FAYETTEVILLE -- The Washington County Animal Shelter must wait at least 10 days for money its director says it needs to stay running at full speed.
The Quorum Court failed to approval to a proposal increasing the shelter's $626,000 budget by another $20,000 to cover cleaning supplies, medical procedures and other supplies through the end of the year. The money would come from the circuit clerk, who offered to cover the support with money in his budget.
Meeting information
Washington County Quorum Court committees
• When: 5:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 31
• Where: Quorum Courtroom of the county courthouse, 280 N. College Ave. in Fayetteville
Thursday was the proposal's second reading, and for it to get to its third and final reading and pass once and for all, it needed 10 votes from the 15 member panel. It fell one short, with three members voting against, two others not present and one justice of the peace position vacant.
County Judge Marilyn Edwards said the measure will come up one last time Aug. 31, when two Quorum Court committees are also scheduled to meet. It then needs a simple majority and will pass if its votes hold steady.
"I'm sorry it's taking so much time to get it through, but it will get through," said Rick Cochran, a Republican who represents District 7 west of Fayetteville and supports the proposal. Republicans Joe Patterson, Sharon Lloyd and Tom Lundstrum opposed moving the measure to its last reading Thursday.
If Cochran's right, the Quorum Court will put to rest a recurrent controversy arising in early July, when shelter director Angela Ledgerwood requested about $36,000 for the supplies and other expenses. The shelter's budget for this year was cut by that amount, and Ledgerwood said she couldn't squeeze the dollars anymore unless she started turning away stray or unwanted cats and dogs.
The Quorum Court eventually cleared $10,500 of that request. Circuit Clerk Kyle Sylvester offered to help make up much of the rest, but doing so needs Quorum Court approval. A majority voted for the move Aug. 11 but didn't clear the two-thirds requirement to approve it outright.
The three Republicans opposed Thursday voted without comment, but they've all said county spending needs to stay under control. Lundstrum has repeatedly said the shelter costs more than advertised, pegging the true cost nearer $800,000 thanks to animal control services from the Sheriff's Office and help from other departments.
"Doggone it, we have a checkbook that we need to balance," Republican Harvey Bowman of Springdale said at the Aug. 11 meeting, when he voted against the measure. Bowman and Republican Lisa Ecke were out of town Thursday, Edwards said.
Thursday's meeting was calmer than the vote last month, when scores of shelter supporters turned out. A few residents voiced their disappointment the money had become such an ordeal.
"Once again we're here discussing something that should've been settled weeks ago," said Mike Emery, a former worker at the shelter. "The citizens of Washington County do in fact support the shelter and want to see it run and maintained properly."
Much of the rest of the meeting was for housekeeping, rubber-stamping proposals that essentially had already been agreed on in the last month.
The Quorum Court updated its committee ordinance to dissolve the Finance Committee and send all money questions to the entire legislative body. It approved small pay incentives for Sheriff's Office deputies that earn certain training certificates, common practice for local law enforcement but a first for the county.
It also recognized the vacancy in District 11 after Democrat John Firmin's resignation, allowing Gov. Asa Hutchinson to appoint someone to the seat for the rest of the two-year term.
NW News on 08/21/2015