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Cleburne County Quorum Court adopts budget amendments, updates GIA and utility rules
Summary
At its Oct. 9 meeting in Heber Springs, the Cleburne County Quorum Court adopted several ordinances and a resolution — including a budget appropriation, updated Grant‑in‑Aid criteria (including a new requirement for previous three years of profit‑and‑loss statements), and a utility‑placement ordinance amended to reference Appendix A — and paused further jail‑project work pending clarification about a potential $750,000 termination fee.
The Cleburne County Quorum Court met Oct. 9, 2025, in the Cleburne Court Building in Heber Springs and adopted multiple ordinances and a resolution, including amendments to the 2025 budget and new criteria for grant‑in‑aid requests.
Justice of the Peace Evans introduced and the court adopted an appropriation ordinance amending the 2025 budget. The measure passed on roll call; the clerk recorded ayes and no nays and it was adopted as Ordinance 2025‑17.
Justice of the Peace Henegar led readings and amendments to two ordinances that update Grant‑in‑Aid (GIA) criteria: one specific to EMS grant requests and one covering GIA requests generally. During readings the court amended Section 1, Item A to add the word "Previous," making the requirement read "Previous three years of profit and loss statements." Both ordinances were adopted as Ordinance 2025‑18 (EMS GIA criteria) and Ordinance 2025‑19 (GIA criteria), respectively.
A utility placement ordinance introduced by Justice of the Peace Foust drew a roll‑call vote when a motion to suspend the full reading failed. The court later amended Section 2 to add "Appendix A" after the word "permit" to identify the utility permit, then adopted the measure as Ordinance 2025‑20.
The court also approved a resolution authorizing the county judge to enter into a lease (Resolution 2025‑09) and adopted an ordinance amending the County Judge's budget for calendar year 2025 (Ordinance 2025‑21).
Committee reports before the votes noted several operational items: Justice of the Peace Foust, reporting for the Emergency Services Oversight Committee, said there were 13 medical flights in the prior month (the most on record for a single month), staffing changes at the Wilburn Volunteer Department, the resignation of the Hopewell Fire chief, three new sirens added at Greers Ferry, antenna elevations at Quitman and Brewer of roughly 30–40 feet, and conversion of county radios to digital with a recent training exercise at Flywheel. Justice of the Peace Evans reported that 2026 revenue projections appear favorable but rising expenses were a concern. The Jail Committee paused further work on the jail project after learning there could be a $750,000 fee exposure if the deal were terminated; the committee will revisit the issue at its next meeting.
During public comment, Paulette Yarbrough spoke in support of the court's jail planning as a taxpayer. The court made several community announcements, including the next regular Quorum Court meeting on Nov. 20, 2025, and local events such as a Senior Citizen's Fish Fry on Oct. 10 and a Prim Fire Department chili supper on Oct. 17. The meeting adjourned at 7:33 p.m.
Votes at a glance: Ordinance 2025‑17 (budget appropriation) — passed; Ordinance 2025‑18 (EMS GIA criteria) — passed; Ordinance 2025‑19 (GIA criteria) — passed; Ordinance 2025‑20 (utility placement) — passed (amended to reference Appendix A); Resolution 2025‑09 (authorize judge to enter lease) — passed; Ordinance 2025‑21 (County Judge budget amendment) — passed.
Next step: several items (including the jail‑project funding/fee question) will be discussed further at committee level; the court did not take further action on the jail project at this meeting.
