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Quorum Court creates funded victim-witness coordinator position through year-end; grant funding had ended Sept. 30
Summary
The court approved an emergency ordinance to establish and fund a victim-witness coordinator position through the remainder of the year by transferring $16,569.14 from a circuit court budget to the deputy prosecutor budget after a prior grant ended Sept. 30, 2025.
The Van Buren County Quorum Court on a unanimous roll call adopted an emergency ordinance to create and fund a victim-witness coordinator position through the end of 2025.
The ordinance, sponsored by Virgil Lemmings, transfers $16,569.14 from the circuit court division 5 budget into the deputy prosecutor budget to fund the position for the remainder of the year. Meeting remarks state a federal grant that had funded the position through Faulkner County ended Sept. 30, 2025; the transfer is intended to maintain the current coordinator through year-end so ongoing and upcoming complex cases retain continuity between the prosecutor's office and victims.
The court heard questions about whether the move reflected a resignation or termination; staff clarified the grant simply expired and that continuing the position beyond 2025 would be a 2026 budget decision. In response to questions, a court official said approving the position for the remainder of 2025 would not obligate the court to fund it in the 2026 budget cycle: "If there is a position included in the 2026 budget, then there's a position; if there is not, there is not," the official said.
The ordinance lists line-item transfers that together total $16,569.14, including transfers from miscellaneous drug court funds and contract labor to salary, benefits and related line items in the deputy prosecutor account; the transcript records the dollar allocations among specific budget lines. The court moved and seconded the ordinance and then recorded a unanimous roll-call vote (Mays, Nikki Brown, Sarah, Paul, Bradford, Robertson, Paige, Virgil Lemmings and Esther Bass voting "yes"). The court also acknowledged the emergency clause so the position funding takes effect immediately.
The court did not vote at the meeting to commit funding beyond the end of the calendar year; any decision to include the position in the 2026 budget would be considered during the 2026 budget cycle.
