[0:00] Good evening. I'd like to call to order the Thursday, July 23rd, 2026,
[0:04] meeting of the Benton County Quorum Court. Will the court please call the roll?
[0:08] Jeff Dunn.
[0:09] Here.
[0:09] Ken Farmer.
[0:10] Here.
[0:10] Richard McKean.
[0:12] Here.
[0:13] Mike Miller.
[0:13] Here.
[0:14] Carrie Smith.
[0:15] Present.
[0:16] Brian Armas.
[0:17] Here.
[0:19] Sorry. Yep. I was a little short to the gun there.
[0:24] Joseph Bolinger.
[0:26] Brian's not here, but I'm here. Yeah.
[0:29] I'm not sure about that.
[0:33] Joel Jones.
[0:35] Joel Jones is here.
[0:37] Jacob Jensen.
[0:38] Here.
[0:39] Danny McCracken.
[0:40] Here.
[0:40] Dustin Todd.
[0:41] Here.
[0:42] John Risler.
[0:43] Here.
[0:44] Kurt Moore.
[0:45] Here.
[0:45] Bethany Rosenbaum.
[0:46] Here.
[0:47] Lucas Poynter.
[0:48] Here.
[0:49] That's 14 present.
[0:50] All right. Thank you. Will you please rise with me for our prayer tonight by
[0:54] Barry Tubbs, who's with Word of Life Fellowship, followed by our
[0:58] Pledge of Allegiance.
[1:00] Well, Lord, we love you. We thank you for this opportunity to gather together
[1:04] to help this city and this county. I ask and believe in Jesus' name,
[1:08] according to James 1, that you give us wisdom.
[1:10] Wisdom to lead well and lead for others.
[1:14] We thank you for all that you've done for us, all you will do for us.
[1:18] Thank you for blessing this area, this county, and this group of men and women as
[1:22] they try to lead. In Jesus' name, amen.
[1:24] Amen. Amen.
[1:25] That good?
[1:25] Yeah, that was perfect. Thank you. Thank you, Barry.
[1:29] I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of
[1:33] America, and to the republic for which it stands,
[1:37] one nation under God, indivisible, with
[1:40] liberty and justice for all.
[1:48] Yeah. It's quick.
[1:51] Well, nice and short.
[1:54] So you get the folks talking publicly.
[1:56] Get the-
[1:56] All right.
[1:58] Welcome, everyone. We'll move forward in the agenda.
[2:00] Item number five, changes to the agenda. I'm not aware of any changes tonight.
[2:05] No changes? Okay, thank you. We'll move on to item number six, disposition of the
[2:09] minutes of the June 30th, 2026, Quorum Court meeting.
[2:15] Justice Rosenbaum?
[2:16] I'll make a motion to approve the minutes.
[2:18] Second.
[2:19] Got a motion by Justice Rosenbaum, second by Justice Bolinger regarding the minutes
[2:22] from the June 30th meeting. Is there any further discussion about the minutes?
[2:27] Hearing none, will the court please call the roll?
[2:29] Jeff Dunn.
[2:30] Yes.
[2:30] Ken Farmer.
[2:31] Yes.
[2:31] Richard McKean.
[2:32] Yes.
[2:33] Mike Miller.
[2:34] Yes.
[2:34] Carrie Smith.
[2:35] Yes.
[2:35] Brian Armas.
[2:37] Joseph Bolinger.
[2:38] Yes.
[2:39] Joel Jones.
[2:40] Yes.
[2:40] Jacob Jensen.
[2:41] Yes.
[2:42] Danny McCracken.
[2:43] Yes.
[2:43] Dustin Todd.
[2:44] Yes.
[2:45] John Risler.
[2:46] Yes.
[2:46] Kurt Moore.
[2:47] Yes.
[2:47] Bethany Rosenbaum.
[2:49] Yes.
[2:49] Lucas Poynter.
[2:50] Yes.
[2:50] 14 yays, one absent.
[2:52] Thank you for that vote. Moving on in the agenda, item number seven, elected
[2:55] officials' reports. Um, I see, um, Chief,
[2:58] anything from the sheriff's office tonight?
[3:00] Okay. Betsy, anything from the clerk's office?
[3:03] I have a couple of things. A municipal filing period will begin
[3:07] next Wednesday at noon. That will run, uh, July 29th
[3:11] through August 5th at noon. That's a Wednesday to Wednesday.
[3:14] Equalization Board, um, will have its organizational meeting on,
[3:19] uh, August 3rd at 8:30, and they do have appointments already
[3:23] scheduled for the remainder of the day.
[3:25] Um, and then just an update that I forgot to do in June.
[3:29] Every June 1st, we send a certification to the secretary of state
[3:33] certifying the number of registered voters in Benton County.
[3:37] We have topped 200,000 at
[3:39] 200,848. Puts us about
[3:42] 30,000 behind Pulaski County and about 50,000 ahead of Washington
[3:46] County.
[3:48] Wow, only 30 behind Pulaski now.
[3:50] It's booming.
[3:51] How about that?
[3:52] We can just get them to vote. They're registering.
[3:55] Okay.
[3:55] We just need to get them to vote.
[3:56] Great. Thank you for that. And I don't think I missed any other elected officials.
[4:00] No.
[4:01] Okay, we'll move on to item number eight,
[4:04] county judge's report. I'm sure you'll be sorry to hear that I do not have a formal
[4:07] report tonight. However, uh, I do have an update from our
[4:11] finance committee meeting. Um, the
[4:14] discussion we had regarding the sales tax allocation issue,
[4:18] the to-do out of that for us was to send some questions back to the
[4:22] attorney. Uh, those questions were accumulated last week, uh,
[4:26] by Joel and Deborah.
[4:28] Uh, I checked them off with Brian, JP Armas, um, earlier this week.
[4:31] He's not here tonight. And those questions are back to Sarah Giaimo.
[4:36] She's on vacation this week, so she has told me that she'll get back to
[4:39] me early next week with the answers to those questions, uh,
[4:43] regarding one question, two question, and the other things that came up.
