Faulkner County Reports

Accountability, Ethics, & Transparency in Government

JPs Take On Routine Agenda; Judge Explains Issues, Processes

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With only one less-than-unanimous vote, JPs approved four Ordinances, one Resolution, and two appointments at the February 21 Quorum Court meeting.

Boy Scout Troop 78 opened the meeting with the prayer and Pledge of Allegiance to celebrate their 80th year as a chartered troop with Conway’s St. Joseph’s Church/Knights of Columbus.

The rather routine agenda allowed County Judge Allen Dodson to help new JPs and attendees with quite a bit of additional information about issues and proper processes, explaining that “a lot of what you’ve seen tonight is generally committee type work. We don’t generally vet in so much detail before the Court.”

County Officer Reports

After noting several corrections, the Court unanimously approved the January Journal before County Treasurer Scott Sanson reported on the “big five” revenue accounts plus COVID relief funds:

County General: $4,450,148
County Road: $4,077,180
County Road Sales Tax: $3,579,432
Animal Control: $1,481,181
Criminal Justice Sales Tax: $2,515,000
CARES Act Fund: $1,041,467
ARP Fund: $23,243,834

Sanson reported January sales tax was $1,071,405, which is .03% better than 2022. He added that January revenue is 8% of the projected 2023 revenue of $13,000,000. He also noted the “really high rate” of sales tax revenue over the last three years and said he expects that “to level off.”

As County Sheriff Tim Ryals gave his monthly statistics, he also provided some explanatory details about the jail facilities; discussion then turned to overcrowding in Unit 1 where violent offenders are housed, and how prisoners are screened and assigned to Unit 1 or Unit 2.

Unit 1 Jail Overcrowding

Reminding the Court that “a few years ago … we had to make some adjustments” due to jail overcrowding, Knight asked if Faulkner County is in danger of “being on a state watchlist,” and Ryals said “We’re still under that…” He explained that Arkansas

wanted to see from us, to know that we are moving in the direction to be able to handle some of this overflow or address the issue of overcrowding that we have. And we haven’t been doing that, for about 6 years.

It’s time, it’s truly time that we do something before they really could be a lot more aggressive in their actions toward us.

He added that “we have a bit of stairsteps that need to take place” before the Criminal Justice Steering committee will begin meeting this term, and noted that former JP Randy Higgins, now County Administrator, “will have a lot of input.”

After a discussion about state inmates that Faulkner County must keep housed in Unit 1, JP John Allison (R, Dist. 3) verified that “we’re still overcapacity in Unit 1,” adding “there have been months not very long ago we were a little bit exceeding that capacity, even if the State took all the inmates.”

Delinquent Tax Collections Pay Off

Tax Collector Sherry Koonce reported that her office has initiated the tax garnishment procedure where delinquent taxes can be collected through the State of Arkansas by intercepting tax refunds. After her office mailed about 32,000 past due notices/letters, Faulkner County has collected $831,477 in delinquent taxes in January — “quite a bit of an increase from years past,” she added.

ARP Reports

ARP Administrator Tom Anderson spent several minutes reviewing details of the ARP funds, including maps of ARP projects and costs broken out specifically by project along with bar graph financial progress measurements. He explained the County had used one project as a “test case” for contract and reporting standards, and now other projects with appropriated funds will begin as other contracts are signed.

The detail presented drew Allison’s attention, as he thanked both Anderson and County Judge Allen Dodson for “the level of clarity for these funds.”

Road Report; Praise for Road Department

As Anderson continued with another handout on roadwork including mileage and roads completed along with details about current and future projects, JP Kris Kendrick also remarked, “I definitely think it’s helpful for us as the JPs and the public to see how the money’s being spent. We’re spending a lot of it on ARP and on roads, so thank you for all the work on it.”

Dodson added, “I am awfully proud of our Road Department” as he pointed out the use of a TV monitor in the room to display videos that will “highlight County employees” and their work at Quorum Court meetings.

At a couple of points, Dodson praised the Road Department’s activities during the recent flooding and ice storm as well as County Administrator Randy Higgins’ direct participation; Dodson also cited social media posts with tips to keep the public safe during that time.

There were no public comments “on any item of business before the Court tonight,” and then County Extension Agent Mary Beth Groce presented the regular report on that agency’s recent activities and plans.

With little or no discussion JPs unanimously approved these Ordinances by roll call vote, as JP Tyler Lachowsky (R, Dist. 6)/Chair of the Budget Committee, explained some details:

Ordinance 23-07, ARP Funds: Lake Conway Wastewater

As he had told the Budget Committee earlier, Sponsor JP Sam Strain (R, Dist. 3) explained the situation with the Lake Conway Wastewater utility and Dodson introduced CEO Bret Carroll and COO Greg Dell to give JPs more information on the proposed Conway Corp transition.

After some discussion and questions, JPs voted unanimously to approve Ordinance 23-07.

The wide-ranging discussion also covered some possible or potential ARP projects where organizations have not yet applied for funds, along with ARP related issues.

Resolution 23-02, OEM Mutual Aid

After Dodson briefly explained how mutual aid works between counties, JPs again voted unanimously to adopt Resolution 23-02.

Two Appointments

Quickly moving through the end of the agenda, Dodson put two appointments in front of the Court for their approval by voice vote: