Advocates ask quorum court to pause $500,000 renewal, cite incomplete accounting of ARPA and general-fund spending

Sarah Moore, executive director and cofounder of the Arkansas Justice Reform Coalition, urged the Washington County Quorum Court at its October meeting to pause consideration of a proposed half-million-dollar general-fund renewal for a recurring vendor until the county provides a full accounting.

Moore said the vendor had previously received roughly $1,900,000 from the county and that the organization's last action around ARPA moved the vendor "to the front of the line" during the ARPA process without the usual application steps. She told the court the vendor is contracted through April 2026 and that the county has not shown clear records of how prior monies were spent, including a referenced $1,100,000 figure connected to land purchases in Madison County that Moore said has not been documented.

Moore also told the court the county did not follow a state procurement bid process when the earlier spending occurred and that Attorney Lester described the current item as a renewal; she said a renewal is permissible after a proper procurement process but that the county record did not show that step had been completed.

Why it matters: Moore argued that the county should obtain a full accounting of expenditures before granting additional general-fund dollars, and that alternatives exist for spending $500,000, such as pretrial services that could reduce local jail populations.

Moore asked the court to pause any further funding until auditors or county staff can demonstrate how previous funds were spent and whether the vendor had fulfilled purchase or program obligations.

The transcript does not show a court decision on the vendor funding at this meeting.