Eight of the 13 Jefferson County Quorum Court members are considering a budget for 2024, but if passed, the county judge — who was not present at Thursday’s meeting — could veto it.
The eight justices of the peace — Lloyd Franklin Jr., Alfred Carroll Sr., Melanie Dumas, Margarette Williams, Reginald Adams, Reginald Johnson, Cedric Jackson and Brenda Bishop Gaddy — met inside the First Division Courtroom at the Jefferson County Courthouse after the regular Quorum Court meeting room downstairs was locked after business hours.
There were seven items listed in an amended agenda, none of which has gone through three complete readings required before action can be taken. Five of the items were ordinances to transfer funds from Organized Crime/LLEBG to County General Sheriff; to fund County General OEM, create a fund for Building Resilient Infrastructure Communities and transfer funds to BRIC; establish budget development procedures for the county; transfer funds from Recorders Cost to County General and transfer funds within County General; and provide a supplemental appropriation to fund County General Elections. Each of those ordinances will undergo a third and final reading today.
The other two items — approving a 2024 budget and allowing for Christmas bonuses — will each undergo a second reading today, with the third likely to take place Wednesday, Franklin said.
The group of eight justices has regularly convened in meetings Robinson has not recognized, stemming from a yearlong debate over whether a policy and procedural ordinance is in effect.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Robinson filed a lawsuit against all the justices in July, claiming special meetings have been held in violation of Arkansas law because procedural rules have not been established.
The group of eight is reviewing a $36,522,908 budget for 2024. An article in the appropriation ordinance details which funds the county treasurer would be directed to transfer:
$1,379,917 from Public Safety/Sales Tax Fund to Juvenile Justice Center Fund.
$1,397,321 from Solid Waste to Solid Waste Contract Fund.
$88,500 from the County General Fund to Jury Fees Fund.
In the Metropolitan Emergency Communication Association budget, $242,764 from County General Fund to MECA Fund; $187,000 from 911 Emergency Fund to MECA Fund; $895,814 from CMRS Fund to MECA Fund; and $106,042 from CMRS Fund to County General for reimbursement of the MECA share of Office of Emergency Management salaries.
$4,089,186 from Detention Facilities M&O Reserve Fund to Adult Jail Fund.
$503,150 from Public Safety Sales Tax Fund to District Court Fund (The balance of the District Court’s 2024 budget will come from the District Court Administration of Revenue Fund in the amount of $59,648 for a total budget of $562,798.)
50% of the County Casino Revenue Fund monthly balance to County General for operational purposes and 50% to Jefferson County Emergency Reserve Fund.
$35,000 from County Treasurer’s Automation Fund to County General.
$150,039 from Recorders Cost to County General.
and $35,513 from County General to Juvenile Justice Center.
Franklin said Robinson tried to get the justices to approve a similar budget in a Dec. 11 meeting, adding the JPs didn’t know what was in it.
“His budget doesn’t reflect what we have in here because this is what the elected officials have turned in as untouched to the clerk’s office,” Franklin said, pointing to a 300-page binder of budget requests from elected county officials.
Franklin said members of the finance committee made changes to Robinson’s proposed budget and kept the balance about $500,000 under 90% of the projected revenue, the maximum the Quorum Court is allowed to appropriate under state law, he said.
“Had we approved that, we wouldn’t have the money to give 5 percent raises, and the raises across the board are 5% for employees,” Franklin said. “There’s a per diem adjustment for employees. It’s currently debatable what the percentage is for elected officials, which is proposed at 10 percent. MECA board voted for a $5,000 raise for all dispatchers, whereas the sheriff had an increase of 5%, which puts them in a competitive salary range with sheriffs in surrounding counties. Everybody’s benefiting from the old budgeting process of how it’s been before Judge Robinson came into office. It works. It’s very transparent.”
Robinson is completing the first year of his second four-year team as county judge. He rejected Franklin’s notion of a budget without transparency.
“The elected officials turn their budget into the county judge’s office,” Robinson said via phone Thursday. “We had a budget meeting in September or October. The elected officials came forward. No changes were made other than 5% raise for employees and 10% raise for elected officials.
“We go through the budget, and we turn it into the county clerk. If they go over the 90%, we send it back to the Quorum Court. The 2024 budget, it’s actually lower than what they’re asking for.”
The county judge, county treasurer and county clerk usually put together a budget after elected officials make their presentations, Robinson said. He also argued Franklin knew what was in the budget, as he and other justices have access.
Failure to pass a budget could result in a county government shutdown, Robinson said. But all 13 justices did come together Wednesday to pass a tax rate to be collected in 2024.
“The main priority is to get the budget passed,” Robinson said. “Both sides are going to have to give a little. I’m not going to go outside the parameters of the law to get this passed.”