FAYETTEVILLE -- Washington County's justices of the peace approved calling for a Nov. 3 special election on the sale of liquor by the drink in parts of Prairie Grove.
"Now I can go get a drink," Justice of the Peace Willie Leming, whose District 13 includes parts of Prairie Grove, said after the ordinance was approved.
The referendum was sought by the city and state law required the Quorum Court approve an ordinance to place it on the ballot. Prairie Grove's City Council approved Aug. 17 requesting county approval. The city specifies the vote "would only allow liquor by the drink in the wet areas of Prairie Grove."
Arkansas law permits counties to allow liquor sales, commonly called "wet" counties or to prohibit liquor sales, commonly called "dry" counties. State law also allows for exceptions allowing cities and townships in wet counties prohibit liquor sales. According to the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration website, Washington County is a wet county with exceptions for the Cane Hill, Crawford, Greenland, Price, Starr Hill, Valley, West Fork, White River, Winslow and Vineyard townships and the cities of Prairie Grove and Farmington.
According to Arkansas law, all qualified electors in the city will be eligible to vote in the election, including those who live in the "dry" areas.
The justices of the peace spent much of Thursday's meeting debated a measure removing money for six positions approved in the 2020 budget for the Sheriff's Office. The measure was read three times but failed to garner enough votes to pass on the third reading and will remain on the Quorum Court's agenda for September.
Sheriff Tim Helder hasn't filled those six positions in the county jail since measures were undertaken to reduce the jail population to minimize the risk of the covid-19 virus spreading in the facility. The jail's daily population exceeded 800 in late February and has been cut in half through the use of felony citations, lower bond amounts, electronic monitoring and other programs. Helder told the Quorum Court's Finance and Budget Committee earlier this month he wouldn't fill the positions while the jail population remains low, but said he was concerned about the time needed to go through the Quorum Court for approval again if the money was removed from his budget.
Patrick Deakins, justice of the peace for District 5, sponsored the ordinance. Deakins said he wants the county to have the flexibility to reallocate the $144,057 for other uses if needed. Deakins said the county has just received a report from the Nation Center for State Courts on the county's criminal justice system and he hopes the recommendations in the report will help the county keep the jail population low.
"I don't want to go back to the way things were," Deakins said.
Other justices of the peace thought it prudent to keep the money in the budget in case it is needed in the near future. Ann Harbison, justice of the peace for district 14, pointed out the jail is largely funded through a dedicated .25% sales tax and that money can't be used for other purposes.
"This is money that's not really ours," Harbison said.
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Permits
Washington County’s Quorum Court on Thursday approved a permit for the U.S. 412 Dollar General Store, just east of Springdale, and another for Orellana’s Auto Sales at 17204 E. U.S. 412. Both permits were approved by the Planning and Zoning Board on July 23. Property in unincorporated Washington County is zoned for agricultural or single-family residential use. Any other use requires the property owner to obtain a permit.
Source: Washington County