By Rick Harvey

Eureka Springs Times-Echo

The Eureka Springs City Council used a series of votes to accept the resignation of its city clerk treasurer and create a new position to help with that position’s evolving duties. 

Ida Meyer, who was elected without opposition in the 2022 general election, submitted her resignation on Monday, Nov. 24, after being out with an undisclosed illness for approximately a month. 

“Our city clerk did resign today,” Mayor Butch Berry told council members at their regular meeting held hours after Meyer’s resignation. “What we need to do as council members is to accept her resignation, formal resignation, so we can move on.”

The council voted 5-1 to approve a resolution to accept Meyer’s resignation, with the only vote against the resolution coming from council member Harry Meyer, Ida’s dad. 

“I hate it,” Harry Meyer said. “I know it has to be done, but I hate it.”

The approved resolution officially made the position vacant and states that the council can appoint a “qualified person to fill the vacancy and serve until the office is filled at the next regular municipal election.”

While no temporary clerk was discussed at the Nov. 24 meeting, the council did talk in-depth about the duties of the city clerk treasurer moving forward, with city attorney Heather Owens pointing out that Ida Meyer’s duties included many things that state law doesn’t require of a city clerk.

Ida Meyer was paid $48,000 for the full-time position, but Owens recommended trimming the vacant role down to the duties mandated by law and lowering the salary for the position, which will likely be done on a very part-time basis. 

A city clerk is only required to be responsible for keeping minutes of council meetings and to “be the keeper of the records for the city and assign and attest ordinances,” Owens said. 

“Those are the only two items that the city clerk legally has to do,” Berry said. 

In turn, Berry recommended creating a deputy clerk position that would be a city employee answering to the mayor to handle other duties that Ida Meyer handled, and to fill in for all roles in the instance the city clerk is unavailable. 

“It could be someone who can perform the duties of the clerk when the clerk is not available,” Owens said. 

The original recommendation was to reduce the pay for  the redefined clerk’s role to  $2,400 a year, but council members – some even laughing at the number — said there’s no way anyone would apply for such a low salary regardless of how many hours a week would be required.

In the end, a salary of $12,000 a year was OK’d after Berry said he felt the role would require approximately six hours a week. 

In addition, council members noted that the salary can be revised at any time until a new clerk is elected in November 2026.

Owens reminded the council that since the clerk position is an elected position, the role doesn’t have a supervisor, so having a city employee such as a deputy will help make sure duties are being performed. 

That’s become an issue the past month in Ida Meyer’s absence, as certain filings and payments have been behind schedule, Berry said, adding that the city has been close to being in “crisis” mode. 

“… We sort of put ourselves in this position, and we never should have, by giving one single person a lot of autonomy to do a lot of things that the city requires to do to stay open and run efficiently,” council member David Avanzino said. 

The city attorney agreed.

“The problem is that a lot of these things, the person who does them, needs to be an employee of the city, so that if the job is not being done, they can be replaced,” Owens said. “And when those job duties are tied to an elected official, you have no recourse when things don’t get done. So, that was why this was brought to our office to draft to amend this ordinance so that the clerk had the statutory duties prescribed by Arkansas state law and nothing more. That way, all of these other duties that have to be done in order for the city to function, are delegated to an actual employee of the city.” 

Council member Steve Holifield said that scenario is one he has thought about.

“I’ve always said I was always in fear that someone would run for city clerk treasurer and get elected out of popularity and not be good at the job and the city would be in trouble,” Holifield said. “This is a very important position the way it is set up right now.” 

Berry responded: “You never have a problem until you have a problem.”

FAMILIAR FACE AS TEMPORARY DEPUTY CLERK

After declaring the city clerk treasurer position vacant and establishing a new salary and outlining duties, the council focused on creating a new deputy clerk position. 

That role would report to Berry and handle an array of duties that are outside what is required of the main clerk, council members were told. In turn, the person in the role would also be trained to fill and take care of duties in the clerk’s absence. 

“We want to make sure we’re moving forward with our city business,” Holifield said about the need to establish the role immediately.

Because of the need, the council approved designating longtime mayor assistant Kim Stryker as the temporary deputy clerk to help “clean up” a backlog of work because of Ida Meyer’s absence.

Stryker will likely serve in the role for “two to three months,” the mayor said. 

“Part of the duties of the city clerk is also FOIA,” Berry said. “The clerk has always been doing that. In discussing this today with Kim Stryker, who’s been kind of trying to resign and be on a part-time basis anyway within my office, she has agreed that she would do the duties for this to clean up and get us back on track until we can get a clerk and a permanent deputy clerk in here. She is only going to be doing this part time, so it’s not a full-time position, but she feels like she can clean up and do a lot of … she’s very familiar with the FOIA’s and and familiar with a lot of other activities that go on with the city clerk’s office and in conjunction with Michael [Akins] and the finance department.”

Berry would eventually recommend a permanent deputy clerk, who would need to be approved by council, it was discussed. 

“It makes very good sense because she’s familiar with everything,” McClung said of Stryker’s temporary role. 

EMOTIONS, THANKS FOR IDA

Harry Meyer was emotional at times during the Nov. 23 meeting when discussions took place about his daughter’s resignation as city clerk treasurer. 

“I just have something to say,” Meyer said early in the discussions. “I’m sorry, folks, but I’m very emotional about this. My daughter is going through some tough stuff.” 

Harry Meyer touched on the issue again during his council member comments. 

“Believe me, guys, I’m seriously worried about my child,” he said. “I hope she finds something. That’s all.” 

Other council members, and Berry also chimed in on Ida Meyer’s resignation.

“I wanted to take a minute and just extend my appreciation and gratitude to Ida Meyer for her service as city clerk,” Avanzino said. “It’s not an easy job. It is one of the most demanding roles, I think, in municipal government, often operating under intense pressure and public scrutiny, and I am grateful for the work that she’s done in a high-stress environment.

“I also want to make it clear that the votes that were cast tonight are in no way regarding her position. They’re not personal, they’re decisions that had to be made to continue the success of our city and the continuity of the business that we have to run here. I wish her the very best in whatever she plans to do moving forward.”

McClung said he hopes the former clerk stays in the area. 

“Tough job, Ida, and sorry it didn’t work out, that’s for sure,” McClung said. “Just wish you the best for whatever you’re looking for. You know, the town is still a good place where you live, so you don’t have to go anywhere.”

Berry thanked Ida Meyer for her service and spoke about his appreciation for his staff for stepping up and helping out the past handful of weeks. 

“Bless Ida,” Berry said. “You know, I know she’s been sick and she’s had some serious illness … and our thoughts and prayers are out there with her, and the stress that was going on through this. And Kim and Christina [Floyd] and the rest of City Hall have picked up a lot of the slack in trying to help out. 

“Ida, you know, I wish you the best and I hope you get to feeling better and hope you find out whatever it is, and be able to work through it. Our thoughts are with you on through there.”