It took the Baxter County Quorum Court eight minutes Tuesday evening to approve two new ordinances to address what County Judge Mickey Pendergrass has described as a “glitch” with the recently passed sales tax initiatives for funding expansion and operation of the county jail.
Karen Hopper has the story.
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An alternate tax collection schedule was needed after the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration notified county officials collection of a sales tax at a local jurisdiction may only begin and end on a calendar quarter. Collection of the new one percent sales tax will be shortened to six months from eight and will run from April 1, 2018 through September 30, 2018. The ongoing one-quarter of one percent sales and use tax for continued jail operation expenses will now begin January 1, 2019.
With justices Colonel Bill Lucas and Marilyn Williamson absent, the court with no discussion voted to suspend the rules and place the two proposed ordinanances on the required three readings before moving to adopt them unanimously.
In the remaining 20 minutes of the meeting devoted to new business, the court moved through 11 additional agenda items, including two resolutions added after the meeting conveyned.
The court gave its unanimous approval to two ordinances that will take an area from the Henderson Area Fire Protection District and move it into Hand Cove Fire Protection District to ensure each district’s fire station is within five miles of the other district’s border to maintain their ISO ratings for mutual aid. The change was necessitated by amended ISO requirements.
Changes to the county’s recently adopted personnel policy manual involving pay schedules for county employees moving to vacant positions and the travel policy were placed on second reading and the proposed addition of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day to the county’s paid holidays was placed on its first reading.
Four resolutions were approved involving volunteer fire protection district board of commissioners.
Jim Whittington’s appointment was confirmed to the Buford Board, along with Pamela Syfrett’s re-appointment. The re-appointments of Gene Carson, James Higgins and James Witherington were confirmed to the Midway Board. The re-appointments of John Meissner and Jim Smakal were confirmed to the Grover Township Board, and Fred Hosmer was appointed to fill a vacancy on the Grover Township Board with the resignation of Adam Brazas.
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