The last quorum court meeting of the year began on a somber note Monday evening, with a moment of silence for Tax Collector Kay Phillips-Brown who passed earlier in the day. Phillips-Brown had held that position since1987.
A special meeting is set for Dec. 30, to declare a vacancy in the position. Justice of the Peace Chuck Olson said the personnel committee will meet early in the new year to discuss filling the office.
The remainder of a short meeting dealt primarily with a series of resolutions to approve appointments to various county boards. County Clerk Connie Doss had discovered that library boards within the county were not submitting new board members for approval by the county judge and the quorum court. During the comments period at the end of the meeting, JP Harrie Farrow said she appreciated Doss’s efforts to “keep everything in tip-top order.”
Tyler Squires was appointed to the Berryville Library Board to fill an open position. He was approved for a full five-year term.
JPs approved the reappointment of Joyce Kolb to a five-year term on the Green Forest Library Board beginning in 2022. Judy Horton will complete a term ending in December 2024.
Joe Hill was approved to replace Dr. Ty Burden on the Eureka Springs Library Board. His term will expire at the end of 2023.
Willie Daniels was approved for a three-year term on the Lake Forest Subordinate Service District. Mac McGowen was approved for a three-year term on the Sylvan Shores SSD, and Kathy Beahm was reappointed to another three-year term on The Bluffs at Jackson Cove SSD.
In 1978, the Carroll County Airport Commission was formed with five members, serving five-year terms. Somewhere between that date and 1995, the commission began operating with seven commissioners, serving seven-year terms. An ordinance was passed Monday night to reflect the current make-up of the board.
In other business:
- JP John Howerton, who represents the quorum court at meetings of the Airport Commission, told the other JPs that they would soon hear of land acquisition plans at the airport. He explained that the commission would hire a company to deal with landowners. The Federal Aviation Administration will reimburse those costs, but the county may have to cover some costs temporarily.
- JPs passed the second and third readings of an ordinance authorizing a payment of $1,700 to the Northwest Arkansas Economic Development as local matching funds for 2022. The NWAED helps the county with grants.
- JPs approved the second and third readings of a routine ordinance approving and levying the county, municipal, and school tax millages. The ordinance also sets the voluntary contribution millage. Another routine ordinance, passed on its second and third readings, set the salaries of county elected officials.
- The quorum court has met at 5 p.m. on the third Monday of the month for years, and that schedule will continue in 2022. As in previous years, the January and February meetings will move back a week because of holidays. The meeting which would fall on Jan. 17 will move to Jan. 24, and the Feb. 21 date will move to Feb. 28.