[4:47] Uh, so I would expect to send out to you all a communication early next
[4:51] week when she's back in town.
[4:53] Um,
[4:54] related to that, obviously that discussion spurred a lot of attention,
[4:58] particularly with our city partners, and I think I'd mentioned that I thought an
[5:02] Intergovernmental Council meeting would be appropriate as a discussion forum for
[5:06] that. And tentatively, I've checked with several of our mayors and, uh,
[5:10] it looks like August 5th at 2:00 PM
[5:13] would be, uh, a date and time that, um, is suitable
[5:17] for the mayors. And again, the Intergovernmental Council basically is all the
[5:20] mayors and me representing the county.
[5:23] And so look for an invitation, uh, actually a
[5:26] notification. I shouldn't say that's an invitation because this is an, a, an
[5:29] official meeting. A notification coming out on that soon.
[5:33] So August 5th, 2:00 PM, Intergovernmental Council.
[5:36] And, uh, I'll just remind all of you, there's a preset agenda that we have
[5:40] to go through, and then we can add things to that agenda.
[5:43] So I would anticipate that, that this issue, whether or not there's an actual
[5:47] ballot question, this is an issue that we'll add, uh, as a discussion
[5:50] point, uh, on that meeting. So 2:00,
[5:54] August 5th, um, and look for a notification to come out on that before too
[5:58] long.
[6:01] And then for the disposal report tonight, we just have a few things,
[6:05] some scrap metal, about $4,300 worth of stuff.
[6:09] I don't know if anybody has any questions about that. Okay.
[6:13] Thank you. Hearing none, we'll go on in the agenda to item number 9, committee
[6:17] reports. Justice Jones?
[6:20] Finance met, and you talked about one of the big items from that.
[6:23] We have several other items on the agenda, some grants and other ordinances.
[6:28] Sales taxes got hit by rebate, as everybody saw we discussed.
[6:33] So we'll keep an eye on that.
[6:36] That's it.
[6:36] Okay, thank you. Justice Moore.
[6:40] Committee of the Whole was canceled due to no agenda items.
[6:43] Okay. But we'll have a big one in August.
[6:47] All right.
[6:49] We'll now move on
[6:51] to item number 10, public comments.
[6:53] Members of the public are welcome to address the quorum court this evening.
[6:57] If you'd like to come forward, there's a sign-in sheet.
[6:59] Please sign in,
[7:01] tell us your name and where you live, and then you have three
[7:05] minutes to address the quorum court this evening. Ma'am? Sure.
[7:09] I'm here.
[7:10] Yeah, if you wouldn't mind signing in, and then let us know
[7:13] your name and where you're from.
[7:16] Kathy Rains,
[7:18] Bella Vista.
[7:23] Good evening.
[7:25] Hi, Kerry.
[7:27] Thank you for the opportunity to address my concerns with you
[7:31] tonight.
[7:34] I understand that on June 12th,
[7:37] you unanimously voted to elevate the
[7:39] 287G task force model in Benton
[7:43] County to its highest level,
[7:47] authorizing local law enforcement agencies,
[7:52] along with the Benton County Sheriff's Office,
[7:55] to deputize officers
[7:57] to investigate immigration status,
[8:00] question individuals during routine community
[8:04] interactions,
[8:06] and enforce federal immigration laws in our neighborhoods.
[8:10] Now, you are asking taxpayers to provide
[8:14] additional funding to support these efforts.
[8:18] My question is simple: did you
[8:22] receive a request from the people of Benton County to
[8:26] pursue these actions,
[8:28] or are you following the priorities of the current
[8:32] presidential administration?
[8:36] Based on what I've seen and heard from our community, I believe the answer is
[8:39] clear. Residents have repeatedly and publicly
[8:43] asked the Benton County Sheriff's Office to move away from the jail
[8:47] enforcement model, and instead adopt the warrant
[8:51] service model.
[8:54] Those requests were made patiently,
[8:58] consistently, and in good faith,
[9:02] yet you chose to reject the course
[9:06] many community members advocated.
[9:08] And now you're asking the same tax members, whose concerns were
[9:12] disregarded, to finance an initiative
[9:16] they opposed.
[9:18] As a member of this community, I stand before you today to say I
[9:21] dissent.
[9:24] Rather than spending our tax dollars expanding local immigration
[9:27] enforcement and sending our neighbors to detention facilities
[9:31] hundreds of miles from their homes and families, or to places where their loved
[9:35] ones may struggle to find them or even know what happened
[9:39] to them.
[9:40] Too many people are disappearing, and we can't find them.
[9:45] I believe those resources should be invested in meeting the needs of the people who
[9:48] live here in Benton County.
[9:51] Use my tax dollars to help feed hungry children through SNAP.
[9:56] Invest in affordable housing, so families have a safe place to live.
[10:00] Support our public education, so our children and adults seeking new
[10:04] opportunities can succeed.
[10:07] Strengthen Medicaid, so our children, seniors, pregnant people, and other
[10:11] vulnerable residents can have access to healthcare that they need.
[10:15] Those investments make our community stronger, healthier, safer.
[10:20] They reflect the values of compassion, responsibility,
[10:24] human dignity that I want my tax dollars to support.
[10:29] Speaking of values,
[10:31] I know some of you identify as Bible-believing Christians,
[10:36] and have invoked your faith in defense of these policies.
[10:39] I cannot speak for your faith,
[10:42] but I can speak for mine.
[10:46] I am a Jesus-loving, southern woman who was raised to follow
[10:50] his teachings as written in the Holy Scriptures.
[10:53] I grew up in Sunday school,
[10:55] believing that to follow Christ meant to love my neighbor,
[10:58] welcome the stranger, care for the poor, and stand with those who are vulnerable.
[11:01] As an adult, I still believe that. Every day,
[11:05] I ask myself a simple question:
[11:08] "Where would Jesus be, and what would he be doing?"
[11:12] That's where I want to find myself.
[11:15] I don't believe he'd be in our Hispanic neighborhoods, terrorizing immigrant
[11:18] families-
[11:18] 30 seconds, ma'am
[11:19] ... treating our Latino and Latinx neighbors as enemies.
