JP Voters Guide 2020: Republican Matt Brown, District 8

Here’s the responses to our Faulkner County Quorum Court/JP Voters Guide from Republican candidate Matt Brown in District 8.

Part 1:
Role of the Quorum Court

1. What do you see as the main function of the Faulkner County Quorum Court? How can you contribute?

   In my opinion, other than fulfilling its role as the legislative body for the County, the main function of the Faulkner County Quorum Court is to ensure that county-level governmental services (i.e., roads, public safety, etc.) adequate to meet the needs of the citizens of the County and encourage growth are provided in a cost-effective manner.

   If elected, I believe that I will be able to offer to the Quorum Court my knowledge and real-world experience as an attorney in private practice practicing mainly in the areas of business and commercial law.

   I have routinely helped clients navigate the bureaucracy of local, state and federal government, and have seen first-hand the impact of laws and regulations which, although perhaps instituted with the best of intentions, cause unintended consequences and excessive red tape. I have seen how these laws can unnecessarily stymie business, both large and small.

   At the same time, in representing governmental agencies and entities I have also seen first-hand the struggles that local agencies and entities face in trying to comply with a multitude of state and federal laws. I believe that I can offer insight to the Quorum Court of the real-world impact of many of the issues which are facing the County.

2. Is it important to increase transparency around the actions of Faulkner County government? Why or why not?

   Yes. Transparency in government is vital; it is the only way that a government, and its elected and other governmental officials, can be held accountable to the citizenry. Government conducted in back rooms and behind-the-scenes breeds corruption. Any effort to increase transparency should be actively encouraged.

   As JP, I would fully support efforts to make Faulkner County government as transparent as possible.

   I believe one way that this can be done quickly, easily, and cheaply is to make as much County-level information (reports, minutes, expenditures, documents, recordings, etc.) available to the citizens online through a central location on the County’s website, similar to JP Kris Kendrick’s transparency proposal, which I support.

3. How do you plan to best reflect the views and desires of constituents in your JP District?

   While the Quorum Court is for the benefit of all Faulkner County citizens, if I am elected JP, I am ultimately answerable to the people of District 8.

   To that end, if elected, I plan to reflect the views and desires of the people of District 8 by maintaining open lines of communication with them — whether in person, by phone, email, or Facebook — so that the citizens of District 8 can discuss their concerns and views with me regarding the issues facing the Quorum Court. Ultimately, if elected it will be my job to serve them.

4. What role should Faulkner County government play in the population growth of the County?

   I believe that the Faulkner County government should do everything in its power to try to encourage the growth and development of the County. With growth comes more opportunities for the citizens of the County; without growth, there is stagnation.

   However, it is ultimately private enterprise, and not government spending, which creates real, long-lasting economic growth.

   Therefore, I believe that Faulkner County should do everything that it can to make Faulkner County a place where businesses want to be. More businesses will, in turn, drive up wages and drive population growth.

5. In the past, the Quorum Court has often compared Faulkner County to Class 6 counties, which are grouped together based on population alone. Should Faulkner County’s financial and tax decisions mirror those of other Class 6 counties, or should we determine our choices based on our County’s unique circumstances? Why or why not?

   Faulkner County’s financial and tax decisions should not merely be a copy of other Class 6 counties’ financial and tax decisions. Each county is unique.

   Even though they are both Class 6 counties, the problems facing Faulkner County are going to be different from the problems facing White County, for example. Similarly, the solutions which may work in Faulkner County and which are acceptable to the people of Faulkner County may very well be different from the solutions that work in White County and which are acceptable to the people of White County.

   Each county should have the power to address its own unique issues in the way that the people of each county see fit. Otherwise, we might as well abolish the counties and let all local decisions be dictated by a bureaucrat in Little Rock.

Part 2:
County Concerns & Issues

1. Various groups and elected officials have weighed in on Faulkner County’s most pressing financial concerns. What do you think are Faulkner County’s top 3 financial issues, and how do you plan to address them?

   I believe that the three most immediate and pressing financial issues facing Faulkner County are the 911 system, the County jail, and underfunding of the Sheriff’s office.

   As to the 911 system, I’ve tried to dig into the problem in order to be able to offer an educated answer while on the campaign trail.

   The problem is I cannot make heads or tails of who (i.e., Conway City vs. County) is definitively responsible for what costs and who is paying what.

   As near as I can tell, it appears that the 911 system has been operated here-to-fore on the basis of informal, handshake agreements between the various powers that be. Nothing has been formally set down and approved.

   To that end, to address the 911 problem and the expected upcoming significant upgrade costs, my plan would be to first get to the bottom of the apparent unwritten agreements which are in place amongst the players in the 911 system. The terms of these agreements need to be reviewed to ensure that all parties — the cities, the County, etc. — are each paying their fair share of the costs.

