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The Baxter County Quorum Court will take up eight new business items at its regular session Tuesday, including a resolution seeking federal aid for a bridge replacement and an emergency ordinance to repeal an interlocal agreement with the city of Mountain Home.
The meeting is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. April 7 in the second-floor courtroom of the Baxter County Courthouse. County Judge Kevin Litty will preside.
Bridge replacement
Among the most significant items on the agenda is a resolution expressing the county’s willingness to use federal aid for the Bennetts Bayou Bridge replacement on County Road 46. The bridge is designated as Structure No. 23811.
Under the proposed resolution, the Arkansas Department of Transportation would provide federal funds covering 90% of the bridge replacement cost. The county would be responsible for the remaining 10% local share.
ArDOT has agreed to fund a feasibility study through an on-call consultant. The study would include preliminary engineering for conceptual-level plans and a planning-level cost estimate.
Interlocal agreement repeal
Justices of the peace will also consider an emergency ordinance to repeal Ordinance No. 2025-60, which established an interlocal agreement between the county and the city for disbursement of district court accounting records and support of county-level programming.
The proposed ordinance states that new information indicates the city is no longer involved in or responsible for disbursing second-class district court accounting records. It declares the continued existence of the agreement unnecessary and calls for immediate termination.
The emergency clause cites administrative confusion as the basis for fast-tracking the repeal.
Road equipment, airport grants
The Road and Bridge Department is requesting $150,000 in carryover funds from the Road and Bridge Fund for the purchase of a tandem roller for road maintenance.
A separate ordinance would transfer $96,062.84 from the Baxter County Airport Fund into the Airport Grants Fund. The money would be split between two projects: $49,744.84 for a Clear Span 80X60 grant and $46,318 for a six-bay open T-hangar grant.
Budget items
Two re-appropriation ordinances address prior-year bookkeeping. One would re-appropriate funds from the 2025 budget as part of a state-mandated clean-up under Ordinance No. 2024-53. That measure covers more than a dozen departments, including the 10th Judicial District Court, the County Jail, the Sheriff’s Office, the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office and the County Coroner.
A second re-appropriation would correct Workers’ Compensation deficits across multiple department Personal Services budgets. The ordinance attributes the shortfalls to premium increases and adjustments that were not fully anticipated during the budget process.
The court will also consider appropriating $6,412.02 in fees and reimbursements collected by the Sheriff’s Office during February. That total includes $2,213.67 in installment fees, $1,485 in Act 770 fees and $800 in donation checks, among other items.
Other business
Justices of the peace will hear a presentation from Kim Crow-Sheaner of the Baxter County Library and receive reports from Treasurer Jenay Mize and Budget Committee Chairman Dennis Frank.
A resolution confirming the re-appointment of Richard Hytinen to the Clarkridge Volunteer Fire Department Board of Commissioners is also on the agenda. Hytinen’s three-year term would expire in March 2029. Justice of the Peace M. McDonald of District 2 is listed as the sponsor.
Chief Deputy Clerk Tara Rowe will serve as secretary for the meeting in place of County Clerk Canda J. Reese, who will be attending a clerks’ conference.
