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Prosecuting Attorney Kyle Hunter issued a statement Wednesday to clarify the legal requirements for calling special meetings of the Jefferson County Quorum Court, following recent confusion and disagreements among county officials.
A special meeting by Quorum Court members was called for Thursday evening to address the budget but Jefferson County Judge Gerald Robinson replied in an email the meeting was without his consent.
“Justices this meeting is without my consent(.) (Arkansas Code Section) 14-14-904 in Judge (Randy) Wright’s ruling recites the law, that you cannot meet with more than a Quorum without the judge’s consent,” Robinson wrote. “We also have a procedural ordinance in place. That outlines the agenda comes from my office, which this one that you scheduled to meet on does not! Also you are still presenting a budget that has been Vetoed and failed to override by the Quorum court. Also this budget has not been approved by the Budget and Finance committee. It is still evident that what is presented contains illegal raises given by each constitutional office, except the Sixth Division and my office. There’s also unauthorized slots added to a number of offices. One in the County Clerk’s office, especially a legislative clerk, which is already in my office.”
Seven justices gathered Thursday in one of the circuit courtrooms as the Quorum Court meeting room was locked, District 1 Justice of the Peace Alfred Carroll said. No budget was passed.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
“We had hoped two of the other justices would join us, but none of the other six justices showed up,” Carroll said. A public community meeting moderated by newly elected District 65 State Rep. Glenn Barnes, D-Pine Bluff, followed the meeting, Carroll added.
Robinson was referring to Special Judge Wright, who ruled in Robinson’s favor Dec. 26 in a lawsuit Robinson filed against members of the Quorum Court over a variety of procedural matters in the Second Division of the 11th West Circuit.
Citing Section 14-14-904(c) of the Arkansas Code, Hunter emphasized that a special Quorum Court meeting can be convened either by the county judge or by a majority of the elected justices. This clarification comes in response to what Hunter describes as a misunderstanding by Robinson, who reportedly confused committee meetings with Quorum Court meetings.
Hunter pointed to Section 14-14-904(d)(2)(B), which pertains to regular and special committee meetings that do not exceed a quorum of the full body unless the county judge consents. He argued that since the meeting scheduled for Thursday is a full Quorum Court meeting, and not a committee meeting, Robinson’s consent is not necessary for it to be called.
Hunter also addressed Wright’s recent ruling, which declared that the Quorum Court’s operations in 2023 and 2024 were procedurally flawed due to the absence of a properly enacted procedural ordinance. Wright specifically noted that an attempt to pass a procedural ordinance by seven members of the court was not legally valid.
Despite these past procedural issues, Hunter assured that, due to the current procedural ordinance being in place, any budget approved by the Quorum Court for 2025 will be legal, even if it includes items and appropriations from the previous two years.
“Kyle’s response to the law is disappointing,” Robinson said. “This is not his first time and it’s very disappointing.”
Commercial Senior Reporter I.C. Murrell contributed to this article, which was originally published at 3:20 p.m. under the headline “Quorum Court members to meet this evening over budget.”