[11:22] Nope. He says, "If I was hungry, you gave me food.
[11:26] I was thirsty, you gave me drink. I was a stranger, and you welcomed me."
[11:30] Those are judgment words. So
[11:33] tonight, I'm going to sleep peacefully.
[11:35] I'll know I spoke according to my conscience and the values that Jesus taught me.
[11:38] I hope you sleep well. Bless your hearts.
[11:58] Good evening. My name is Ginny Steele.
[12:00] I'm a resident of Rogers. I've been a resident of Benton County for
[12:05] 30 years. I love my community so much And
[12:08] today, I'm very ashamed of it.
[12:11] I grieve for it.
[12:13] I've been attending Quorum Court meetings for about four months
[12:16] now. I've listened for the entire time, and I've
[12:20] observed, and now I feel very led to speak.
[12:24] Two noteworthy things happened at last month's meeting. First, Ms.
[12:27] Rosenbaum went out of her way to come and introduce
[12:31] herself to a couple of my very affluent-looking
[12:35] white female friends who are in their 70s.
[12:38] She was very sweet to ask where they live, if they would like to be introduced to
[12:42] their JP. I was so struck by that because I've never
[12:46] once seen it happen in the months that I've been in this room, not to
[12:49] myself or to any of my friends with brown skin here.
[12:53] I've never personally been approached by any justice of the peace here
[12:57] to welcome me to Quorum Court, to offer to connect me
[13:01] with my elected representative over here,
[13:04] to ask if I might have any questions about how this all works.
[13:08] That burden has been on me to learn.
[13:11] After that night's meeting, another noteworthy thing happened.
[13:13] As my white friends and I exited the building, we stood in the front and talked
[13:17] for a minute before parting ways. Mr.
[13:19] Dunn was so friendly. He came out and joined our group, told
[13:23] us he was really glad to see us here.
[13:26] He encouraged us to come to the next financial committee meeting.
[13:29] He was kind enough to wait while I got my phone out to put it in my
[13:33] calendar. This was such a stark contrast from the
[13:36] behavior that I have observed every time I've been here.
[13:40] I've quite literally watched Mr. Armas physically
[13:44] run away from a constituent in the parking lot.
[13:49] That's embarrassing, y'all. It is a bare minimum
[13:53] ask for an elected official to be willing to take the
[13:56] time to speak with a constituent who's taking the time to show
[14:01] up here,
[14:02] regardless of what they look like or if they perhaps have a dissenting
[14:06] opinion.
[14:09] I have never observed anyone seated here greet the citizens who come
[14:12] here faithfully to speak out against our county's very heavy
[14:16] voluntary involvement with ICE. People have pled
[14:20] for months that we scale back this partnership.
[14:24] This recent very sketchy move to escalate our
[14:27] participation is in direct opposition to what you've been asked to
[14:31] do.
[14:32] And though the agreement was passed very quietly, I want you to know we
[14:36] know.
[14:37] We know that every officer in this county is deputized to act as an ICE
[14:41] officer. We know they're financially incentivized-
[14:44] 30 seconds
[14:44] ... to racially profile, and arrest, and disappear people with brown
[14:48] skin. We know why our jail is being expanded.
[14:51] We know why there are more Flock cameras lining our streets.
[14:54] We know that we no longer live in a safe community.
[14:58] We're making sure everyone else in our community knows it, too.
[15:02] Thank you.
[15:04] Thank you.
[15:11] Yes, sir.
[15:12] Yes.
[15:14] Good to see all you nights. I'm Mark Lassiter from Pea Ridge.
[15:17] I've already signed in.
[15:22] I consider myself to be an independent.
[15:25] If I'm ever asked what party affiliation,
[15:29] I say I'm an independent. Two reasons for that.
[15:33] One is that
[15:35] it's always seemed to me with any kind of affiliation where we
[15:38] have,
[15:40] there is a tendency for that affiliation to skew our
[15:43] thinking,
[15:45] our judgment,
[15:47] our reasoning,
[15:50] anything about ourselves. So I've shied away from that.
[15:55] The second reason is, is that I've always felt like there is some
[15:59] value in the two-party system and the two that are
[16:02] represented in our country. I'm one of those
[16:06] that has this theory about government.
[16:10] I think government ought to work on behalf of the people.
[16:14] I don't know if y'all think that or not,
[16:16] but to me, that's what government ought to do.
[16:18] It ought to work on behalf of the people,
[16:21] including those that are most vulnerable and those that
[16:24] are the poorest.
[16:27] That theory
[16:29] is what led to Roosevelt's New Deal
[16:33] back in the 1930s.
[16:36] That gave us Social Security,
[16:38] gave us Medicare, I'm glad for that as well as the other,
[16:43] Medicaid, and all these safety nets.
[16:45] And believe it or not, at that time, both
[16:48] parties championed that idea and that philosophy about
[16:51] government.
[16:55] But the Republican Party's moved away from that,
[16:58] and that's pretty much a Democrat value now
[17:02] that I appreciate.
[17:04] I've always appreciated the Republican historically,
[17:08] valuing personal responsibility and accountability.
[17:12] I think that's a good thing.
[17:17] But my way of thinking about all this changed 10 years ago when
[17:22] we got a new administration.
[17:25] And the narcissism,
[17:28] the lack of integrity,
[17:31] and for me, as a person of faith, the
[17:35] outright rejection of Jesus'
[17:38] values
[17:40] was more than I could take, and it still is.
[17:44] And so today, when somebody asks me
[17:47] what my affiliation is, you know what I tell them?
[17:51] I say I'm still an independent,
[17:54] but I'm not a Republican.
[18:02] We have a new
[18:04] term in office for our current president, and on top of
[18:08] everything else
[18:10] If you're not aware of it, you should be.
[18:13] There is an authoritarianism to this administration that-
[18:16] 30 seconds
[18:17] ... and is characterized in a lot of ways, and I could name every single one of
[18:21] them. But one of them is using
[18:25] a federally
[18:27] funded law enforcement agency to pick
[18:31] out a certain segment of society.
