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The Jefferson County Quorum Court budget meeting on Monday ended in a stalemate as the justices of the peace failed again to pass an appropriation ordinance for the 2025 budget presented by County Judge Gerald Robinson. The meeting was highlighted by heated debates over budget cuts, accusations of procedural violations and concerns about the impact on county employees and services.
County employees, who haven’t received a paycheck since around Christmas, showed up to the meeting, but many were denied entry into the small courtroom due to its maximum capacity of 49 people. This was the fourth time the justices of the peace have met to pass a budget for 2025 and failed.
According to several justices of the peace, the proposed budget for 2025 included significant cuts to several departments, including the Sheriff’s Department and programs like the Opioid Program and Drug Court Accountability.
Justice of the Peace Reginald Johnson questioned Robinson’s handling of the budget process, stating, “No JPs worked on this budget.”
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
“The county judge himself took a week with him and his chief of staff. … They did this to the budget, and the sad part is, his budget has been voted down twice, and his revised budget is even worse,” he said.
Johnson further criticized the cuts made in the revised budget, particularly in relation to the sheriff’s office and nurses’ salaries. “He’s cut nurses’ salaries from $65,000 to $40,000. … Where are you going to hire a nurse for a jail for $40,000?” said Johnson.
Robinson defended his actions, emphasizing that he had fulfilled his promises and replaced funding for essential services. He accused certain justices of the peace of holding the county “hostage” for personal gain.
“You sit there, you want people to believe that we don’t go back to amend,” said Robinson. “We’re going to do this, but I had to put my foot down.”
The issue of raises also fueled the debate, with Robinson accusing other Quorum Court members of being willing to “go against the judge’s ruling” to “enrich a few of your friends.” He was referring to a ruling made recently in his favor by Special Judge Randy Wright regarding procedural matters in a lawsuit Robinson filed against the justices of the peace.
Robinson claimed that the proposed budget did not include illegal raises and that he had “done in this budget exactly what I said I would do.”
Justice of the Peace Alfred Carroll expressed his disapproval of the personal nature of the attacks, stating, “I haven’t said this, but Judge, when you start saying things like that, then we have to ask you about the relationships. … That would necessitate a $19,000 raise.” Carroll was referring to a raise given to Robinson’s chief deputy.
A motion was made to pass the budget proposed by the judge’s office, and a substitute motion was made by Justice of the Peace Margarette Williams to replace the proposed budget with the exact budget that was vetoed by Robinson.
Robinson raised concerns about the procedural legality of reintroducing a vetoed budget without going through the appropriate committee. County Attorney Terry Wynne clarified that special meetings did not require the same procedure as regular meetings and the vetoed budget could not be reintroduced.
The tense exchange continued with accusations and counter-accusations.
Robinson responded defensively, denying any impropriety and urging the justices of the peace to focus on passing the budget for the sake of county employees and services.
The budget was rejected by a vote of four to seven. Voting in favor of the budget were Roy Agee, Patricia Royal Johnson, Dr. Conley Byrd, and Ted Harden. Those who voted against the budget were Brenda Bishop-Gaddy, Melanie Dumas, Reginald Johnson, Reginald Adams, Margarette Williams, Alfred Carroll and Reginald Johnson. Jimmy Fisher was absent from the vote, and Danny Holcomb resigned over the weekend because he said he was concerned for his family’s safety due to threats he had received.
The meeting concluded with county employees in an uproar as they met in the rotunda to voice their concerns.
“They need to grow up and stop being childish and fighting each other and work something out,” said Tanisha Burnett, a county employee who said she has resorted to going to food banks for food. “I got a child to feed, too. We need our money.”
County employees gather in the hallway Monday night after the Quorum Court meeting where justices of the peace failed for a fourth time to pass a budget for 2025. Because of the budget impasse, county workers haven’t been paid since around Christmas. (Eplunus Colvin/Pine Bluff Commercial)