Faulkner County Quorum Court approves four ordinances, creates victim‑witness and election coordinator positions

Faulkner County’s Quorum Court on Sept. 10 passed four ordinances that the court’s leadership said were needed to maintain operations, cover funding gaps and align pay with comparable counties.

The items approved included an appropriation amendment (Ordinance 25‑24), creation of a county position to retain a state VOCA‑funded victim‑witness worker (Ordinance 25‑25), conversion of the election coordinator from part time to full time (Ordinance 25‑26) and a reclassification and pay adjustment in the sheriff’s office to help recruit a jail administrator (Ordinance 25‑27). The court also affirmed the county judge’s appointment of Marcus Schock to the Faulkner County Museum Board.

The victim‑witness measure was presented by a sponsor from the prosecutor’s office, who said the federal victim‑of‑crime grant that previously funded the position had been cut and that the county needed a place in the budget to place the funding already available through September 30. Prosecutor Carol Cruz told the court the worker is assigned to the county’s busiest criminal docket and that the request was to move existing funds into a county position to cover the remainder of the grant cycle.

Supporters described the election coordinator change as a move to bring Faulkner County in line with other Class 6 counties and to ensure the office is staffed for a forthcoming special election. County administration and the county clerk’s office both described the election coordinator as legally an employee of the county judge’s office but operationally coordinated with the county clerk’s elections work.

Sheriff’s office leadership said they located internal jail budget savings by reclassifying an existing lieutenant position to partially fund an increased salary for a jail administrator being actively recruited. The reclassification was presented as a cost‑neutral internal realignment rather than a request for new funds.

All four ordinances were adopted by roll‑call vote during the meeting; the clerk announced that motions carried for each measure.

The court also unanimously affirmed the county judge’s appointment of Marcus Schock to the Faulkner County Museum Board. Schock briefly addressed the court and said he looked forward to serving.

Votes at a glance - Ordinance 25‑24 (appropriation amendment): Passed by roll call; motion carried. Reading announced in court record. (Text/title read into the record.) - Ordinance 25‑25 (create victim‑witness position, VOCA funding): Passed by roll call; sponsor stated this moves existing grant funds into a county position through the end of the federal grant cycle. - Ordinance 25‑26 (election coordinator compensation and full‑time conversion): Passed by roll call; sponsor cited comparables for Class 6 counties and the need to staff a pending special election. - Ordinance 25‑27 (sheriff’s office reclassification and salary adjustment): Passed by roll call; presented as an internal budget realignment to raise the advertised salary for a jail administrator.

None of the measures had additional substantive amendments recorded in the meeting minutes; next steps referenced budget‑time review for longer‑term funding decisions.