[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6667300,"mediaKeyId","2264273-dfe915f2dff860212491a0c78844fe10","parentId",2264273,"title","Committee advances three budget items to full court; HIV clinic fund transfer, Wheeler Road bridge grant and Circuit Court briefing noted","audioSeconds",340,"startMs",4870000,"endMs",5210000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2264273-dfe915f2dff860212491a0c78844fe10&start=4870&end=5210","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2264273-dfe915f2dff860212491a0c78844fe10/thumbnail_4870000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6667300/Washington-County/Arkansas/Committee-advances-three-budget-items-to-full-court-HIV-clinic-fund-transfer-Wheeler-Road-bridge-grant-and-Circuit-Court-briefing-noted","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6667300-746e1bee8479c581fba9b8ed49b71c7d/orig.mp4?Expires=1775640166&Signature=NOwL-962BtqGVwUEiT-5-s5KMr78wI6fvDPRlR4d5gK3EidpVdHoyCUdFaUIZBCBkMDkV8WR2xlpRfWhp~n7Y695WxiV6igdI3BCc8PKTKjOmsTosKl1QaHkbpgaGZ0m57ZLz3PwqwHxxF0V6D73cP4zprXmcoyA8KZlMKuYcWELQ9yHYeA6PefQv4VFPVjpXBn3FGQdkbRbU30P-h2FdjTv4Nmys8h0U38v1BsoNW-vlhyWb63R3crvreXtS09rkNqooIYm165Z0RdkxEApMu8C5UGok2rtEJHwRG-Gdmnr2uCSC~JWN4G5YR9TB1e6zB8K6VuIc~Ae4gcdo9jWxw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Washington County","date","2025-02-12T02:04:42.197Z","article","The Washington County Finance and Budget Committee advanced two budget ordinances to the full quorum court and heard a Circuit Court budget briefing during its meeting.

HIV clinic funds: The committee voted to forward an ordinance that would transfer remaining cash on hand for the county-run HIV clinic to Community Clinic. Article 1 of the ordinance directs a transfer of $61,786.21 in remaining funds to the clinic. The committee was told the larger budget line the ordinance deappropriates totals about $119,000; the comptroller and the judge explained the difference as a budgeting (deappropriation) action versus actual cash on hand. Judge (chair) and staff said an account balance of roughly $70,610 had accumulated over three decades of clinic operation and that contractual partners including Benton County and Washington Regional agreed the balance should go to Community Clinic to continue patient services. JP Stafford moved the item and JP Ecki seconded; the committee voted to send the ordinance to the full quorum court with a due pass recommendation.

Wheeler Road bridge grant: Committee members voted to forward an ordinance that appropriates additional grant funds for the Wheeler Road bridge (bridging/bridal project). The ordinance adds approximately $200,000 to cover engineering and architectural work on the Wheeler Road bridge project. JP Ecki moved the measure; JP Dean seconded. The committee approved the recommendation to move the ordinance to the full quorum court.

Circuit Court budget briefing: Judge Taylor presented a budget amendment request for Circuit Court 7 and described recent docket-management work since taking over a larger criminal caseload. The judge said the office had called 1,684 cases and closed about 428 cases since Jan. 1, a roughly 25% closure rate in the period described. He requested resources and described case-management techniques used in other jurisdictions. No committee vote on a budget ordinance for Circuit Court 7 was recorded in the transcript provided; the committee heard the presentation and indicated it would address the formal appropriation at a subsequent meeting if needed.

Public comment: Two members of the public, including Sherry Main of Fayetteville, asked to speak when committee votes were taken and noted they were not called earlier during a prior ordinance; the chair apologized and offered to accept those comments during the remainder of the meeting.