   These agreements, at a minimum, need to be reduced to writing such as through memorandums of understanding so that all stakeholders know who is responsible for what and we have binding, enforceable written agreements in place. Only then can we begin to intelligently address the funding issues; otherwise, we are essentially throwing money into a black hole and hoping that everything works out. We absolutely cannot do that when it comes to something as critical to public safety as the 911 system.

   As to the County jail, even though the County relatively recently built a new jail, Unit 1 is seriously overcrowded to the point that the County is having to examine building temporary jail space. To address the overcrowding issue, I would like to try to explore what can be down to decrease the population of non-violent offenders overall in the county jail system so as to free up room for violent offenders.

   As an attorney, I routinely volunteer with the Faulkner County Teen Court program and have seen first-hand the successes it has had in trying creative, alternative sentencing for juveniles in lieu of incarcerating teenagers. Although I am not a criminal attorney, I have also heard of the great successes that Drug Court and Sobriety Court similarly have.

   If elected JP, I would like to see if we can expand alternative sentencing programs to get more and more non-violent offenders out of the jails. If we can decrease the pressure on the jails, this could go a long way towards solving the problems with jail finances.

   As to the Sheriff’s office in general, I believe that chronic underfunding is a critical issue and impacts public safety directly. For example, we don’t have enough deputies to handle the county population as it is, and what deputies we do have are significantly underpaid.

   I believe that the problem can be addressed by redistributing existing tax revenue, and would support such efforts. I fully support the Quorum Court’s recent decision to place the reallocation issue on the ballot and let the voters determine if we can shift some of the sales tax revenue to help increase the Sheriff’s office funding without raising taxes.

2. Everyone has seen the news coverage of this summer’s ongoing civil unrest across the country, and Conway has already experienced a brief incident. With that ever-present threat in mind, what role should Public Safety play in the operations of Faulkner County?

   Public safety’s primary role, as the name suggests, is to protect the safety of the public at large. This includes those who desire to exercise their First Amendment rights to protest.

   However, the First Amendment does not give citizens the right to destroy the property of other citizens and businesses, to block roads and interfere with other citizens’ right to travel down the public highways, or otherwise disregard the laws that we all live by in order to have a civilized society.

   I believe that public safety should continue to enforce the law as written during this time of unrest and protect the safety and property of the public at large and to send the message that, while the people are free to protest as they see fit, the people of this County will not tolerate lawlessness.

3. Faulkner County has tried to address an ever-growing animal control issue; for years, many volunteer groups have been involved at varying levels of interest. What is the optimal solution for animal control in Faulkner County? What issues do you see that support or restrict your optimal solution?

   I believe the optimal solution to solve the animal control issue in the County is an animal shelter, free for the use of County residents, and appropriate county animal control officers. However, that solution, of course costs money, and would result in the creation of yet another government department and yet more government bloat.

   If elected JP, I would first try to see if there are any cost-sharing arrangements that could be made between the County and the City of Conway, or perhaps the County and another neighboring county, such that a combined animal shelter might be able to more efficiently serve the needs of all, and let the County attempt to avoid needlessly duplicating administrative and physical plant costs.

4. Arkansans now have the second highest taxes in the country. Given the Arkansas Legislature’s 2019 tax increases (Internet sales tax, fuel tax, electric car tax, water bill tax, cell phone tax, tobacco tax), do the citizens of Faulkner County have an appetite for higher taxes now? Why or why not?

   I do not believe that the citizens of Faulkner County have an appetite for higher taxes. Many attempt to argue that Faulkner County’s county tax rates are arguably lower than other similar-sized counties.

   However, these arguments fail to recognize that a significant number of Faulkner County residents are also residents of Conway and are already paying significant taxes (and, those residents who do not live in Conway still shop and dine in Conway and thus are still subject to the high Conway city sales taxes and hamburger taxes).

   In my opinion, the last thing in the world this County needs is higher county taxes — a tax increase should only ever be the absolute means of last resort after all other options have been exhausted.

5. Our 70-year-old County Courthouse needs remodeling or replacement. How would you decide whether to remodel the building or replace it?

   I am a history buff and love historical buildings, and I hate it when I see an old building torn down. At the same time, I recognize that an old building may be too far gone, or cost too much, to be able to save.

   If the issue of whether to remodel or replace the present courthouse were to come before the Quorum Court, I would base my decision on what would be the most cost-effective option for the County at the time, considering if there are any federal grants or other programs to assist with saving the historic structure.

6. For the past several years the Sheriff has reported to the Quorum Court that the Department is significantly understaffed, given the County’s size and growing population. How would you rank the Sheriff’s Department’s longstanding identified and documented needs along with the other financials needs in Faulkner County?

   I would rank the Sheriff’s office as being at the top of the County’s financial needs. The Sheriff’s office is part of the larger public safety trifecta: 911, the jail, and the Sheriff’s office itself, with no one part being able to realistically function without the other two.

   Public safety, in my opinion, is one of the primary functions of government. Without law enforcement, laws have no meaning and we have anarchy. I would therefore rank public safety — including the Sheriff’s office — as being an integral part of public safety, to be the County’s top financial priority.