TEXARKANA - Texarkana Mayor Wayne Smith said he no longer will be seeking the position of Miller County tax collector.
Instead, he said he wants to serve the rest of his term as mayor, which ends Dec. 31. This is the fourth year of his first term as mayor, and he said he intends to seek re-election in November.
In January, Smith said he would be running for the Miller County tax collector position, which was left open after Melissa Barnes resigned. Earlier this month, Barnes pleaded guilty to stealing payments made by Miller County residents toward property or other taxes and using a county-issued Sam’s Club credit card to buy $11,887.32 in gas, food and prepaid debit cards that she used for personal benefit.
The tax collector’s position pays $38,933 per year.
As mayor, Smith does not get a salary but has a city-provided cellphone and is reimbursed for mileage on city business.
When he announced his bid for tax collector, Smith said he was not motivated by the salary and expressed frustration with his office.
Arkansas, Pages 12 on 02/24/2014