CONWAY -- The Faulkner County Quorum Court is expected to consider budget proposals for the coming year Tuesday night after instructing county offices to slash their fiscal plans for the coming year.
The Quorum Court's instructions originally took into account its decision to sequester $1.28 million for unspecified future needs; some have suggested capital improvements such as jail construction. At the start of a Finance Committee meeting Wednesday night, though, committee members recommended the Quorum Court set aside $1 million instead.
If the Quorum Court approves the smaller savings, county offices would have a total of $280,000 more to spend. But office heads did not know of the extra money when they prepared their budget proposals.
David Hogue, the county's civil attorney, said Thursday that he expected the county administrator, Tom Anderson, to notify county office heads of the change.
With little discussion of any details, budget proposals sailed through the Finance Committee one after another Wednesday night. Among those recommended for approval was the Office of Emergency Management proposal, which did not include any proposed salary cuts or layoffs, Hogue said.
That office has been under scrutiny in recent months because of sexual harassment allegations against its director, Shelia Bellott, by four employees, two of whom have filed a federal lawsuit against her, Anderson, County Judge Jim Baker and the county.
The meeting slowed when Circuit Judge Troy Braswell, who presides over Faulkner County Juvenile Court, stepped forward to discuss that court's budget, which he had not cut.
Braswell said Friday that he would have to cut about $72,000 to meet the committee's demand, based on what Anderson told him earlier in the day. Doing so, he said, would mean laying off two juvenile-court employees.
"I cannot in good conscience submit a budget that cuts at least two positions," Braswell said.
During Wednesday night's meeting, Braswell cautioned that cuts to juvenile court ultimately would mean increased costs to other agencies such as the sheriff's office and more adult offenders if the county doesn't focus attention on young offenders before they become repeat, hardened offenders.
If the juvenile court is stripped down, Braswell said, he fears the county will see more crime by young people.
"We have serious drug abuse in this community that we've got to address, and the best time to do [that] is in the juvenile" stage, Braswell said.
Circuit Judge Charles Clawson, who presides over another judicial division in the county, said he would try to cut a little more from his own office's budget and, if so, could give that to juvenile court to help out.
Also, Braswell said Circuit Judge Chris Carnahan had decided he did not need a law clerk -- a decision unrelated to budgetary problems. Braswell said Carnahan thought the juvenile court perhaps could use that savings.
But the committee chairman, John Pickett, said the panel wasn't going to allow "side deals."
"I'm not asking for a side deal or anything nefarious," Braswell said. "This is about doing what's right," he said later.
Pickett told Braswell to submit a reduced budget proposal before tonight's committee meeting.
In an interview Friday, Braswell said, "I would hope that the budget committee would show more concern for retaining county employees," especially when another judge has turned money back to the county.
"Instead, the discussion seems to be, either you cut them or we will," Braswell said.
Hogue said he understood Braswell's problem.
"They [were] asking him to cut more money than he has in operation expenses," Hogue said.
Sheriff Tim Ryals also had concerns about cuts. He said the sheriff's office was already "at a critical state" when it came to patrol deputies, detention officers and dispatchers. They are over-stressed, he said, and turnover is happening at an "incredible" rate, which costs the county money as it must keep training new hires.
Ryals said he needs more positions.
Justice of the Peace Dan Thessing told Ryals that the sheriff's words were not "falling on deaf ears" and to "be patient."
Still, like Braswell, Ryals was told to prepare a reduced budget proposal by today.
State Desk on 12/18/2017