The quorum court met Monday night with a very brief agenda. Justices of the peace had already held a special meeting on Jan. 4 to set meeting times and decided at that time to retain the recent meeting date, the third Monday of the month.
That schedule had to change for holidays in January and February, with Martin Luther King Day falling on the third Monday in January, and Presidents’ Day on the third Monday in February. In those two months, the meeting moved back one week. On Jan. 4, the JPs moved the start time for meetings from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m., in an attempt to avoid space conflicts with Circuit Court.
At Monday night’s meeting, JPs considered an ordinance returning the start time to 5 p.m. “We rattled this all over the place last time,” JP Jack Deaton said, referring to the Jan. 4 discussion. Circuit Court is held on Mondays, and a heavy docket can sometimes extend past 5 p.m. In addition, a deputy prosecuting attorney attends quorum court meetings to advise the JPs, and a DPA could face a conflict between his duties in circuit court and his responsibility to the quorum court.
The discussion on time and place took a detour through some related issues. Meetings at the Berryville courthouse were videoed, but recent meetings held in the Fellowship Hall at Southern Heights Baptist Church have not been videoed. County Clerk Connie Doss said she keeps an audio record of each meeting, in accordance with state law.
In addition to the difficulties of setting up video equipment at this temporary meeting location, social distancing adds to technical problems. The county has an ordinance in place requiring video of meetings, but the state passed legislation allowing adjustments for the Covid crisis.
The ordinance sets the schedule for the next two years, although several JPs mentioned circumstances that could lead to a reconsideration of the meeting dates and times. All approved returning to the 5 p.m. start time for meetings. The ordinance sets the official meeting place as the Berryville courthouse, but a section of the ordinance allows JPs “to move its location to another appropriate facility in the event of a County or State emergency such as the current Covid 19 pandemic.”
In other business:
- During public comments, Mark Blossom introduced himself as a long-time resident of District 4 and put his name forward as a candidate for the JP vacancy in that district. He was advised to contact the governor’s office, since the governor will name someone to fill that position.
- A bill working its way through the legislature will likely allow quorum courts to continue meeting by Zoom during Covid conditions.
- JPs appropriated money for a new laptop and software for the circuit clerk, to increase communication between the eastern and western district courthouses. The laptop may also become a critical tool in case of quarantines.