[{"_1":2,"_98":-5,"_99":-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",[32,75,86],{"_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",6610150,"mediaKeyId","2904743-4083709d3f36789be40f918a157761e6","parentId",2904743,"title","Quorum Court committee forwards $500,000 appropriation for Emergency Operations Center to full court","audioSeconds",306,"startMs",1790000,"endMs",2096000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2904743-4083709d3f36789be40f918a157761e6&start=1790&end=2096","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2904743-4083709d3f36789be40f918a157761e6/thumbnail_1790000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6610150/Washington-County/Arkansas/Quorum-Court-committee-forwards-500000-appropriation-for-Emergency-Operations-Center-to-full-court","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6610150-496bd98dc8142868495151e796dae21a/orig.mp4?Expires=1771177652&Signature=heiFuJpSpaB6kPSFOAW0rfyw43I4h2Wtpkj8hVwfuPJrA7KWITE1rzJcHTrCmBOymyqzk1K7cy8cMeC-LB3nXMdWgY8VWeckR6O03verLZ-cNVw9og9BJ9KeDI2L~rab32iQxPPxerAhDuDD2KulsOH76OZfZDb7O-DNd3S-JZDcm87E0nNDNrITQqtJ4Rn6HARPfenshdD9n-1IfyOb9ciKbYqmJeiLpcU3reJYriuW5XLaoG8oVGo~PNZ8aA4C7oCZKtWkxpHRIXO4SQ3eFJpTC46jCRLcLF2R7ae5R04pY6ZKSHxsGVW5suQ3f4v6mhFtr52Pv2JAdSv-~OPN4w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Washington County","date","2025-04-09T00:11:17.69Z","article","The Washington County Quorum Court Finance and Budget Committee on April (meeting date not specified) voted to forward to the full quorum court an ordinance appropriating $500,000 from unappropriated reserves in the general fund to the county's Emergency Operations Center (EOC) construction project budget for 2025.

Comptroller Sherman told the committee the current project cost is $8,800,000 and that about $6,850,000 will come from ARPA funds while roughly $1.9–2.0 million is expected to come from the general fund. “So far, we spent about $3,000,000 in ARPA,” Sherman said. He said the $500,000 appropriation is needed now because some vendor activity must be reported against nonfederal funding in the county accounting portal.

Sherman and others described the project as about a month ahead of schedule and under budget. Commissioner Johnson was identified by staff as the official overseeing construction; Sherman said contingency funds are being actively managed. “We\u0000re not being coy by the money we\u0000re saving…we\u0000re operating in the contingency of the budget,” Sherman told the committee.

Committee members asked whether grant funding remains an option. County staff said grant windows had closed or been reduced and that earlier efforts, including work with Congressman Steve Womack's office, did not yield community project funding for the project. Staff said they will continue to monitor grant opportunities, particularly for furniture, fixtures and equipment (FF&E), but that getting grants for work once construction is underway is difficult.

Justice of the Peace J. P. Ecki moved to send the ordinance to the full court with a due-pass recommendation; J. P. Dean seconded the motion. The committee approved the recommendation by voice vote.

Sherman and other staff agreed to provide committee members a more detailed construction update before the item returns to the full court, including what has been completed and the upcoming work on interior wiring and systems.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Finance & Budget 04/08/2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Washington County Quorum Court Finance and Budget Committee on April (meeting date not specified) voted to forward to the full quorum court an ordinance appropriating $500,000 from unappropriated reserves in the general fund to the Emergency Operations Center construction budget for 2025.","taxTitle","Washington County, Arkansas","taxId",4592,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":79,"_47":80,"_49":81,"_51":82,"_53":83,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":84,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":85,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6610141,"County finance reports show healthy reserves; employee insurance claims spike in February",0,398000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2904743-4083709d3f36789be40f918a157761e6&start=398&end=398","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2904743-4083709d3f36789be40f918a157761e6/thumbnail_398000.jpg","/articles/6610141/Washington-County/Arkansas/County-finance-reports-show-healthy-reserves-employee-insurance-claims-spike-in-February","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6610141-676c0300b41989b9a7a6f45c5714d540/orig.mp4?Expires=1771177652&Signature=TotWEUMqBXXbhG~NJm2GBz8yza-1keyIVJe-neUQBsPYm~sRYBgSAmHNLQlKz-s2L1M6UrzpeD~c~xMHFPwhw-adGg8LF4AluME6xYzTSuHZAHok8k~gSzIUZUpYtRk1Abv5oJv-2c5xTj-Y63p624ubQ-8Sx9ulXStoWTwWXP13XfNxiTigkicAT49dCAFm0LaF~bLSRAN~2B1JnSr0P9oeCZBosIbWTIoJLOppr2LIVNejHHkQZxbWbWZ84Ic2zH1q9MplHOh6YtnYmlRFNMKJDPj31DS6ZdMWUYu~NzGMEhs~qELDNNpAoVVhccLX4WliBde3Xm8~7CNbjDVzWg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Treasurer Hill told the Washington County Quorum Court Finance and Budget Committee that the county\u0000s big three funds are in good position, noting the county began the reporting period with approximately $96 million in the bank and was at about $92 million at the end of the report period. Hill said tax collections due in April are expected to cause a ‘‘big jump’’ in balances.

