A proposed ordinance that would allow Jefferson County to do business with relatives of a county employee was recommended for approval by a committee of the County Quorum Court on Tuesday, but not before several members of the county’s legislative body questioned the necessity of the ordinance.
County Judge Mike Holcomb said the ordinance was recommended by his legislative assistant in order to avoid potential problems later from the Arkansas Division of Legislative Audit, but also said that the county had not been written up about it.
“This has been done in the past but only for elected officials,” Holcomb said, mentioning Justice of the Peace Lloyd Franklin II, who does computer work for the county, and former Justice of the Peace Richard Hall, who owned a company that supplied paper products to the county.
The ordinance said the owners of Dorsey’s Plumbing, Kirby Plumbing and Mechanical and Tidwell Plumbing are related to County Building and Grounds Superintendent Thomas Tidwell, and all three had done business in the past with the county, some for more than 20 years, Holcomb said.
Questioned by Justice of the Peace Alfred Carroll, Holcomb said that Tidwell was “not working off the clock for his relatives,” and also said Tidwell has also used a number of other companies for county work.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Asked if Tidwell was the sole decision maker on who was going to get the job, Holcomb said “most of the time. That’s part of his job as building superintendent.”
Carroll also questioned the amount of money that had been spent for the work in the past 24 to 30 months, specifically “if we’re talking about thousands of dollars.”
“You’re going to see a pattern of thousands of dollars,” Holcomb said. “If you’ve had any plumbing done recently, it’s going to cost thousands of dollars.”
Justice of the Peace Dr. Conley Byrd described the proposed legislation as “unnecessary bureaucracy,” because all county work and paying for that work ultimately is Holcomb’s responsibility.
“What we have is an appearance problem,” Justice of the Peace Ted Harden said. “The judge ultimately decides and approves all contracts.”
Justice of the Peace Dr. Herman Ginger described the debate as “making a mountain out of a molehill.”
“To be transparent, he (Tidwell) wants you to know he’s doing business with relatives. I have no problem with this.”
To satisfy the concerns of Carroll and several others, Holcomb said he would talk to the county attorney about the ordinance, and have the attorney present when the full Quorum Court meets next Monday.
A proposed appropriation ordinance that called for spending $33,257.18 to cover unexpected maintenance expenses at a number of county buildings was tabled and will be considered later. Those expenses included fire alarm service at the district court building and courthouse, repairs to courthouse elevators, replacing copper that was stolen from a county air conditioning unit, electrical and plumbing repair and tree removal.
In other business, the Quorum Court recommended approval of the following proposed appropriation ordinances;
• A $9,900 appropriation ordinance for district court to correct an error in a previous ordinance.
• A $24,500 appropriation for Juvenile Justice Education.
• A $20,778.48 appropriation for various departments with the funds coming from insurance reimbursements and grants.