Van Buren County court approves several appropriations, repeals highway ordinance and moves to fund dash cameras
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Summary
The Quorum Court unanimously adopted multiple appropriations — including $8,600 to match a Scotland Senior Center grant, $5,000 from a cell‑tower payment for maintenance, $9,655.71 for a health‑department fire alarm repair, $1,520 for a K‑9 unit and $20,000 to patch the North Annex roof — and repealed an earlier highway acceptance ordinance as housekeeping.
The Van Buren County Quorum Court approved a slate of appropriation ordinances and a resolution during its meeting, voting unanimously on each item by roll call.
The court adopted an appropriation of $8,600 to provide the 50% local match for a grant awarded to the Scotland Community Senior Citizen Center to replace HVAC equipment and repair a commercial stove. Becky Page sponsored the ordinance and the court adopted it by roll call.
Nikki Brown sponsored an ordinance to appropriate $5,000 received from Puck Towers LLC (the transcript also references the payer later as “Huck towers,” a discrepancy noted in court materials) into the maintenance/machinery and equipment fund to help pay for an air‑conditioning replacement in the deputy prosecutor’s office. County staff explained the unit and labor were over $10,000 and that the maintenance budget would cover the remainder; the court approved the appropriation.
Mike Bradford sponsored an ordinance repealing ordinance 2024‑11, which had authorized the county judge to accept State Highway 337 Section 1 into the county road system as part of an exchange tied to an economic expansion project in Conway County. Bradford said the repeal is housekeeping because the original purpose has been satisfied; the court repealed the ordinance and later suspended the rules to conduct all three readings at the same meeting.
The court approved an appropriation of $9,655.71 to repair the fire alarm system at the Van Buren County Health Department, based on a quote from Merrimack Fire and Safety; members questioned whether multiple quotes were solicited and were told the repair was proprietary and urgent because the department risked shutdown without it.
An appropriation of $1,520 collected through a fundraiser for the sheriff’s K‑9 unit was appropriated into the sheriff’s budget.
The court also approved a $20,000 appropriation to patch a significant roof leak at the North Annex (the office used by the literacy council). Members debated whether to patch now or seek a full reroof, noted that quotes are pending, and discussed whether future budget cycles should raise the maintenance allocation. The presiding judge noted the county’s general fund reserve: “we actually do have a county general, fund balance of well over 1 and a quarter million dollars,” and said the county would continue monitoring needs.
Finally, the court amended and re‑adopted an ordinance to appropriate $50,000 into the general reserve fund and transfer it to the sheriff’s office to complete purchases of dash cameras. County staff reported dash cameras total roughly $140,000–$150,000; grants already secured account for about $100,000, and a pending public‑safety grant (applied for and anticipated to be awarded after January 2025) would provide $70,000 when awarded, leaving the county appropriation to cover remaining costs.
A resolution authorizing the county judge to apply for a grant on behalf of the Allred Community Center was introduced by Virgil Lemmings and adopted by voice vote. The meeting adjourned without further action.
Votes at a glance (roll call results as read in meeting): Holcomb — Yes; Nikki — Yes; Phillips — Yes; Mike — Yes; John — Yes; Paige — Yes; Lemmings — Yes; Bass — Yes (each ordinance/resolution recorded as approved in roll call sequences).
