At the Oct. 21 quorum court meeting, County Judge David Writer called for public comments, but no one approached the courtroom rail. For the past two years, the public comment section of the agenda provided a forum for those objecting to the wind-turbine development south of Green Forest. While towers have begun to appear above the landscape on that project, a moratorium will prevent or delay any other major wind or solar projects.
At the Sept. 16 quorum court meeting, Justice of the Peace Hunter Rivett had asked to add an item to the agenda regarding the duties of JPs to maintain their email correspondence as public records. Changing the agenda at a quorum court meeting requires unanimous approval, and Rivett was unable to convince all the other JPs that they should treat this issue as an emergency.
Last week, Rivett had this item on the agenda, and he explained his concerns. Each JP is subject to requests under the Freedom of Information Act for emails and other records. Rivett asked for clarification on which emails and records must be kept. He suggested using .gov domains for all county entities. Rivett also suggested that an incoming JP could benefit by having access to his predecessor’s emails.
“We’ve suffered a lot of headaches over what was emailed in the past,” Rivett said. “Some structure would make it easier for all involved.”
The other JPs did not respond favorably to Rivett’s suggestions, and Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Steven Simmons said, “I think you’re opening a can of worms here.” Simmons asked whether a JP with access to his predecessor’s emails would be expected to use those emails to influence his decision.
In other business:
- David Blankenship had been appointed in June by the governor to fill a vacancy in District 1, which includes the Holiday Island area. His term was scheduled to run through 2026, but Blankenship died Sept. 25. JPs officially declared a vacancy, and the governor will be asked to appoint a replacement.
- County Clerk Connie Doss reported on upgrades to election equipment, made possible by an election security grant of $50,000. Doss said she has purchased two fireproof filing cabinets for election records that the county must retain. Everything saved in those cabinets has also been digitized. The grant also provided for three fireproof cabinets to hold the tablets used by poll workers. Solar-powered portable power stations will provide emergency power in case a power outage or flood threatens voting procedures. The grant funds also paid for security training. Doss mentioned that Green Forest will have an early-voting site for a special election in November.
- JPs passed the second and third readings of an ordinance to alter the financial structure of the Sylvan Shores Subordinate Service District. The assessment on each lot will increase from $250 to $600 per year for road maintenance. The ordinance also established rates for the SSD’s water system.
- National 4-H Week was celebrated Oct. 5-11, and Writer issued a proclamation to encourage everyone to recognize the significant impact of 4-H. JPs heard a presentation from several 4-H members, describing their personal or group accomplishments. The county partially funds the 4-H program, which includes 138 young people in 10 different clubs.
- Funds from county general were used to pay the $12,000 cost of a new air-handling unit at the Detention Center. Last week, those funds were repaid to county general from the Detention Center’s funds.
- An ordinance updated the county’s employee handbook regarding deadlines for submitting employee time sheets. The procedural changes will take effect in 2026.