[18:36] And our Latino community around us is suffering from that.
[18:41] But one of these days,
[18:43] I hope we all come to the realization, one of these days,
[18:47] history is not going to speak well of us in this period.
[18:53] Historians are going to look at our period of time now, and they're going to think
[18:57] about it being a dark, ugly time
[18:59] that took a lot of time to get over.
[19:05] Any way we're participating with ICE is a part of the problem.
[19:10] Thank you.
[19:19] Just one second.
[19:30] My name is Daniel Hopmeier. I'm a resident of Rogers in Benton County District
[19:34] 4, and I am also a candidate for the Arkansas House this year.
[19:38] And I am here to speak on a county and state issue: the county's
[19:42] collaboration with a federal agency that has proven itself incapable
[19:46] of keeping Americans safe or obeying the Constitution.
[19:50] Collaborating with ICE puts us all, immigrant or not
[19:54] immigrant, in danger.
[19:56] ICE and related segments of the Trump administration have routinely kidnapped,
[20:00] violated, injured, and killed human beings of every
[20:04] kind, including native-born citizens, legal immigrants,
[20:08] sick children, grandparents, military allies, and
[20:12] other longtime residents who have no criminal record.
[20:16] ICE sends people back to the wrong countries.
[20:18] It sends people back to deadly circumstances.
[20:21] It lies about what it has done. It willfully obscures evidence of its
[20:25] wrongdoing, and it keeps killing people that it wasn't even looking for.
[20:29] Every day
[20:31] is another opportunity for this same inhumanity here in Northwest
[20:35] Arkansas. Immigrating without authorization is
[20:39] a civil offense, not a capital crime punishable by
[20:42] prison time, cruelty, or death.
[20:45] And intertwining Northwest Arkansas law enforcement with ICE means that victims and
[20:49] witnesses of crimes, regardless of who commits them, cannot
[20:53] trust the authorities with vital information if they or someone they care
[20:56] about could be arrested, deported, or worse as a
[21:00] result. Furthermore, ICE isn't focused on removing the most
[21:04] dangerous people. Instead, it seeks out those who are working hard, those
[21:08] who are trying to do the right thing and follow the rules, those who are
[21:11] contributing to our economy, because those people are easier to find.
[21:16] ICE's actions run against this community and this country's principles of due
[21:19] process, equal treatment under the law, and common decency for people of
[21:24] all races and backgrounds.
[21:26] The agency does not deserve the trust and deference of Arkansas
[21:30] citizens or our local governments.
[21:32] They deserve only accountability for the damage that they have caused.
[21:37] For all of these reasons, I call on my county's leaders to roll back your
[21:41] agreements with ICE to the minimum required by state law, and I
[21:45] demand that ICE stop violating US and Arkansas constitutional
[21:48] guarantees that apply to all people on American soil.
[21:53] Please.
[21:59] I'm
[22:04] Mike Clages, and I live in the unincorporated part of Benton
[22:08] County, so not any of the towns.
[22:11] I've noticed there's some other political candidates here.
[22:13] I'm your candidate for lieutenant governor.
[22:17] It's been a while since I've talked here, but this is our 250th anniversary
[22:21] of the Declaration of Independence, and I thought it was important to bring
[22:24] something up about that. I know lots of people have been celebrating
[22:28] that. I've seen the bunting out and about, and everybody's kind of proud of
[22:31] that. But I don't think very many people, or even any of you,
[22:35] have actually read the document. I'd like to encourage you to change
[22:39] that.
[22:41] Because one of the things that's in there,
[22:43] and the whole purpose of the document, was to explain why
[22:48] we were taking up arms to violently overthrow our government.
[22:53] And that was because we had grievances about the bad things, the tyrannical things
[22:56] that that government was doing.
[22:58] And it listed them,
[23:00] so
[23:01] we would have a guide, a map of how would you know when your government has
[23:05] gone too far.
[23:07] And I think currently most of the room, I guess, would be interested to know
[23:10] that one of the grievances was that the government wasn't doing enough
[23:14] to facilitate naturalization and immigration.
[23:19] But that's not the main thing I want to talk about here.
[23:22] One of the grievances was that
[23:24] they actually discouraged people from taking part in their government.
[23:29] And that's something that I had to fight for years anytime I want to come here
[23:34] because you guys have a gun control policy that
[23:38] violates the Constitution of both the state and the country, and it violates state
[23:42] law. But the enforcement of that gun control in that front
[23:46] office is a searching device that I cannot go through because I have a
[23:50] medical device that's incompatible with those.
[23:53] So I have to consent to a more invasive search.
[23:56] At times, in any other location, that search would be
[24:00] considered sexual assault.
[24:03] And that's what I have to do
[24:05] in order to participate in my government. That's what I have to endure.
[24:11] But the main reason I came here to talk about was one of the things
[24:15] that their grievances was that the
[24:18] Government appointed officers to harass people,
[24:22] and we're seeing that quite often too.
[24:25] So when it happens, even without officers that we see,
[24:29] and the mass surveillance that we have.
[24:31] So
[24:32] I passed at least three
[24:35] mass surveillance cameras on my drive here.
[24:38] So I'm not suspected that I know of any crime. I haven't committed any crime.
[24:43] So why am I being searched?
[24:45] So Fourth Amendment's supposed to protect me from that, but it doesn't.
[24:50] In fact, I'm forced to pay for my own surveillance.
[24:55] So I would ask that we end that policy,
[25:00] that we end the mass surveillance, whether it's Flock, whether it's Axon, whether
[25:03] it's anybody else. We end mass surveillance.
[25:05] We actually get a warrant based on probable cause before we start searching people.
[25:11] So I'd ask that you make our government more friendly to the people, not oppressive
[25:15] to the people.
[25:17] And I ask that in this patriotic month,
[25:21] that before you guys consider yourselves my countrymen,
[25:25] that you actually read that document, that Declaration of Independence, and find
[25:29] out what it means to be an American.
[25:31] Thank you.
[25:33] Thank you.
[25:54] My name's Aaron Leonard. I'm from Bentonville, Crystal Flats
[25:58] apartment complex right down the road, actually.
