Budget committee forwards ordinances 2607 and 2608 after staff explains settlement fund transfers

The Faulkner County Budget and Finance Committee voted to forward proposed ordinances 2607 and 2608 to the full court after a staff presentation clarified several fund transfers and accounting adjustments.

Margaret, the treasurer, introduced the business before the committee and a committee member moved to take up ordinance 2607, which the committee approved by voice vote. Later the committee considered ordinance 2608 and discussed multiple sections requiring transfers and appropriations.

Willie, a county staff member, explained that section 4 of ordinance 2608 concerns the Arkansas opioid settlement fund and said the county must transfer money from county general to make the settlement fund whole because the fund had run negative under the settlement’s accounting rules. Willie said the settlement’s fiscal year differs from the county’s and described the fund as having its own rules and timeline. "They process paperwork and reports and everything very similar to a grant, but they have their own rules and structure of how we have to" account for expenditures, Willie said.

Staff also said a refund of about $2,900 for computer software must be returned to the settlement fund; Willie told the committee that the county will "pay them a check back for 2,900 and change for that software cost." The discussion clarified that section 4’s transfer is to zero out the settlement fund, while section 5 involves appropriating the refunded amount so the county can issue the payment.

Committee members pressed staff on the treatment of COLAs for grant‑funded positions after staff said two positions supported by the settlement — an overdose investigator and a peer specialist — received cost‑of‑living adjustments that were not in the original award. Willie said those COLAs were applied and that the county general will have to absorb the cost for those adjustments; the committee agreed such grant positions should be identified during budget planning.

A committee member flagged a typographical error in the ordinance text (ARRP vs. ARORP); staff confirmed it should match the wording in section 5 and be corrected. The committee also heard that an invoice dated 12/31/2025 required decreasing the 2026 appropriation to keep the grant accounting accurate through the award period, which staff said runs through 06/30/2027.

Finally, staff described sections 7–8 as transfers tied to a highway safety subgrant: reimbursements received into a special revenue fund must be transferred back to the accounts that originally paid overtime and fringe so the accounting reflects where expenses were incurred. Staff noted the state fiscal year (reported as 10/01/2024–09/30/2025) differs from the county fiscal year, which necessitated the transfers.

After the discussion the committee chair called the question and the committee approved forwarding ordinance 2608 to the full court by voice vote with no opposition recorded. The committee did not record individual roll‑call votes in the transcript.