Hill reported the county has $11,000,008.59 remaining in ARPA funds across three active projects (COVID mitigation, EOC engineering and EOC construction). He said January collections for the one-cent sales tax were about $841,000, roughly 6.5 percent higher than the same month last year and about 7.5 percent year-to-date. Hill also noted a recent Fayetteville annexation moved approximately 312 residents from county jurisdiction into the city, a change he said will slightly reduce the county\u0000s share of some tax distributions; he described his population and revenue estimates as approximate.

Comptroller Sherman said the county\u0000s working capital position is strong, reporting roughly 4.7 to 5.2 months of reserves depending on year-to-year comparisons and noting the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) recommends two months. Sherman said he wants to preserve a $15,000,000 savings balance and indicated he plans to use unappropriated reserves for some projects while maintaining that savings target.

On employee insurance, Mr. Angel (employee benefits staff) reported January was a relatively stable month but February saw medical claims increase materially: he said medical claims rose from about $283,000 in January to about $642,000 in February, driven by several larger surgeries and intensive-care stays. Drug costs had trended down, Angel said, but spending on GLP-1 medications (a class of weight-loss/diabetes drugs) remains a concern because the county is paying high prices for those medications for multiple employees. Angel said staff will meet with the chief of staff, the comptroller and HR to explore purchasing options to reduce GLP-1 procurement costs and to expand programs to reduce long-term dependence on those medications for some employees.

Committee members asked questions but took no formal action on these reports; Treasurer Hill and Comptroller Sherman and staff answered clarification questions about reserves, encumbrances and reporting.","Washington County Treasurer and Comptroller reported strong fund balances and reserves, while the county\u0000s employee health plan saw a significant medical-claim increase in February driven by hospital stays and surgeries; staff described steps to address costly GLP-1 drug spending.",{"_33":87,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":88,"_41":89,"_43":90,"_45":91,"_47":92,"_49":93,"_51":94,"_53":95,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":96,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":97,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6610146,"Committee sends $20,000 restoration payment for Washington County Conservation District to full court",544,1015000,1559000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2904743-4083709d3f36789be40f918a157761e6&start=1015&end=1559","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2904743-4083709d3f36789be40f918a157761e6/thumbnail_1015000.jpg","/articles/6610146/Washington-County/Arkansas/Committee-sends-20000-restoration-payment-for-Washington-County-Conservation-District-to-full-court","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6610146-fa97672980932158cd5857cd76d6b273/orig.mp4?Expires=1771177653&Signature=cpn~de6jEycZpFM610ZTu5QAKo8aeoxCZ5q209tHtbY2pm0WQ6Md0bNkEloymQW3Rl4APiC2ZZI6a0oVt5EMAPSMb~3u3b6lI3mC5C4hncoWSUZE4jUfKjZbdkrFLgjYWeRxBZA3fZtJ1Nx0S-phPPLIc34Km1pY5dwnEjPWRPTmDR-Qtnx0iycyeNCyIvNssPJPR6T43HN-ntnrwJwHowIv7OqL7LaxQ3mahw3KrVAeKyhqDYbn4cIuJVnBYCt-sAQN2NIR8zLxjlurnGoCsSBQZtrgLsBDZEdktdI18q4bnyBu9prBiFaB~WKk3fF~86ElMyacNf882m~uOfBnSQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Washington County Quorum Court Finance and Budget Committee voted to forward to the full court an appropriation of $20,000 from unappropriated reserves in the general fund to the Conservation District's budget (described in committee as restoration of prior funding).

Mr. Shumate, identified as chairman of the Washington County Conservation District board, told the committee the district was established by legislative action in 1940 to address erosion and flood control and now works with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to deliver technical assistance and federal program funds to landowners. “We\u0000re bringing in from 1 to $1,200,000 a year…through EQIP and other programs,” Shumate said, referring to federal funds that are administered locally and do not need to be repaid by landowners.

Sarah Overton, introduced as the district\u0000s resource conservationist, described day-to-day work including soil sampling, five-year nutrient management plans required for nutrient application in the Illinois and White River watersheds, pond and dam oversight and post-flood field visits. Overton said roughly half of her time is in the field working with landowners to prepare farm plans and to respond to site issues.

Justice of the Peace J. P. Lemming moved to send the $20,000 appropriation to the full court with a due-pass recommendation; J. P. Dean seconded the motion. The committee approved the motion by voice vote.

Committee members thanked the district staff for their outreach and technical assistance to farmers and small landowners and noted the district's work with diverse communities, including Laotian farmers, and its role in maintaining structures such as the Canyon Lake dam.","The Finance & Budget Committee voted to forward a $20,000 appropriation to restore prior funding to the Washington County Conservation District, following a presentation by the district chairman and the district's resource conservationist about services and federal program administration.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Quorum Court committee forwards $500,000 appropriation for Emergency Operations Center to full court

County finance reports show healthy reserves; employee insurance claims spike in February

Committee sends $20,000 restoration payment for Washington County Conservation District to full court