All three items will appear on the full quorum court agenda with the committee’s due-pass recommendations for the HIV clinic and Wheeler Road grant. The Circuit Court request remains under staff review pending a formal appropriation motion and committee vote.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Washington County Finance & Budget Committee Meeting 02/11/25","oneSentenceSummary","The Finance and Budget Committee voted to send three items to the full quorum court: an HIV clinic budget amendment transferring about $61,786 to Community Clinic; a Wheeler Road bridge grant appropriation of $200,000; and heard a Circuit Court staffing/budget briefing with no committee vote recorded on the record in the provided transcript.","taxTitle","Washington County, Arkansas","taxId",4592,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6667305,"Committee advances ordinance raising justices of the peace pay; measure goes to full court",3489,1366000,4855000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2264273-dfe915f2dff860212491a0c78844fe10&start=1366&end=4855","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2264273-dfe915f2dff860212491a0c78844fe10/thumbnail_1366000.jpg","/articles/6667305/Washington-County/Arkansas/Committee-advances-ordinance-raising-justices-of-the-peace-pay-measure-goes-to-full-court","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6667305-bd9604596af0c4f9643e115b44d0906c/orig.mp4?Expires=1775640166&Signature=Ao7zUGIILPZKtNTGWL6~rUVOgJPaIDVLpwLfZOyYpqY5exng~Pj3cncJWqVEXAOA4pVqOL8zksyu1N~objEt3w4WE~EYVfFP28-VXrvMpEBa0oBXbsISm8ZUarqtDd7UN7POCAajoThbwdjq-nTCBzP7aTq4jj7i3J7xD-PhKWMmWd7Q2UK7e2m5FFCzacADcgzvWWWCxo6LgWUpcH7HeTcbHue3KAY8Wacz3anGp~Q8l9ro9FrNkWB4FuEVnkIYR9ZJYlrtHgpkF4cEX0syEf-uxma78xD~ROZ2jpsait1JE-qgWko5QYx-6nlp9Xk7oWN9DiKnF6T~SZ4CNsUONQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","At a Washington County Finance and Budget Committee meeting, members voted to advance an ordinance that would change how justices of the peace are paid, moving from a per-meeting rate to a salary framework with a stated maximum of $19,118.

The committee voted to send the ordinance to the full quorum court with a “due pass” recommendation after extended discussion about budget implications, fairness and process. Justice Kyle Lyons moved the measure; JP Dean seconded the motion and the committee approved it.

The proposed ordinance would set a maximum annual pay for each justice of the peace at $19,118, with a stated minimum of $18,000 in the ordinance text. The committee heard competing views on whether the change should take effect immediately and whether the county had already budgeted for the increase. Comptroller Schaller said the county’s 2024 amended budget previously included the higher maximum but the ordinance language did not, which created the current discrepancy. “When we passed the budget we put the max in there,” Schaller said during the discussion, adding that line items for salaries, FICA and workers’ compensation would be required when formalizing the ordinance.

Supporters argued the update corrects a long-standing pay gap. Justice Lyons said Washington County is “one of the three largest counties in Arkansas” and noted the current pay rate had left the county near the bottom of the state ranking. JP Washington said the change was meant to bring pay parity with similarly sized counties and to broaden who can afford to serve. Several members urged the committee to consult the Association of Arkansas Counties to confirm the approach fits state guidance before the full-court vote.

Opponents raised concerns about optics and timing. JP Koger called the increase “way too much” in light of county employee pay decisions and asked whether the public would view the change negatively. JP Burns and others asked whether the action should wait until the next budget cycle so constituents could comment.

Committee members discussed mechanics for implementing the change. Sherman's staff (comptroller) reported the committee would need additional appropriations to match the ordinance if the full-court adopts it: the staff estimate presented in committee identified approximately $70,770 in additional salaries and roughly $5,400 in employer FICA/Medicare matching, for a combined additional appropriation of about $76,183.90 beyond the amount budgeted under a $300-per-meeting assumption. The committee discussed how missed meetings would be treated under the salary model; the ordinance language ties forfeited pay to absences and includes a rule that missing half of a meeting will be considered an absence for pay purposes.

Legal questions were raised about whether the court can make the pay change effective immediately. County legal counsel, Brian Lester, said he had not researched that specific timing question and offered to provide a written opinion before the quorum court meeting: “I’ve never looked into that, to be real honest with you,” Lester said, and agreed to follow up with research for the full court.

After roughly two hours of discussion, the committee voted to send the ordinance to the full quorum court with a due pass recommendation. The committee vote was recorded as a majority “ayes” following a motion by Justice Lyons and a second from JP Dean.

The ordinance will now go to the full Washington County Quorum Court for debate and a final vote, where more detailed budget line items and any legal clarifications requested by committee members are expected to be provided.","Washington County Finance and Budget Committee voted to send an ordinance to the full quorum court that would change justices of the peace compensation from a per-meeting rate to a salary structure with a $19,118 maximum; committee members debated timing, budget impacts and legal questions.","actionData","errors"]

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Committee advances three budget items to full court; HIV clinic fund transfer, Wheeler Road bridge grant and Circuit Court briefing noted

Committee advances ordinance raising justices of the peace pay; measure goes to full court