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Bodies of the deceased will be moved back to the Jefferson County Coroner’s Office in the next few days, according to Jefferson County Coroner Chad Kelley, who said he received news that the power will not be shut off at his office.
Kelley took the unusual step of moving bodies in his care to local funeral homes earlier this week because of unpaid energy bills and a potential power shutoff scheduled for Friday. This comes amid a county budget impasse, which has left many bills unpaid and county services threatened with interruption. In addition, hundreds of county employees have not been paid since December, creating financial hardships for them and their families, as the Quorum Court has failed repeatedly to pass a budget for 2025.
While County Judge Gerald Robinson says he has been working with utility companies to prevent service interruptions, Kelley said he had not been informed of any payment arrangements and was taking precautionary steps to mitigate the impact of a potential power outage on the Coroner’s Office.
“I was being proactive because I wouldn’t want anyone’s loved ones left in those conditions,” said Kelley. “The Entergy customer service rep was so patient and so kind and was a really big help.”
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
In a statement, Entergy Arkansas said that it is “committed to partnering with our customers in Jefferson County by providing bill assistance during this difficult time,” and that it will not disconnect power to county buildings because of the budgeting delay.
Amid a budget impasse that has gone on throughout January, county operations are being significantly affected, with bills going unpaid and services threatened with interruption.
Robinson said he has been working to mitigate the impacts, but warned of potential disruptions if a budget isn’t passed soon.
“County businesses are being affected,” said Robinson. “Thankfully, I have a relationship with Entergy, Liberty and Summit that we can work through this, where services will not be terminated, while we’re going through this crisis.” Liberty Utilities is the water supplier for the area, and Summit Utilities provides natural gas.
Robinson said Jefferson County employees can request an extension to their essential utility services so they will not be interrupted during the ongoing budget crisis, because of his efforts.
Robinson said he spent a significant portion of Wednesday in discussions with representatives from Liberty Utilities, Pine Bluff Cable and Entergy. These companies have assured the county that “during this crisis … none of the services will be halted,” said Robinson.
Robinson expressed gratitude for the professionalism and kindness of the utility representatives during these challenging times.
“That is what working together and building relationships is all about,” he said. “I’m just happy that we were able to come to this because we cannot operate without those services.”
In response to concerns from county employees about potential impacts on their mortgages, rent and car notes as a result of the budget impasse, Robinson stated that he could provide letters for employees, verifying that Jefferson County has not yet passed a proposed budget. This documentation could potentially be used by employees to seek hardship or forbearance options from their creditors. In a related development, Arkansas State Police said it is offering assistance to Jefferson County by “providing support to Jefferson County’s emergency services as county officials work to resolve budget issues.” In a news released emailed out on Thursday evening, the state police said its dispatchers began assisting the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office at the Pine Bluff dispatch center on Tuesday, at the request of Jefferson County officials.
“As an assisting agency, ASP routinely supports communities in various ways to maintain essential emergency services,” the agency stated.