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Faulkner County panel trims public defender budget, eyes two part‑time positions as state funding shifts
Summary
The budget committee moved to reduce county costs tied to a full‑time public defender position and approved related investigator funding after committee members debated converting a county full‑time position into two part‑time roles contingent on state hiring. Members agreed to revisit midyear if revenues or staffing change.
Chair opened a review of the County General budgets as the Faulkner County Budget & Finance Committee considered the public defender offices’ 2026 requests. Public defender Mister Plemons told the committee the court had previously funded a full‑time county public defender while the state recently allocated two part‑time positions; because the state decision remained unresolved he had included both the county full‑time position and additional part‑time salary requests in his submitted budget.
"I included both continued funding for the full time position and a funding request for 2 part time positions instead of the 1 part time position," Plemons said, describing the confusion created by overlapping county and state allocations. He said the part‑time lawyers are nominally scheduled for about 20 hours a week but often work more when court is in session, while the full‑time county employee (Scott Bradley) averages roughly 40 hours weekly.
Committee members wrestled with the choice between retaining the county full‑time salary (about $75,004.62 as listed in the packet) or moving to a configuration that keeps roughly the same paid hours split across two part‑time positions (a difference of roughly $48,000 in additional part‑time pay). Justice Moss recommended converting to two part‑time positions if the state will cover part of the pay so Bradley could continue doing the same work while receiving state benefits.
The committee approved a set of line‑item amendments to the county public defender budget that zeroed several benefit and insurance line items (listed in the amendment as 1001, 1009, 1016 and 1019) and reduced employer matching contributions for Social Security and retirement. Speaker 4 made the motion to zero the specified line items and amend the matching lines; Speaker 2 seconded the motion and the committee carried it by voice vote.
Separately, Plemons clarified questions about the public defender investigator special fund (30‑26). He said a printed projection showed an available balance of $69,787.89 after accounting for the current 2025 budget, but his understanding was that the fund balance was about $151,000. He also acknowledged a calculation error in his investigator request — saying the request showed $101,000 but "it should have been $136,000" — and asked the committee to proceed with the submitted figure rather than revise it at the meeting. Staff confirmed the fund draws on filing fees and court costs and that unspent amounts roll into carryover.
After discussion the committee voted to pass the investigator fund as presented (Fund 30260417) and agreed to monitor staffing and revenue impacts after state hiring decisions and at the regular midyear carryover reconciliation.
The committee directed that personnel changes related to any conversion be coordinated with the personnel committee and the quorum court, and members noted that any county reduction in benefits would be offset by state coverage for part‑time public defender positions when the state hire is finalized. The committee’s action was procedural appropriation for budgeting; no immediate personnel termination or reclassification occurred at the meeting.