[26:02] Like everyone here, I hope I was taught about chattel
[26:05] slavery and the Holocaust in school,
[26:08] about ocean ecosystems altered as sharks changed their migration
[26:12] patterns to follow the hordes of Black bodies thrown off of slave ships, and
[26:16] about six million people systematically murdered by a Nazi government using
[26:20] trains to transport them to gas chambers and ovens.
[26:23] And I used to wonder how decent people could ever let that happen at all.
[26:28] Watching ICE operate through this second Trump administration, I
[26:32] don't have to wonder that anymore.
[26:34] It truly breaks my heart, and I've spent countless hours with my
[26:38] family and my friends just trying to figure out how to keep
[26:41] existing in a world like this.
[26:45] Two months ago, I came to this court hoping for a chance to share my
[26:48] experience with my community, hoping for leaders who give a
[26:52] damn about the people they represent.
[26:54] Instead, I found a room full of people who do not care about your life or
[26:58] your suffering, who represent no one in the community that they live
[27:02] in.
[27:03] I shared one of the hardest moments of my own life, which included passing through
[27:07] airport security in Mexico City on my way back to the US,
[27:11] where I watched my wife cry as she waved goodbye to her father, who had been
[27:15] deported after 20 years living here and ripped away from his
[27:19] family.
[27:21] However, over time, I've actually come to understand that we are
[27:25] the lucky ones. ICE has shot and killed legal
[27:28] immigrants, killed American citizens on the street, and let
[27:32] over 50 people, 50 people, probably more than
[27:37] what's even in this room, die in detention facilities
[27:41] since last year, a two-decade record high.
[27:44] We are lucky that her father is even alive to wave goodbye to her
[27:48] after spending months inside one of these detention facilities as a
[27:52] diabetic, instead of being another dead body in a system that views
[27:56] human life as insignificant garbage.
[27:59] So while you all sit there staring with your blank faces, checking your
[28:03] phones,
[28:04] and waiting for me to stop spewing words that you don't care about, let me
[28:08] be exceedingly clear with my remaining time.
[28:12] I am an open and proud atheist, but I sometimes genuinely
[28:16] wish that I believed in your version of Christianity that you purport to care so
[28:20] much about here, because then I'd at least have the comfort of knowing you'd
[28:24] all burn in hell for eternity alongside the monsters in history
[28:27] who raped and killed slaves, separated generations of
[28:31] Black families, and ran concentration camps with the explicit purpose of
[28:35] killing an entire group of people they deemed to be too different.
[28:39] I'd sleep real easy knowing that there was a real eternal
[28:43] punishment
[28:47] for these creatures that I don't even view as human anymore.
[28:51] You might never be held legally liable, but understand that you will
[28:54] always be morally liable. Your children will read history books about
[28:58] the atrocities that you voted for and enabled while going to church
[29:02] and praying and pretending heaven was up there waiting for you.
[29:06] And I hope that your children and your grandchildren-
[29:09] 30 seconds
[29:09] ... turn away from you with the same total contempt you show your own
[29:12] neighbors. I hope they leave you with nothing and no one, as I have
[29:16] tried to do with my own parents, who I can't even look at anymore.
[29:20] So you can continue to bow down to the White House border czar, Tom
[29:24] Homan, who said, and I quote, "There will be more bloodshed
[29:28] unless they shut their mouth." I personally will never shut
[29:32] my mouth. I will continue to lift my voice forever to condemn your
[29:36] very existence, even if it ends up with my own death at the
[29:39] hands of these disgusting, subhuman pieces of trash.
[29:43] F**k ICE. Free Palestine. Thank you very much.
[29:52] Real quick before we move on.
[29:55] I understand this is a very emotional issue. I get that.
[30:00] But we do conduct business here. This is a place of decorum.
[30:04] We're not going to tolerate profanity. We're not going to tolerate threats.
[30:08] We're not going to tolerate that kind of behavior.
[30:10] That just isn't going to happen here.
[30:12] So I appreciate that everybody comes here.
[30:15] You will have the opportunity to speak your mind on this issue or any issue,
[30:19] frankly. We're wide open. But-
[30:27] So,
[30:29] we're not going to have this meeting disrupted either.
[30:31] You'll have your chance, and no, we're not going to tolerate profanity.
[30:35] We're just going to treat each other better. Yeah.
[30:39] And that'll be the last from the audience.
[30:42] We're going to be respectful to each other.
[30:46] So, with that, who would like to go next?
[30:51] All right. Public comments are over.
[30:54] We'll now move on to item number 11, 11A, old business.
[30:59] Judge, the third and final reading of proposed ordinance calling a special election
[31:02] on the question of the levy of annual dues of the Northwest Benton County NEPCO
[31:06] Volunteer Fire Department for fire protection services, designating the county
[31:09] official who will collect and remit the annual dues charged with the department,
[31:12] and prescribing other matters pertaining thereto, sponsored
[31:15] by Justice Dunn.
[31:18] Yes, third and final reading.
[31:22] I really appreciate the way NEPCO's gone about this.
[31:24] Mm-hmm.
[31:24] Number one, bringing it to this court in time for it to have the
[31:28] three readings at the traditional cadence.
[31:31] So, this is the third month that they've talked about this.
[31:35] And the
[31:38] unique plan that they've come forward with to support their volunteer
[31:42] fire department and also their EMS district, which we'll talk about next.
[31:47] Increasing the dues 4% a year for 10 years,
[31:52] and then if they want to continue that, they'll have to come back for a vote.
[31:56] This
[31:58] body is just voting to allow it to be on the ballot,
[32:02] and I move for its approval.
[32:04] Second.
[32:05] Motion by Justice Dunn, seconded by Justice Jones.
[32:07] I will note that Chief Taylor is here tonight.
[32:10] If there's any questions, I'm sure the chief would be happy to come up and answer
[32:13] those. Sorry to point you out, but you're here. I figured you'd made the journey.
[32:17] So,
[32:18] with that, is there any further discussion on item 11A?
[32:22] Hearing none, will the clerk please call the roll?
