the Emmet Vision Association. She summarized recent events and requested council approval to install a public bulletin board near City Hall.

“We had a successful Christmas holiday,” Allen said, referencing the parade and Cookies with Santa event.

Allen explained that the Vision Association would pay for the bulletin board, which would be made of metal and placed near the city’s blue water payment box. “It’ll have slots for six different places where things can be posted for the public,” she said.

Council members acknowledged the need for better public notice but debated the board’s design and placement at length. Clark suggested mounting it directly above or adjacent to the payment box to avoid digging and ensure visibility.

“I think that would possibly be up to the city to determine yes or no or here or there,” Clark said.

As discussion grew increasingly detailed, frustration became evident. “I had no idea this was going to be this difficult,” Allen said.

Otwell eventually made a motion to table the request until a clearer drawing could be provided. “Whoever wants to change should have a diagram or drawing here of what they want, then vote on it,” he said.

The motion was seconded and approved.

The meeting concluded shortly after Clark’s resignation, leaving the council with two recent vacancies and several unresolved issues slated for future meetings.

Above photo:  The Emmet City Council in its meeting last week.  From left Maurice Grant, Ottis "Chuck" Otwell, Grant Cox and Rob Clark, just prior to Clark's resignation announcement.