For the first time since the end of 2022, the Jefferson County Quorum Court had a procedural ordinance in place that sets out how the justices of peace are to operate.
But the ordinance, passed Monday without the blessing of County Judge Gerald Robinson, was vetoed by Robinson on Thursday afternoon, although, there may be enough JPs to override the veto.
The procedural ordinance is one of many issues where certain members of the Quorum Court and Robinson have been at odds, with neither side able to exert enough influence to enact changes to their liking.
A special Quorum Court meeting, called by the majority of the members, was held Monday to pass an ordinance that would establish procedures for the JPs.
Last week, a proposed ordinance from Robinson to do the same thing failed.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
[DOCUMENT: Read the procedural ordinance » pbcommercial.com/321quorumcourt/]
Justice of the Peace Alfred Carroll chaired the meeting on Monday with JPs Brenda Bishop Gaddy, Melanie Johnson Dumas, Reginald Adams, Margarette Williams, Cedric Jackson, Reginald Johnson and Richard Victorino in attendance.
Barring a veto, the ordinance will be in effect through 2026. Many of the changes put in place decrease the power that has been wielded by Robinson, who has used the Quorum Court’s committee system to blunt efforts by those opposed to him to enact legislation.
Particulars of the ordinance, which was passed by unanimous vote, are as follows:
According to the ordinance, regular meetings of the Jefferson County Quorum court were set for “the Monday, following the first Tuesday of each month, beginning at 5:30 pm. Regular committee meetings were scheduled for the first Tuesday of each month at 5:30 pm.”
A majority vote of the Quorum Court would be required to change the regular meeting day or location. However, the county judge is authorized to reschedule the Quorum Court’s regular and committee meetings in the event of public safety issues, holiday conflicts or public election conflicts.
The county judge or a majority (7) of the elected justices may call special meetings of the Quorum Court with 24 hours’ notice. A committee chair or two members of any committee may call a special meeting of the committee with 24-hour notice to its members and the press per A.C.A. 14-14-904(c)(1).
The full Quorum Court will hold a budget meeting to prepare and present a budget to the Quorum Court to appropriate funding for the upcoming year’s budget. All elected officials are required to submit their budget requests to the County Clerk’s office by Oct. 15 to allow time for review by the Finance and Budget Committee.
Any ordinance or amendment must be introduced by a justice of the peace, and requests for court action must have a sponsoring justice of the peace. Items with “super sponsorship of five or more sponsors shall be added to the next Quorum Court meeting agenda.” Items can bypass the committee with nine votes to suspend the rules. The county clerk or designee is responsible for preparing the agenda.
The Quorum Court has the authority to transfer an item to another committee by motion and majority vote.
The preparation of the Quorum Court agenda for all Quorum Court and committee meetings shall be the duty of the county clerk (Secretariat) or designee.
Every legislative or agenda item must bear the name of the sponsoring justice. The county clerk may accept verbal or written authorization from a sponsor to attach their name to the agenda item.
Committee chairs must entertain questions and comments from non-committee members, but only committee members can vote. The county judge appoints committee members.
When five or more JPs sign on to sponsor a legislative request, it shall be added to the most immediate Quorum Court agenda.
The Quorum Court may create any new committees as deemed necessary. The county judge shall appoint all committee members to all Quorum Court committees subject to the procedural rules outlined in the ordinance.
Each committee will consist of seven members; however, the Finance & Budget Committee will consist of all 13 members of the Quorum Court, upon consent of the county judge; otherwise, it will also consist of seven members.
Each Quorum Court committee will select its committee chairperson and assistant chairperson by majority vote. When a committee member is absent, the county judge may appoint a temporary member if a quorum is not present.
A JP may serve as chairperson of only one Quorum Court committee at a time.
No JP can serve on more than one additional committee than any other JP.
The last procedural ordinance successfully passed by the Jefferson County Quorum Court expired in December 2022.
In 2023 the procedural ordinance failed time after time as JPs wanted their version of the policy and procedures drafted during the Judicial Committee, which former Justice of the Peace Lloyd Franklin Jr. helped compose with nine other JPs before the committee was reconstructed with new members by Robinson.
The majority passed their version of the procedural ordinance in the summer of 2023, which Robinson called “illegal.”
Robinson filed a complaint on July 14, 2023, that the entire 13-member Quorum Court had not complied with state law requiring “conduct of the Quorum Court to enable the operation of the Quorum (Court) as the Legislative body for Jefferson County.”
After consulting with legal council, in 2024, the majority of the Quorum Court amended the policy and procedure ordinance and repassed it.
However, in January 2025, a special judge in the 11th West Circuit Court ruled in favor of Robinson, in a 17-month case against all 13 JPs, regarding the validity of meetings without an active ordinance on the rules of procedure.
Wright found that the Quorum Court violated Section 14-14-904 of Arkansas law, which states the justices “shall assemble and organize as a county quorum court body on the first regular meeting date after the beginning of the justices’ term in office” and that “the Quorum court of each county shall determine at the first regular meeting its rules of procedure.”
Viewing video evidence of the meeting in question, Wright wrote that the meeting displayed “utter chaos and discourse,” resulting in a failed attempt to pass the ordinance.
“(T)he justices of (the) peace present failed to follow basic procedure by attempting to waive formal reading of a proposed ordinance for purposes of placing the ordinance on second and third reading, and thereby allowing for the vote of the ordinance at the June 26, 2023, meeting,” Wright wrote. “At the time of the vote on the suspension of the rules there were only 7 members present in the body of Jefferson County Quorum court. The Court finds Arkansas law is clear that to suspend the rules of formal reading of the ordinance requires a 2/3 majority vote of approval by the Quorum Court as a whole, which would have required 9 members present and voting. The Court finds that the procedural ordinance, Ordinance 2023-5, was not properly presented and was not properly approved or enacted.”
This year, the Quorum Court voted to pass a procedural ordinance presented by Robinson with an expiration date of Feb. 28, 2025. After the expiration, an attempt to pass Robinson’s procedural ordinance failed earlier this month resulting in the passage of a revised procedural ordinance by the majority of the Quorum Court on Monday.
After the ordinance was passed, JP Williams raised a concern about the possibility of the county judge vetoing it. “The chances are we may get some sort of veto against this. And this, if we do, what is the number required to override,” she asked with eight as the response by the other JPs.
Williams suggested the members would need to be in solidarity if a veto arises, which it did.
In response to the special meeting and JP vote, Robinson, in an email sent out Thursday afternoon and addressed to the county clerk, wrote: “Out of an abundance of caution and because of numerous attempted violations of separation of authority and information violation, I hereby veto ordinance 2025-8.”
“This is another attempt by the seven… now eight justices to circumvent the county judge’s authority and go around the committee system,” Robinson said earlier in the day on Thursday. “I feel this is an attempt for them to run the county how they see fit and ruin the county financially by passing legislation to benefit their friends.”