Higgins Brings Judge’s ARP Spending Plan to Infrastructure Committee
JP Randy Higgins (R, Dist. 2) told the Infrastructure Committee at its June 7 meeting that he had met personally with County Judge Jim Baker and conveyed, “at his request,” more details from Baker on how to distribute the County’s ARP funds.
Baker’s approach allocates $12.85 million:
$3.95 million to Greenbrier (Higgins’ JP District)
$1.85 million to Wooster (JP Jerry Boyer’s District)
$1.55 million to Mayflower (JP Sam Strain’s District)
$1.35 million to Conway Corp (Lower Ridge Road project, Higgins’ District), and
$1.2 million to Vilonia (JP John Allison’s District),
reserves $250,000 for an “unknown project that has yet to be funded,” and shows $2 million for broadband needs. The approach also sets $300,000 for non-profit “assistance,” and $400,000 to partner with Conway on drainage/levee needs.
Higgins also distributed a handout showing Baker’s plans, and explained proposals for jail expansion in four stages to be paid partially with a loan, as well as help for rural fire departments ($!.6 million), the 911 program ($1.5 million) and $1.9 million for the animal shelter.
Even though the largest portion of Baker’s proposal funds the Greenbrier project in his JP District, Higgins explained it “seems to be the biggest project, the biggest need.”
JP Jerry Boyer (R, Dist. 12), who was also present at the June 7 Infrastructure Committee meeting, explained that he had also met with the Judge, and said the second largest appropriation in Baker’s plan — the Wooster sanitary sewer system project — “is dependent upon the Greenbrier project.”
Later, Higgins discussed the animal shelter proposal, saying the Sheriff’s Department gets more animal calls than anything else and, “if we could take that away” … that’s “worth money to the Sheriff’s office.” He suggested that “maybe we fund the animal control officers … which would then take that money out of the shelter having to pay that, and I think it would be a win-win for the Sheriff’s office and for the animal shelter….”
JPs will next discuss how to spend the County’s almost $25 million in ARP Funds at the Budget & Finance Committee on June 14.
Could someone explain the word salad at the end from Higgins? Makes no sense can not tell if he wants county to fund new Animal Control Officers via Shelter and free up money for Sheriffs Office for other stuff or something else. Either way it sounds like the Animal Shelter Costs will continue to rise and nothing in the budget for M&O still for the animal shelter.
The Arkansas dog rescue situation is in a state of emergency and the same applies to Faulkner County. Citizens are required to act as animal control officers without funding or training and this creates a huge public safety issue. All Arkansas dog rescues are over capacity and most have stopped dog intakes due to the lack of fosters, yet daily requests to take in homeless animals is unending. Rescues can not keep up with the yearly increase in pet overpopulation due to the lack of spay/neuter sterilizations. Southern rescues have now flooded the North East States and they are no longer taking dogs from Arkansas either, and private adoptions are at an all time slow. I have been in dog rescue over 16 years and this is as bad as I have EVER seen…