[32:24] Jeff Dunn.
[32:25] Yes.
[32:25] Ken Farmer.
[32:26] Yes.
[32:26] Richard McKeon.
[32:27] Yes.
[32:28] Mike Miller.
[32:28] Yes.
[32:29] Kari Smith.
[32:30] Yes.
[32:30] Bryan Armus.
[32:32] Joseph Bollinger.
[32:33] Yes.
[32:33] Joel Jones.
[32:34] Yes.
[32:34] Jacob Jensen.
[32:35] Yes.
[32:36] Danny McCracken.
[32:37] Yes.
[32:37] Dustin Todd.
[32:38] Yes.
[32:38] Jon Risler.
[32:39] Yes.
[32:40] Kurt Moore.
[32:40] Yes.
[32:41] Bethany Rosenbaum.
[32:42] Yes.
[32:43] Lucas Pointer.
[32:44] Yes.
[32:44] That's 14 yays, one absent.
[32:46] Thank you for that vote. Moving on in the agenda, item 11B, please.
[32:49] The third and final reading of the proposed ordinance amending a portion of
[32:52] sections 26-29 of the Code of Ordinances of Benton County, Arkansas,
[32:56] to increase the service fee of the Northeast Benton County Emergency Medical
[32:59] Service District, EMSD, if approved by the residents of the district
[33:03] in a referendum, sponsored also again by Jeff Dunn.
[33:08] Same exact as the last one, but this pertains specifically to the EMSD, the
[33:12] ambulance portion of their operation. I move for its approval.
[33:16] Second.
[33:17] Motion by Justice Dunn, second by Justice Miller. Is there any further discussion?
[33:23] Hearing none, will the clerk please call the roll?
[33:24] Jeff Dunn.
[33:25] Yes.
[33:25] Ken Farmer.
[33:26] Yes.
[33:27] Richard McKeon.
[33:27] Yes.
[33:28] Mike Miller.
[33:29] Yes.
[33:29] Kari Smith.
[33:30] Yes.
[33:30] Bryan Armus. Joseph Bollinger.
[33:33] Yes.
[33:33] Joel Jones.
[33:34] Yes.
[33:34] Jacob Jensen.
[33:35] Yes.
[33:36] Danny McCracken.
[33:36] Yes.
[33:37] Dustin Todd.
[33:38] Yes.
[33:38] Jon Risler.
[33:39] Yes.
[33:39] Kurt Moore.
[33:40] Yes.
[33:40] Bethany Rosenbaum.
[33:41] Yes.
[33:42] Lucas Pointer.
[33:42] Yes.
[33:43] That's 14 yays and one absent.
[33:45] Thank you for that vote. Moving on in the agenda, item 11C
[33:49] is just a second reading.
[33:51] Yes, sir. A proposed ordinance approving a transfer of personal property from
[33:54] Benton County, Arkansas, to the City of Gentry, Arkansas.
[33:59] Fire Department, sponsored by Justice Armus. No action need be taken.
[34:03] Actions needed. Does anybody have any thoughts,
[34:07] questions, comments? Justice Bollinger?
[34:08] One second.
[34:08] Justice Bollinger.
[34:10] Second reading.
[34:11] Second reading, so I guess-
[34:11] Okay.
[34:12] You're sort of playing the role of-
[34:13] Yeah, I was going to say, I answered for him earlier, so I figured-
[34:15] Yeah.
[34:17] Do we need a mo-- We don't need a motion.
[34:18] I-
[34:19] Nope.
[34:19] Okay. All right.
[34:20] The second reading, and then if there's any discussion, we can have that.
[34:23] If there's not, we'll move on.
[34:25] Seeing none, we'll move on to new business, item 12A, please.
[34:28] This is a resolution referring the question of increasing the service fee per
[34:31] household with the Northeast Benton County Emergency Medical Service District,
[34:34] EMSD, to the qualified voters of the district, sponsored by Justice Dunn.
[34:39] Third and final thing for the NEPCO election.
[34:41] Because it is an EMSD, it needs a resolution to go
[34:45] along with it, and I move for its approval.
[34:48] Second.
[34:49] Motion by Justice Dunn, second by Justice Farmer. Is there any further discussion?
[34:55] Hearing none, will the clerk please call the roll?
[34:56] Jeff Dunn.
[34:57] Yes.
[34:57] Ken Farmer.
[34:58] Yes.
[34:59] Richard McKeon.
[35:00] Yes.
[35:00] Mike Miller.
[35:01] Yes.
[35:01] Kari Smith.
[35:02] Yes.
[35:02] Bryan Armus. Joseph Bollinger.
[35:04] Yes.
[35:05] Joel Jones.
[35:06] Yes.
[35:06] Jacob Jensen.
[35:07] Yes.
[35:08] Danny McCracken.
[35:09] Yes.
[35:09] Dustin Todd.
[35:10] Yes.
[35:10] Jon Risler.
[35:11] Yes.
[35:12] Kurt Moore.
[35:14] Yes.
[35:14] Bethany Rosenbaum.
[35:15] Yes.
[35:15] Lucas Pointer.
[35:16] Yes.
[35:16] That's 14 yays, one absent.
[35:18] Thank you for that vote. Moving on in the agenda, item 12B, please.
[35:22] A resolution authorizing the county judge of Benton County to apply for the fund
[35:24] year 26 U.S. Department of Human Services Substance Abuse, Mental Health
[35:28] Services, SAMHSA,
[35:30] Substance Use Disorder Treatment expansion, sponsored by Justice Miller.
[35:34] We heard the purpose of this just now when Tom read it.
[35:39] It is a grant provided by the Department of
[35:43] Human Services in the amount of 400,000 per
[35:46] year or annually for a five-year period, the total
[35:50] award being $2 million, and there is no matching
[35:54] requirements, and I move for its approval.
[35:58] Second.
[35:59] Motion by Justice Miller, seconded by Justice Bollinger.
[36:02] Is there any further discussion?
[36:05] Hearing none, will the clerk please call the roll?
[36:07] Jeff Dunn.
[36:08] Yes.
