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Drew County Judge Jessie Griffin called the Drew County Quorum Court's July meeting to order at 6 p.m. Monday, July 13, with all justices of the peace present.
The court moved through a full agenda that included county finances, road projects, sanitation collections and a new process for organizations seeking county assistance. Justices of the peace also approved a series of appropriation ordinances, including $600,000 for the county's ongoing road improvement efforts and funding for a technology upgrade for the Drew County Sheriff's Office.
Griffin told members of the court that road expenses have outpaced what county officials originally anticipated, acknowledging the county did not adequately project how much the work would cost.
“I guess lack of vision for the future, what it's going to cost us,” Griffin said while discussing the road budget.
Griffin said the county has spent significantly more on roads than it had at the same point last year. However, he defended the work, noting road construction and maintenance costs are unlikely to decrease in the future.
“These roads need to be done and the cost next year will be higher than what they are this year,” Griffin said.
The $600,000 appropriation includes approximately $397,581 in funds coming into the county from several sources. Officials said those funds include $20,000 from the city of Monticello for work on Harris Road, a $157,500 Arkansas Game and Fish Commission grant, $129,624 in hazard mitigation funding and $90,457.50 in road department funds.
County officials clarified during the meeting that the nearly $398,000 is included in the $600,000 appropriation, not additional spending on top of it.
The remaining amount will come from county funds and is expected to help pay outstanding road expenses and complete additional planned projects.
Several roads were discussed during the meeting as part of the county's ongoing road work. Griffin said county crews and contractors have already completed work on a number of roads, while others remain on the county's project list.
The county has also begun using preventative road treatments, including chip seal and fog seal, in an effort to extend the life of roads before they deteriorate to the point that more expensive repairs are required.
Griffin said roads treated early enough with chip seal could potentially gain another six to eight years of useful life. Fog sealing has also been used on roads county officials believe are currently in good enough condition to benefit from preventative maintenance.
The court separately approved an additional $50,000 appropriation for gravel and emergency road materials.
Griffin said the road department is maintaining records showing how much gravel is purchased and where the material is used. In June alone, the county hauled more than 2,300 yards of gravel, according to information presented during the meeting.
In other action, the Quorum Court approved an appropriation connected to a nearly $97,000 highway safety grant for the Drew County Sheriff's Office.
The project will place computers, printers, scanners and related equipment in 13 patrol vehicles.
Sheriff Tim Nichols said the technology will allow deputies to complete accident reports, citations and other paperwork from their patrol units rather than repeatedly returning to the courthouse.
“This will keep deputies on the road,” Nichols said. “Keeps deputies in our communities.”
The system will also allow electronic crash reports to be transmitted to the state's crash repository and will provide deputies with access to additional reporting functions from their vehicles.
“This is moving us up to where we should have been 10 years ago,” Nichols told the court.
The grant totals approximately $97,000, with the county responsible for roughly $9,740. Nichols said the county's portion will come from the Sheriff's Communications Fund rather than County General funds.
Money in the communications fund has accumulated through commissary-related revenue, telephone funds and a portion of paper service revenue, according to Nichols.
Equipment is expected to arrive within approximately six weeks after being ordered, with installation included in the project cost.
The Quorum Court also heard a mid-year financial report showing county sales tax collections are slightly higher than at the same point last year.
County Treasurer Charlie Searcy reported approximately $1.84 million in collections from the county's 1-cent sales tax, compared with approximately $1.82 million at the same point in 2025. The county's quarter-cent sales tax had generated approximately $428,000 compared with $410,000 last year.
Searcy said investment interest rates are currently running between 3.5 percent and 4 percent on certificates of deposit and money market accounts.
While some county funds are showing larger negative balances compared with last year, Searcy attributed much of the difference to salary increases and sanitation equipment payments. A grant reimbursement connected to sanitation equipment is expected to bring those figures more in line later in the year.
The court also received an update from its sanitation committee concerning delinquent household trash accounts.
Committee Chairman Ben Higginbotham said they reviewed approximately 2,400 sanitation billing records and found about 42 percent of past-due accounts were three months or more delinquent. At least one account was approaching three years past due.
The county plans to separate delinquent accounts by JP district. Justices of the Peace will not be asked to personally collect the debts, Griffin stressed, but may be able to identify residents who have moved or died and whose accounts need to be corrected.
County officials are also continuing to work with the collector's office on eligible delinquent sanitation bills that can be placed on property tax statements.
A newly restructured county aid committee also announced a more formal process for organizations seeking financial assistance from Drew County.
Organizations will be asked to complete a submission form available through the Drew County clerk's office. The form requests basic information, the amount sought, and details about the organization's services to Drew County residents.
Applicants will also be asked to explain funding deficiencies, fundraising efforts, how county money would be used, and what services could be affected without additional funding. Two years of financial reports and a current budget will also be requested when available.
Committee Chair Sheila Maxwell said the changes are intended to create a fair and consistent process for every organization requesting county money.
“We're just trying to make sure that everything is kind of equal across the board,” Maxwell reported.
County Attorney Cliff Gibson also clarified that the county cannot simply give public money to an organization. Instead, the county must enter into a contract for services in exchange for funding.
“You're really not giving it,” Gibson explained. “You're contracting in exchange for the services.”
Organizations receiving county funds will be required to enter into a contract outlining services and financial reporting requirements.
The committee encouraged local organizations interested in requesting county assistance this year to contact the county clerk's office for information about the new process.
The Quorum Court also approved budget adjustments for workers' compensation expenses, circuit and district court accounts, courthouse maintenance and service contracts, courthouse office supplies, tree removal expenses and road department advertising.
County officials additionally announced that Drew County had received $13,425 for improvements connected to the local farmers market, including a bathroom project.
Griffin used the announcement to encourage local fire departments and other county organizations to work with the county's grant writer to seek available funding.
He noted that numerous fire departments from across Arkansas had received grant checks and said Drew County officials are willing to help local departments pursue similar opportunities.
“We're willing at the county level to assist them in anything they need to get a grant, but we've got to have the information from them to get it done,” Griffin said.
A special election for Senate District 1 is scheduled for Aug. 18, with early voting beginning approximately one week before Election Day.
County Clerk Stephanie Chisom said polling locations will be available on Election Day, although the Tillar polling location is not expected to open because the area is not included in Senate District 1.
Chisom also cautioned that additional election funding could be needed before the end of the year. While much of the election expense is reimbursed by the state, the county must initially have funds available to pay those costs.
With no further business, the Drew County Quorum Court adjourned until its August meeting.
