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Committee advances Proposed Ordinance 26-10, including $60,000 request for spay-and-neuter program and election-security spending
Summary
The Faulkner County Budget and Finance Committee voted to advance Proposed Ordinance 26-10 to the full court; the ordinance bundles appropriations including a requested $60,000 addition for the county spay-and-neuter voucher program and suggested election-security purchases tied to an Arkansas Department of Emergency Management grant.
A Faulkner County committee voted by voice to advance Proposed Ordinance 26-10 to the full court after hearing several appropriations within the ordinance, including a request for additional animal-welfare funding and suggested election-security expenditures.
A committee member moved “to put Proposed Ordinance 26-10 on the table for discussion,” and the motion received a second. The chair noted section 1 is the largest portion of the ordinance and invited Justice Coates to speak to the animal-welfare and shelter items.
Justice Coates described changes to the county spay-and-neuter voucher program and requested an additional $60,000 to continue operations. “So what we're asking for tonight, is the additional $60,000, to continue running that program,” Justice Coates said. He reviewed prior allocations — an $80,000 allocation in 2024 with about $40,000 spent that year and a $20,000 allocation in 2025 — and said the program has resumed at higher capacity under shelter and coalition coordination.
Coates said the coalition and shelter have taken on more operational tasks — validating vouchers, making appointments and arranging transportation — and reported that so far this year 261 dogs and 155 cats have been spayed or neutered. He and other members said increased fundraising (a capital campaign, a tour-of-homes event and estate gifts) is under way, but the coalition remains reliant on voluntary tax revenue for now.
Separately, a committee member said the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management visited county offices and encouraged the county to spend certain grant funds by August on election-related security items, such as portable lighting and window protection for the election building; the committee discussed appropriating the grant funds to allow for spending and state reimbursement.
On the motion to advance the ordinance, the chair called for the ayes; members on the record responded in the affirmative and no opposition was recorded in the meeting transcript. The ordinance will be scheduled for consideration by the full court.
The committee did not record a roll-call vote in the transcript, and specific appropriation line-item figures (beyond the $60,000 request described by Justice Coates) were not read aloud in detail during this segment.
