Robert Anderson started Monday night’s quorum court meeting with a complaint he first brought three months ago. Anderson, who owns R&R Towing in Green Forest, said Sheriff Jim Ross had removed his company from the county’s rotating list of tow companies. Because the county dispatches for Berryville and Green Forest, Anderson said he does not get calls from those cities, either.
Anderson said Ross removed him from the tow list because of an encounter he had with a deputy, but he was in his personal vehicle at the time, not his tow truck. Anderson said even if his offense merited removal from the list, that suspension should only have lasted 15 days according to the Arkansas Towing and Recovery Board. “I’ve been off the list since June, and things are slow,” he said. Anderson explained that he remains on the approved list for the Arkansas State Police.
Some justices of the peace expressed sympathy, but they also explained that they had little recourse. As JP Don McNeely said, “It’s hard for JPs to tell an elected official what to do.” JPs asked Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Thomas Allgood to look into the legalities, and he promised to report back to them.
Keeping roads ridable costs money
With a very light agenda, the JPs passed a resolution in support of the ballot issue to maintain a one-half percent statewide sales tax for roads. The tax is due to expire in 2023, and JP Larry Swofford explained that the question appears now on the ballot because only one more election would remain before the sunset date for the tax. He also noted that road projects are often planned several years in advance. The county currently receives about $500,000 annually in turnback funds from this tax.
JP Harrie Farrow questioned the need for a constitutional amendment. She said the high state sales tax rate makes it more difficult for counties to consider passing a sales tax. Farrow also said Arkansas should raise fuel taxes and vehicle registration fees before considering a sales tax.
In other business:
- Circuit Clerk Ramona Wilson has announced her intention to retire early, at the end of the year. Her term still has two years remaining, and the JPs discussed the procedure for filling that vacancy. Swofford, serving as chairman in the absence of County Judge Sam Barr, said JPs will fill that vacancy by advertising the position and setting a date for interviews. The deputy clerk who Wilson has designated as a potential replacement will have to go through the same interview process.
- At the Carroll County Health Unit, health workers will see a small but significant facilities improvement. The quorum court approved $3,300 to install a permanent canopy for outdoor testing and drive-through flu shots. JP Matt Phillips said the Health Unit has relied on tents that have to be set up for each event.
- Swofford recommended creating a spot in the agenda for committee reports. He said committees that had nothing to report would just skip over that session, but other committees could update the full quorum court without having to reserve a spot on the agenda.
- This meeting was held in the fellowship hall at Southern Heights Baptist Church. JP Chuck Olson expressed the quorum court’s appreciation for the venue. Recent quorum court meetings have been held at the Road Department, to achieve social distancing, but the large garage bay was noisy and would have been hard to heat.
- JP Jack Deaton said the county has not had to use many Covid hours.
- Deaton thanked the budget committee for efforts in preparing a draft budget, which he promised to have on the table for the November meeting.