Coroner relocates bodies to funeral homes as possible power shutoff looms

The Jefferson County coroner has taken the precautionary measure of relocating bodies from his office to area funeral homes because of the Quorum Court’s inability to pass a budget and pay the county’s utility bills.

Coroner Chad Kelley said he got a notice from Entergy that said the electric bill for the coroner’s office had not been paid and the electricity would be shut off on Friday.

“I got an email from the energy company saying that the December bill has not been paid,” said Kelley, adding he was unaware if a payment arrangement had been made.

Kelley said he was concerned that, if the electricity was shut off, the coroner’s office would not be able to store the bodies in its care, leading him to take the unusual step of relocating them.

“I have moved some of the bodies that we are currently housing while awaiting final arrangements from families to some of the local funeral homes,” Kelley explained. “The funeral homes will still be charging a storage fee.”

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.

County Judge Gerald Robinson said he is 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 is the water utility, and Summit provides natural gas.

The Quorum Court has come together on four occasions to pass a budget for 2025, most recently on Monday night, and has failed each time.

The budget impasse has affected county offices in several ways. Bills are going unpaid and services are threatened with interruption. Specifically, the county has had to borrow a copy machine from the library because the county could not pay a bill to a related company and several copy machines were repossessed.

Additionally, county employees are worried that their health insurance will be dropped because of the impasse. Many expressed fear after Monday’s Quorum Court meeting and how the financial crisis will affect the future of employee health and life insurance, as no payments or deductions have been made on the county’s part.

“We’re fixing to get dropped off of the health insurance, I would assume, and is our life insurance going to get canceled as well?” Kelley questioned.

Employees received correspondence Tuesday afternoon that their health benefits would be terminated if payment was not received by Friday.

“I have spoken with our insurance broker and have allowed them to draft the payment from a fixed account of monies that are already allocated for insurance,” said Robinson. “We will be good for January.”

He expressed gratitude for the community’s support during the budget crisis and said he is working to ensure that county accounts are properly tagged so that essential services, including police and fire services, are not interrupted.

“That comes from having a relationship with these services that’s built up over the years,” said Robinson. “And so people are willing to work with us because of my relationships with them.”

After the Quorum Court’s third failed attempt, Karen Blevins, director of the Office of Emergency Management, said she was having an increasingly difficult time in staffing 911 dispatchers because they weren’t being paid, with some saying they didn’t have money for gas.

Robinson also addressed what he called “misconceptions” about elected officials’ pay during the budget impasse.

“We are not getting paid either,” he said. “Our money has to be appropriated just like everyone else’s.”

Robinson called for a swift resolution to the budget stalemate, emphasizing the impact on county employees and operations. “Everyone is being affected,” he said. “Just pass the budget. That’s what we need to do.”

Just passing the budget has been much easier said than done. According to Justice of the Peace Alfred Carroll, the budget proposals will continue to fail if Robinson doesn’t compromise with the majority of the Quorum Court members.

According to Carroll, the lack of a passed budget has also caught the attention of state and federal agencies, raising concerns about the county’s financial stability.

Carroll expressed deep concern over the situation’s impact on county employees’ morale.

“This whole situation is devastating to the morale of county employees, county officials and members of the Quorum Court,” he stated, echoing sentiments expressed by JP Danny Holcomb in his resignation letter. Holcomb cited threats to him and his family as a reason for abruptly stepping down over the weekend.

Carroll described the emotional and spiritual toll of the ongoing budget battle, highlighting the challenges of accomplishing basic duties due to “misinterpretations of the law and people willing to ignore the rules.” The situation has also strained relationships within the community and attracted the attention of state legislators and agencies such as the U.S. Department of Labor and the Arkansas Labor Board, he said,

“They are asking: ‘What’s going on? What can we do to help?’ And ‘Oh, you all need to resolve this. It’s not good for the county,’ all of those kinds of things,” Carroll said.

Carroll placed the responsibility for resolving the impasse on Robinson, urging him to allow the budget formulated by the majority of the Quorum Court to come to a vote.

“I really think the resolution comes down to the fact that if the county judge would allow a budget that was formulated by the majority of a Quorum Court … I think if he would allow that budget to come forward, that the votes would be there,” he said.

Carroll expressed optimism that a resolution was possible, citing Holcomb’s resignation and the absence of Justice Jimmy Fisher from Monday’s meeting as evidence of growing unease with the current stalemate.

Carroll said that when Holcomb brought forward the AG’s opinion that the Quorum Court could have extended the 2024 budget, Carroll made a motion, it was seconded, but ‘”the judge would not even carry the motion to allow them to vote on extending last year’s budget.”

Fisher expressed his concerns over the ongoing impasse within the court and offered his perspective on the recent resignation of Holcomb. Fisher emphasized his commitment to finding a solution that prioritizes the needs of the people.

Fisher said he was unable to attend a crucial JP session due to his wife’s illness. He stressed the importance of family, stating, “My wife is ill, and my first priority is my wife.” He assured that he remains dedicated to his duties and is actively working toward a resolution.

Fisher said he believes that the court should revisit the issues that have caused the current deadlock.

“I believe the solution is to go back to where it generated from, which was two years ago when all of this began,” he said.

He expressed his support for the motion to return to the original starting point and work through the issues from there. He also said he supported the AG’s opinion to operate out of last year’s budget.

Fisher voiced his concern for the individuals who are not being paid due to the Quorum Court’s inability to reach a consensus. He highlighted the urgency of the situation, stating, “It’s time that we get close to a problem.” He emphasized the need to find a “happy medium” and work through the budgetary concerns to ensure that people receive their due compensation.

Regarding Holcomb’s resignation, Fisher expressed his support and understanding. He acknowledged the personal reasons behind the decision, stating, “I don’t know his situation.” He expressed sadness over the loss of a “justice of that caliber” and extended his well wishes to Holcomb and his family.

Fisher concluded the interview with a plea for reason and prayer. He said he believes that through open communication and a willingness to compromise, the Quorum Court can find a solution. He expressed his hope that the justices can “get to some solution to get these people paid.”

Robinson said that the budget should not be held up to enrich friends, something he has alleged during the negotiations, with Robinson saying that those against his budget proposal are trying to protect people within county government who got large raises. He emphasized that everyone is being affected by the lack of a budget and that the focus should be on passing it to support county operations and employees.

Robinson said he has made compromises to the budget, and more than 300 county employees and elected officials are being affected by the budget impasse.

Kelley, being one of them, expressed appreciation for the support received from local funeral homes and the state Medical Examiner’s office.

“The local funeral homes have really stepped up and have been very supportive, and I appreciate the support that they have shown to my office during this time,” he acknowledged.

Kelley emphasized the broader impact of the budget impasse on county services and residents.

“The saddest part about it is our constituents are the ones that are also hurt. They’re not being provided the services from each of the departments because the departments, they can’t run if they don’t have employees,” he stated. “And I mean, who’s gonna show up to work if they’re not getting paid?”

Kelley said his office staff remains dedicated to serving the community despite the ongoing challenges.

“I appreciate every one of my deputies … they come on in just like we have for the last few years,” he said. “And I really do appreciate their dedication not only to myself as the coroner but to the coroner’s office and to the people of this county.”

He pleaded for a swift resolution to the budget impasse, emphasizing the need for elected officials to “put their differences aside” and prioritize the needs of county employees and residents.

“They’ve got to come together and get something done so we can operate like we are supposed to,” he said.