Terrance Calhoun Files Suit Against City of Helena-West Helena

Terrance Calhoun filed suit against the City of Helena West Helena in Phillips County Circuit Court, listing the matter as a civil circuit action in the “contract - other” category. The court filing is docketed as Case No. 54CV-26-37 and was filed February 10, 2026; the listing identifies claims as “Contract & Quasi-Contract Claims; Prope” (the final word is truncated in the filing metadata).

The complaint text and requested relief were not included in the court listing available at filing, so the specific contracts, amounts at issue, and remedies Calhoun seeks have not yet been disclosed in the public docket entry. The filing nevertheless puts the city on notice of a new civil dispute that, depending on its substance, could implicate municipal procurement, payroll, or budget allocations.

Separately, a 2023 municipal dispute involving mayoral vetoes and city ordinances provides context on recent litigation over City Council action. A court record excerpt shows that a resident identified as Williams filed a complaint for declaratory judgment and a petition for a temporary restraining order against the City and Mayor Franklin, requesting declarations under Ark. Code Ann. § 14-43-504 and an injunction to block expenditures tied to two newly passed ordinances. The circuit court granted a temporary restraining order on January 11, 2023.

That 2023 dispute focused on whether a mayoral veto of two ordinances complied with Ark. Code Ann. § 14-43-504 and whether any veto had been overridden by a two-thirds Council vote. The ordinances at issue were described as permitting expenditures to hire additional employees, increase pay for certain positions, and raise the conflict-of-interest limit for City contracts. Appellants in that matter argued subdivision (d)(1) of the statute outlines a “process” a mayor must follow and contended there was no evidence the purported veto was either “filed” or presented to the Council at its next regular meeting; they therefore asserted the veto was ineffective. Appellants also claimed that a later letter from Mayor Franklin rescinding the veto was “moot.” Franklin supplied an affidavit stating the City Clerk’s office was closed on Saturday, December 31, 2022; that when the office reopened on January 3, 2023, Smith was no longer the mayor; that Smith’s veto letter was not “filed” with the City Clerk; and that Smith’s letter was not presented to the Council at its next [the record is truncated at this point].

The Calhoun filing and the 2023 veto dispute are not explicitly linked in the available records: the 2026 docket entry contains only metadata and a truncated claim label, while the 2023 excerpt involves different parties (Williams, Mayor Franklin, and then-mayor Smith) and a distinct set of statutory questions and a TRO issued January 11, 2023. Residents should note both matters because they touch on how municipal ordinances are enacted and how city funds may be spent.

What happens next: obtaining the full Calhoun complaint, the two ordinances referenced in the 2023 excerpt, Smith’s veto letter, Franklin’s full affidavit, and City Council minutes will clarify whether the new suit affects hiring, pay, contracting thresholds, or other municipal operations. Phillips County voters and employees concerned about budgets, hiring freezes, or contract rules should monitor the circuit court docket and upcoming City Council agendas for motions, hearings, or votes that could change city spending or governance.