[36:08] Ken Farmer.
[36:09] Yes.
[36:09] Richard McKeon.
[36:10] Yes.
[36:10] Mike Miller.
[36:11] Yes.
[36:11] Kari Smith.
[36:12] Yes.
[36:13] Bryan Armus. Joseph Bollinger.
[36:15] Yes.
[36:15] Joel Jones.
[36:16] Yes.
[36:16] Jacob Jensen.
[36:17] Yes.
[36:18] Danny McCracken.
[36:19] Yes.
[36:19] Dustin Todd.
[36:20] Yes.
[36:20] Jon Risler.
[36:21] Yes.
[36:22] Kurt Moore.
[36:22] Yes.
[36:23] Bethany Rosenbaum.
[36:24] Yes.
[36:24] Lucas Pointer.
[36:25] Yes.
[36:25] That's 14 yays, one absent.
[36:27] Thank you for that vote. Moving on in the agenda, item 12 C, please.
[36:30] Resolution authorizing the county judge of Benton County to apply for fund year
[36:33] 26 Arkansas Administrative Office of the Courts Court Improvement Program for
[36:37] Juvenile Probation Fund 3706, sponsored by Justice Dunn.
[36:42] Resolution authorizing judge to apply for this grant, I move for its approval.
[36:45] Second.
[36:47] Motion by Justice Dunn. Was that Justice Miller? Second by Justice Miller.
[36:51] Is there any further discussion?
[36:55] Hearing none, will the clerk please call the roll.
[36:58] Jeff Dunn.
[36:58] Yes.
[36:59] Ken Farmer.
[36:59] Yes.
[37:00] Richard McKeon.
[37:01] Yes.
[37:01] Mike Miller.
[37:02] Yes.
[37:02] Kari Smith.
[37:03] Yes.
[37:04] Brian Armus. Joseph Bollinger. Yes. Joel Jones. Yes.
[37:07] Jacob Jensen. Yes. Danny McCracken.
[37:09] Yes.
[37:10] Dustin Todd.
[37:11] Yes.
[37:12] John Rissler. Yes. Kurt Moore.
[37:13] Yes.
[37:14] Bethany Rosenbaum.
[37:15] Yes.
[37:15] Lucas Pointer. Yes. That's 14 yeas and one absent.
[37:18] Thank you for that vote. Moving on in the agenda, item 12 D, please.
[37:22] Resolution authorizing the county judge of Benton County to apply for the fund year
[37:25] 26 Department of Justice Community Policing Development, CPD, Micro
[37:29] Grant Program, sponsored by Justice Farmer.
[37:32] Okay, this is a proposed grant that would
[37:36] provide $200,000 for two
[37:39] personnel in the investigation of human trafficking,
[37:43] child exploitation, or cybercrime.
[37:46] Requires no county match, and I move that we
[37:50] approve the application.
[37:52] Second.
[37:53] Motion by Justice Farmer, seconded by Justice Miller.
[37:56] Is there any further discussion?
[37:59] Hearing none, will the clerk please call the roll.
[38:01] Jeff Dunn.
[38:02] Yes.
[38:02] Ken Farmer.
[38:03] Yes.
[38:03] Richard McKeon.
[38:04] Yes.
[38:05] Mike Miller.
[38:05] Yes.
[38:06] Kari Smith.
[38:06] Yes.
[38:07] Brian Armus. Joseph Bollinger. Yes. Joel Jones. Yes.
[38:11] Jacob Jensen. Yes. Danny McCracken.
[38:13] Yes.
[38:13] Dustin Todd.
[38:14] Yes.
[38:14] John Rissler. Yes. Kurt Moore.
[38:17] Yes.
[38:17] Bethany Rosenbaum.
[38:18] Yes.
[38:18] Lucas Pointer. Yes. 14 yeas, one absent.
[38:21] Thank you for that vote. Moving on in the agenda, item 12 E, please.
[38:25] Resolution authorizing the county judge of Benton County to apply for the fund year
[38:28] 26 US Department of Justice Community Oriented Policing Services, COPS,
[38:32] Hiring Program, CHP, sponsored, again, by Justice Farmer.
[38:37] So, this is a grant that would
[38:40] provide 75% of the cost of a
[38:43] salary of a deputy for three years,
[38:47] up to an amount of
[38:48] $166,667
[38:52] over the three-year period.
[38:55] This would require a new position, and it would
[38:58] require that we fund that position for four years,
[39:02] not just the three years of the grant.
[39:04] So, this is something that reminds me of 20, 25
[39:08] years ago. The COPS Hiring Program was very prevalent in the
[39:12] country. So, I would move that we approve this application.
[39:17] Second.
[39:18] Motion by Justice Farmer, seconded by Justice Dunn.
[39:20] Is there any further discussion?
[39:23] Hearing none, will the clerk please call the roll.
[39:25] Jeff Dunn.
[39:26] Yes.
[39:26] Ken Farmer.
[39:27] Yes.
[39:27] Richard McKeon.
[39:28] Yes.
[39:29] Mike Miller.
[39:29] Yes.
[39:30] Kari Smith.
[39:30] Yes.
[39:31] Brian Armus. Joseph Bollinger. Yes. Joel Jones. Yes.
[39:34] Jacob Jensen. Yes. Danny McCracken.
[39:36] Yes.
[39:37] Dustin Todd.
[39:37] Yes.
[39:38] John Rissler. Yes. Kurt Moore.
[39:40] Yes.
[39:40] Bethany Rosenbaum.
[39:41] Yes.
[39:41] Lucas Pointer. Yes. 14 yeas, one absent.
[39:44] Thank you for that vote. Moving on in the agenda, item 12 F, please.
[39:48] It's an appropriation ordinance amending appropriation ordinance number
[39:51] 02026-55, the 2026 Benton County budget, authorizing
[39:54] transfers and additional expenditures in Department 200, Road Fund,
[39:58] Fund 2000, and County Road and Department 500, Emergency Management
[40:02] Fund 1000, County General, sponsored by Justice Dunn.
[40:06] Two different transfers with zero net effect.
