FAYETTEVILLE -- The Washington County Quorum Court on Thursday voted to abolish its Finance & Budget Committee in a move that gives each justice of the peace a direct vote on spending and removes some of the county judge's influence over budget decisions.
Ten Quorum Court members approved the move near the end of a three-hour meeting covering a host of spending issues and proposals. Three justices were opposed, one abstained and one member was absent -- John Firmin, a Democrat from Fayetteville, abruptly resigned his position Thursday with a letter to the county judge citing "personal reasons and future obligations."
Meeting Information
Washington County Quorum Court
The Quorum Court, which has taken the place of the finance committee, will meet next on Tuesday, Aug. 11 at 5:30 p.m. Meetings are held in the Quorum Courtroom of the county courthouse at 280 N. College Ave. in Fayetteville.
The Finance Committee typically gets the first look at spending requests from the sheriff, Road Department and other departments throughout the year and oversees the annual process of cobbling together the roughly $60 million budget. Now those concerns would go to the full Quorum Court for consideration. Because no ordinance setting the arrangement was written for Thursday, one needs to be approved at the next meeting.
The move has no recent precedent and is the latest step in a two-year dispute between County Judge Marilyn Edwards and the Quorum Court over which members are part of the Finance Committee.
Last term, the committee comprised all 15 people on the Quorum Court. Edwards chose seven members for the committee earlier this year when the new term began, saying fewer people could make budget decisions with less pain and more speed than a full panel. Several justices objected, saying their primary role is to shepherd spending of taxpayers' money.
Harvey Bowman, a Springdale Republican, said Thursday they had to take a stand to wrangle that spending. He pointed to the county reserve that has fallen by millions since 2011, lawsuits against Edwards that could be costly and other financial concerns that have cropped up in recent months.
"We have the authority to exert our influence over county funds until these issues are resolved," Bowman said.
The vote doesn't change spending proposals' final destination: The full Quorum Court gets the final vote on anything passed along by committees no matter what. Two votes this week show the move could have a mixed impact in other ways.
Most of the Quorum Court was at the Finance Committee's previous meeting Monday; non-committee members often attend such meetings. The whole group discussed limiting the line item transfers departments could do in their budgets without coming to the Quorum Court, and many voiced support for the idea. But when committee member Lisa Ecke moved to adopt such limits, no one on the committee seconded the motion, and it died.
It would have passed if every justice had a vote, Tom Lundstrum, Republican of Elm Springs, said Thursday.
On the other hand, during Thursday's meeting the Quorum Court swatted down two measures giving several thousand new dollars to the University of Arkansas agricultural extension office and the county animal shelter, which the Finance Committee approved earlier this month.
Still, the move means more of the elected representatives will decide a proposal's fate when it first comes up. Not all were happy at the prospect.
"We've beat this poor old dead horse ever since this term started," said Ann Harbison, a West Fork Democrat and Edwards ally. She noted the Committee of the Whole didn't exist until a couple of years ago. Republican Bill Ussery and Democrat Daniel Balls joined her in opposing the move. Republican Butch Pond abstained.
"We didn't have these power-hungry people trying to be in charge all the time, and frankly I'm getting tired of it," Harbison said.
NW News on 07/17/2015