Faulkner County quorum court advances two ordinances, hears financial report showing rising sales-tax receipts

The Faulkner County Quorum Court approved two proposed ordinances and heard a financial report on county revenues and the 2026 budget process during its recent meeting.

The court voted by voice to move proposed ordinance 25-24 "onto full course," followed later by approval to put proposed ordinance 25-26 on the table for discussion and a subsequent affirmative voice vote to pass it. The chair called for the votes and recorded them as voice votes with no roll-call tally provided.

The meeting’s main substantive discussion came from the county’s financial presentation. Mr. Sanson, who delivered the county’s financial report, summarized revenue and sales-tax performance through Aug. 31, 2025 and highlighted an atypical jail-reimbursement payment that has boosted revenues. He said sales-tax receipts for August totaled $1,267,950.58, 4.88% higher than the same month last year, and year-to-date sales tax collected was $9,827,615.49. "So we're in a great we're in a great spot," Mr. Sanson said while describing recent months’ performance.

Mr. Sanson told the court that if the recent pattern continues the county could finish the fiscal year with roughly $14 million to $15 million in total sales-tax revenue. He also described using multi-year averages to smooth an anomalous high figure from the previous year and called out the jail reimbursement as an "anomaly" that inflates current revenue comparisons.

The report listed fund balances and program totals referenced by Mr. Sanson, including the American Rescue Plan (ARP) fund balance of $2,416,133.91 and a coronavirus-relief fund balance of $994,788.36. Mr. Sanson gave a preliminary inflation estimate of about 2.7% to 2.75 for budgeting purposes and said a firmer number would be available around October or November when budget work proceeds.

Separately, the court discussed personnel-related appropriations tied to the sheriff’s office. The chair explained that the county often transfers salary savings from vacant positions to cover overtime when the sheriff’s office must backfill shifts, noting the practice occurs "this time of year" when vacancies are common. The chair also confirmed that ordinances passed in the personnel committee that affect staffing had been taken up as needed and that no additional action was required for certain sheriff’s and other employee positions.

Court members discussed scheduling the annual budget workshop; the chair said he would begin setting a November date so committee members could participate. The chair also asked staff to provide additional department-level expense reports when requested to support committee review and decision-making.

Votes at a glance: proposed ordinance 25-24 — voice vote recorded as "aye," no roll-call tally provided; outcome recorded as approved (advanced onto full course). Proposed ordinance 25-26 — motion to table for discussion followed by affirmative voice vote; outcome recorded as approved. The transcript does not specify movers, seconders by name or vote tallies beyond the chair's voice calls.

The meeting adjourned after the budget and finance committee business and a motion to adjourn was accepted.