The Jefferson County Quorum Court passed a budget of nearly $40 million along with several appropriation ordinances for fiscal 2026 during last Thursday’s special meeting.
The meeting, however, was marked by debate over financial protocol and the tabling of an ordinance intended to bring several departmental lines out of the negative before the new year.
The primary item on the agenda was an appropriation ordinance approving the budget from Jan. 1-Dec. 31. After beginning its second reading, the Quorum Court moved to immediately suspend the rules and move the ordinance to its third and final reading.
The approved budget sets a grand total of $39,595,853.40. Key allocations include $1,687,659.88 for the county judge, $877,805.94 for the county clerk, $2,598,833.82 for the sheriff’s office and $6,118,608.10 for the adult jail.
The budget ordinance also calls for numerous fund transfers, including a total of $4,285,983.10 from the Detention Facilities MM&O Reserve Fund to the Adult Jail Fund.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
The discussion of an appropriation ordinance for the county judge’s office was particularly intense. The ordinance’s purpose was to offset negative budget lines for the remainder of the 2025 fiscal year.
Justice of the Peace Alfred Carroll Sr. immediately questioned the item, saying: “This item was tabled.” The county clerk’s office confirmed Carroll’s statement, reading from the Dec. 8 minutes. Despite the confirmation and a plea from County Judge Gerald Robinson that the items were “still in the negative,” a motion to bring the tabled item back for consideration was not voted on.
The Quorum Court faces disputes over paying vendors, with recent issues involving budget approvals, legal fees and transparency. The issues have led to delays and public apologies and many payments require specific appropriation votes, though some are made through overrides or separate approvals, like for a cleaning service or catering vendor, after legal clarity.
Tensions have risen in the past as the Quorum Court members and Robinson have clashed over approving funds for essential services. The county sometimes uses funds from one area to pay urgent bills in another, creating more issues.
Justice of the Peace Reginald Johnson raised a concern over a particular vendor payment included in the ordinance and suggested separating the appropriations to allow individual votes.
“For the sake of not prolonging this meeting, that’s fine,” Robinson said. He did, however, issue a final warning about the financial consequences.
“If we vote it up and the lines are still in the negative, that is still on the legislative body,” he said.