The Quorum Court took only 15 minutes to dispose of a light agenda Monday night. All 11 justices of the peace voted unanimously for the three items on the agenda, and only one item even provoked any discussion. JPs were asked to vote on a resolution authorizing County Judge Sam Barr to renew a line of credit for the Carroll County Airport Commission.
JP Lamont Richie explained that the CCAC had taken out a loan in 2013 to cover the airport’s matching funds for a grant to build new hangars at the airport. At the time, the county guaranteed the loan. The CCAC anticipated that leasing the new hangars would generate funds to repay the loan, but contention between members of the CCAC and prospective leasers left some hangars unoccupied.
The CCAC has been repaying the county at the rate of $1,000 per month, and Richie said the remaining $25,000 should be fully repaid within the two-year term specified in the resolution.
After the meeting, Barr explained to the Independent that he had received conflicting opinions on whether he had the authority to extend the line of credit himself. He said he brought the question to the table because, “Any time you make the county responsible for a debt, it’s common courtesy to let the quorum court know.”
Other agenda items included authorizing $4,000 for legal advice to draft ballot language for a requested millage to support a new ambulance district in eastern Carroll County. JPs also voted to accept a $5,000 grant from All-American Calendars to help the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office obtain a new drug dog, and a $4,500 grant from the Northwest Arkansas Economic Development District to upgrade the firing range at the CCSO.
During JP comments, JP Marty Johnson mentioned that some of the body armor at the CCSO is 20 years old, and he proposed purchasing 32 new vests for a total of $19,000, and an additional 20 vests rated to stop a rifle bullet, at a total of $14,000. Johnson said he would seek a grant, but hoped the quorum court would make the funds available if he could not find grant money.
The budget committee will meet at 3 p.m. on Oct. 6 at Cornerstone Bank in Berryville.