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Baxter County’s Quorum Court will be meeting for its regularly scheduled monthly meeting this evening at 6 p.m. at the Baxter County Courthouse.
This month’s court agenda will place a heavy emphasis on appropriating funds to various budgets, while also appointing several people to various boards. The court will also receive a presentation from Kim Crow-Sheaner and the Baxter County Library.
Ordinances for the night
The first ordinance of the night will handle the usual reimbursement of fees to the Baxter County Sheriff’s Office for the month of February. The ordinance will appropriate $5,234.48 to the Sheriff’s 2023 budget.
A total of $1,850 of that will come from the county’s general fund to cover basic supplies and fuel for the Sheriff’s Office. A cool $2,675.23 will be appropriated from the Sheriff’s Special Projects Fund to cover computer services.
Some $709.25 will come from the County Jail Fund for cover medicine, drugs and dental charges.
The next ordinance of the night will see the court appropriate $1,500 from the County General Fund into OEM’s 2023 budget to pay for the costs of renting a repeater tower for emergency purposes.
Following that ordinance, the court will move to appropriate $18,636.36 into the county treasurer’s budget to cover the funding for a permanent part time position. The money will cover that position’s salary, social security, retirement, work compensation and unemployment benefits.
In addition to funding a new part time position, the court will also transfer funds from the County General Fund into the Public Defender Fund in the amount of $21,985.19. The court will also re-appropriate those funds into the Public Defender Budget for 2023.
This money will go towards funding the full-time secretary position that Prosecuting Attorney David Ethridge requested several months ago.
One of the bigger ordinances for the night will cover the fulfilling of a state-mandated budget clean up. The funds for this ordinance are being re-appropriated from the county’s 2022 budget.
To start, $532.47 will go towards health insurance for Baxter County Judge Kevin Litty, as well as an additional $618.29 in travel reimbursements.
For the Baxter County Election Commission, $782.99 will go towards paying for extra help. For the county’s recycling project, $651.97 and $582 will go towards extra help.
Human Resources will receive $1,312.57. The County’s Maintenance Shop will receive $329.81 and Household Hazardous Waste will receive $161.54.
The Baxter County Sheriff’s Office will receive a total of $31,557.91 to cover salaries. The 10th Judicial Circuit Court will receive $1,505.37 to cover the cost of extra help. Juvenile Services will receive $20,733.44 to cover salary expenses.
Ethridge’s office will receive an additional $3,889.72 to cover salary costs as well.
The Sheriff’s Traffic Enforcement Project Grant will receive some $3,902.94. That money will go to cover salary costs as well. OEM will take in $680.65 for salaries and the county’s fire departments will receive $672.20.
The county’s 911 telecommunications fund will receive $1,081.42. That money is entitled to a state-match grant. The Baxter County Airport will receive $889.10.
Animal Control will receive a hefty amount of appropriated money for the night, receiving $28,516.10 in funding for the evening. The county’s Road and Bridge department will receive the most funding for the evening, with some $180,543.84 being appropriated in funding. The County Road and Bridge 2003 Motor Fuel Tax budget will receive $78,236.89.
The county’s Detention Center budget will be appropriated $6,389 in funding. The county’s 911 Department will also be appropriated $27,698.29. Finally, the County Jail budget will receive $98,547.80.
The night will be wrapped up with the appointment of Martin Oreschnigg to the Baxter County Planning Board, Tom Frase to the Cotter/Gassville Rural Fire Protection District Board and Jack Coy to the Buford Volunteer Fire Department Board of Commissioners.
