February Budget & Finance Meeting – Details

The Faulkner County Quorum Court’s Budget & Finance Committee held its organizational meeting for the 2021-2022 term on Tuesday, February 9, with designated Chairman Democrat JP John Pickett (Dist. 11) presiding.

County Treasurer Scott Sanson reported “big 5” revenue totals for January:

County General: $2,506,241
County Road: $4,073,285
County Road Sales Tax: $1,476,073
Animal Control: $1,728,773
Criminal Justice Sales Tax: $1,110,993

Sanson said sales tax for January totaled $860,830 — up 9.46% over January last year. His projection for 2021 sales tax is $10,200,000.

Sanson added that he projects the criminal justice sales tax at “close to whatever last year’s revenue is and then whatever we come up with above, that’s great…. we’re typically on the back side of that, on the very low end of what I’m really expecting but .. we just need to do that projecting and budgeting.”

Ordinance 21-02

This annual clean-up transfers ordinance was passed to the full Court after a unanimous roll call committee vote.

JP Matt Brown (Dist. 8) asked about over $49,000 in coronavirus relief funds in Sections 12 and 13.

Sheriff’s Department’s Fiscal Officer Angie Wooley explained the funds are a DOJ grant to reimburse for COVID-related law enforcement expenses. These funds are totally unrelated to the $1.2 million in CARES Act relief funds the County received late last year, she added.

Ordinance 21-03

The monthly routine transfers ordinance drew scrutiny from Democrat JP Tyler Pearson (Dist. 5), who questioned $21,832 in insurance proceeds to replace a total loss Sheriff’s Department vehicle.

Sanson explained that, because the funds were received in 2020 but the vehicle could not be replaced until funds were received, “it’s going to show up in a carryover number… when the carryover number is adjusted….”

Pearson also asked about $32,500 for “a piece of equipment” for the Conservation District. County Administrator Tom Anderson said the Soil Conservation District will replace a five-year-old no-till drill that “folks around their District rent to plant” about 700 acres a year and will repair the old one to keep as a stand-by. Bids have gone out.

Anderson also reminded the Court about the accidental elimination of the Soil Conservation tax in 2018 that has resulted in a new appropriation for the Soil Conservation District as well as the Extension Service.

The 2021 budgets for both the Conservation District and the Extension Service (which are funded from voluntary taxes) are included in Ordinance 21-03 (but were not reviewed by the Budget & Finance Committee during the 2021 Budget process).

Anderson said those budgets “are appropriating the monies from the voluntary taxes. This would be the first time that we appropriate that specifically for the Soil Conservation District.” Sanson projects revenue of about $60,000 from the voluntary tax.

Anderson noted that Extension Service employees work for the State of Arkansas, and added that the $41,400 in that budget for “other professional services” would be paid to the state Extension Cooperative Service “who, in turn, uses that money to pay in part the salaries for the people that work in Faulkner County.”

Steve Martin with the Extension Service explained that his one employee is paid with a federal grant and he is filling the District Coordinator position, so the Extension Service budget shows no personnel costs.

The Committee passed Ordinance 21-03 to the full Court by a unanimous roll call vote.

Personnel Requests

JP Jerry Boyer (Dist. 12) reminded the Committee that even though Ordinance 15-36 requires “all requests for personnel and salary changes” to go to the Quorum Court at the May and/or September meetings, “requests submitted at other times may be considered by the Personnel Committee.”

Boyer went on to “make a suggestion to Chairman Pearson that we do have a Personnel Committee meeting” to discuss the “timeliness” of personnel and salary requests, prompting Pickett to ask, “What are you talking about?”

Boyer said

Timeliness is a matter on this. If, for some reason, requisition for appropriations of personnel and large salaries is not made in a timely manner, then we have to go out of the jurisdiction of the Ordinance to proceed.

JP Randy Higgins (Dist. 2) clarified the matter by explaining, “Last year, we did have some department heads come before the Court out of sequence … ‘Well, I didn’t know that Ordinance was in place.’ … It would be wise if we sent out a memo … just to let the department heads know and remind them of this Ordinance [15-36].”

Pearson also responded, “As the Chair of the Personnel Committee, I can definitely commit to making sure that all department heads are aware of those deadlines….”

Selecting a Committee Chair

Brown pointed out that, as a new JP, he saw that other committee agendas for the 2021-2022 organizational meetings included naming a chairman.

When he asked if a “formal motion” was required to confirm the Budget & Finance Committee chair, Pickett responded, “Mr. Brown, I’m the Chairman.”

Pearson then explained, “It’s at the leisure of the Chairman to do that if they choose to or not, but it is not required.”

After JP Kris Kendrick (Dist. 9) — not a Budget & Finance Committee member — asked County Attorney Phil Murphy to clarify, Murphy corrected Pearson, saying

Under our rules that we use through the Democratic Rules of Order, the executive makes the assignment of the chairman. However, a board or a committee can, on motion, change that chairman…. That chairman can be removed with the majority of the committee.

Brown then nominated Higgins as Chair of the Budget & Finance Committee; however, he turned down the nomination.

Public Comments

When JP Rose Roland (Dist. 5) asked on behalf of constituents how members of the public could speak on Ordinance 21-02 when meetings are conducted mostly online, Murphy said his office could be contacted to “make arrangements to come in and speak” during the full Court meeting, or the public should “contact the chairperson of that committee and be put on the agenda.”

(Roland, a former Budget Committee member, is now assigned to the Budget & Finance Committee.)

Murphy added that the public was able to be seated in Courtroom B and could come in “one by one” and speak “and then exit after they’re done speaking.”

Pickett then adjourned the meeting.

Videos edited from original video on Faulkner County’s YouTube channel.)

Visit Faulkner County Reports on YouTube for more videos and video excerpts from this and other County meetings.