Committee forwards $81,000 grant for public defender social worker; several budget items moved to full court

The Washington County Finance and Budget Committee voted to forward to the full quorum court an $81,000 grant from the Arkansas Access to Justice Foundation to fund a full‑time social worker in the public defender's office for one year.

Lyanna Hston, who identified herself as a chief deputy public defender, said the grant fully funds salary, benefits, taxes and administrative costs for the position and requires no local match. Hston said the social worker would support pre‑trial services by assisting people at arraignment, helping to identify treatment needs, arranging services and compiling statistics to evaluate program effectiveness. "This is a win‑win situation," she told the committee, saying the role would help reduce jail stays and improve data available to judges.

Several committee members supported forwarding the grant to the full court, but members also debated the proper acceptance authority: one JP argued the county judge must accept grants under the constitutional manual and the quorum court may only appropriate funds after acceptance; another JP and the sponsor said the court regularly accepts and moves grants through established county processes and staff at the grant and HR departments had been consulted. The committee ultimately passed a motion to send the item to the full quorum court with a do‑pass recommendation.

The committee also considered multiple revenue recognition and appropriation ordinances and took do‑pass actions on those items:

• Item 8 (IT department): Recognize $10,292.56 in general fund revenue from electronic recycling and vehicle sales and appropriate it to the IT budget. Committee forwarded to full court with do‑pass recommendation.

• Item 9 (Road Fund): Recognize $12,490.60 from scrap metal sales and appropriate it to the road department. Committee forwarded to full court with do‑pass recommendation; a JP asked staff to follow up on what materials generated the proceeds.

• Item 11 (Human Resources): Appropriation of $73,865.32 to add an HR position to process benefit invoices and manage FMLA/CAT leave; Director Bennett said the office is stretched thin and the new role would allow HR to focus on compensation studies and regrades. Item 11 was considered tonight because the committee had earlier declared it an emergency under the 2026 budget ordinance, and the item was forwarded to the full court with a do‑pass recommendation.

• Item 12 (Returning Homes capital): Appropriation of $56,469.12 to correct a rollover omission; committee described this as a paperwork clean‑up of previously authorized grant funds and forwarded it to full court.

The committee approved an amended consent agenda covering items 8, 9 and 10 for the full quorum court and adjourned the meeting.

Next steps: Each forwarded ordinance will appear on the full quorum court agenda for final action; the social worker position funded by the grant will be posted and managed through the county's hiring process if the grant is accepted and appropriated.