[40:09] One inside Road Department to cover the cost of some additional
[40:13] culverts, and then in Emergency Management to cover the cost
[40:17] of the hazard mitigation plan with zero net effect. I move that we approve.
[40:21] Second.
[40:22] Motion by Justice Dunn, second by Justice Farmer.
[40:25] Is there any further discussion?
[40:29] Hearing none, clerk will please call the roll.
[40:31] Jeff Dunn.
[40:32] Yes.
[40:32] Ken Farmer.
[40:33] Yes.
[40:33] Richard McKeon.
[40:34] Yes.
[40:34] Mike Miller.
[40:35] Yes.
[40:35] Kari Smith.
[40:36] Yes.
[40:37] Brian Armus. Joseph Bollinger. Yes. Joel Jones. Yes.
[40:41] Jacob Jensen. Yes. Danny McCracken.
[40:43] Yes.
[40:43] Dustin Todd.
[40:44] Yes.
[40:44] John Rissler. Yes. Kurt Moore.
[40:46] Yes.
[40:46] Bethany Rosenbaum.
[40:47] Yes.
[40:48] Lucas Pointer. Yes. 14 yeas, one absent.
[40:51] Thank you for that vote. Moving on in the agenda, item 12 G, please.
[40:54] Appropriation ordinance amending appropriation ordinance number 02026-55, the
[40:58] 2026 Benton County budget, authorizing transfers, additional expenditures in
[41:01] Department 500, Emergency Management Fund 1000, County General,
[41:06] sponsored by the very busy Justice Dunn.
[41:12] And was that 500, or was that-
[41:14] Yeah
[41:15] ... 418 in jail?
[41:17] What it shows on my-
[41:20] 12
[41:21] 12 G, Jean.
[41:23] Yeah, that's a typo.
[41:28] What should the department number be, Debra?
[41:31] It's 418 for jail.
[41:32] Oh, it is jail?
[41:41] Oh, no. I'm sorry.
[41:41] It should be-
[41:42] The agenda is correct, it's the ordinance.
[41:44] Yeah.
[41:44] Yeah.
[41:44] Okay.
[41:45] I'll have to fix that.
[41:48] So yeah, this is, again, zero net effect transfer inside-
[41:53] ... to cover the cost to replace the drones.
[41:56] Beginning in May of next year, our current drones
[42:00] are no longer able to be operated. We did budget for this, but the
[42:04] new replacements are at a higher cost.
[42:07] But they were able to move inside the budget, so I move for its approval.
[42:11] Second.
[42:12] Motion by Justice Dunn, second by, was it Justice Farmer?
[42:16] Mm-hmm.
[42:16] Yeah, Justice Farmer. Is there any further discussion?
[42:21] Hearing none, will the clerk please call the roll.
[42:24] Jeff Dunn.
[42:25] Yes.
[42:25] Ken Farmer.
[42:26] Yes.
[42:26] Richard McKeon.
[42:27] Yes.
[42:28] Mike Miller.
[42:28] Yes.
[42:29] Kari Smith.
[42:29] Yes.
[42:30] Brian Armus. Joseph Bollinger.
[42:32] Yes.
[42:33] Joel Jones.
[42:34] Yes.
[42:34] Jacob Jensen.
[42:35] Yes.
[42:36] Danny McCracken.
[42:37] Yes.
[42:37] Dustin Todd.
[42:38] Yes.
[42:38] John Rissler.
[42:40] Yes.
[42:40] Kurt Moore.
[42:41] Yes.
[42:41] Bethany Rosenbaum.
[42:42] Yes.
[42:43] Lucas Poynter.
[42:43] Yes.
[42:44] 14 yeas, 1 absent.
[42:46] Thank you for that vote. Moving on in the agenda, item 12 H, please.
[42:49] Appropriation ordinance, amending appropriation ordinance number 0202555, the
[42:53] 2026 Benton County budget. Authorizes transfers of additional expenditures in
[42:56] department 400, sheriff fund 1000, county general.
[43:00] Sponsored by Justice Dunn.
[43:02] Last one, transfers
[43:05] within the fund with zero net effect. This is around leased vehicles.
[43:09] We had a lengthy discussion at finance.
[43:12] There's a lot of moving parts on this, but
[43:16] those costs came in a little higher.
[43:17] Some of the vehicles came in sooner than expected, so there was a time when
[43:21] we had not
[43:23] returned the other leased vehicles.
[43:26] We had the old ones and the new ones, so we were double-dipped.
[43:30] Sheriff's department found the money inside their budget, so I move for its
[43:33] approval.
[43:34] Second.
[43:35] Motion by Justice Dunn, seconded by Justice Miller.
[43:38] Is there any further discussion?
[43:41] Hearing none, will the clerk please call the roll?
[43:43] Jeff Dunn.
[43:43] Yes.
[43:44] Ken Farmer.
[43:45] Yes.
[43:45] Richard McKean.
[43:46] Yes.
[43:46] Mike Miller.
[43:47] Yes.
[43:47] Carrie Smith.
[43:48] Yes.
[43:48] Brian Armus. Joseph Bollinger.
[43:51] Yes.
[43:51] Joel Jones.
[43:52] Yes.
[43:52] Jacob Jensen.
[43:53] Yes.
[43:54] Danny McCracken.
[43:54] Yes.
[43:55] Dustin Todd.
[43:56] Yes.
[43:56] John Rissler.
[43:57] Yes.
[43:57] Kurt Moore.
[43:58] Yes.
[43:58] Bethany Rosenbaum.
[43:59] Yes.
[44:00] Lucas Poynter.
[44:00] Yes.
[44:01] It's 14 yeas, 1 absent.
[44:03] Thank you for that vote. Moving on in the agenda, item 12 I,
[44:06] please.
[44:07] An appropriation ordinance amending appropriation ordinance 0202555, the
[44:11] 2026 Benton County budget, appropriating additional funds and authorizing
[44:14] additional expenditures in department 400, sheriff fund 3414,
[44:18] federal forfeitures, DOJ, and department 101,
[44:22] county clerk fund 3005, county clerk automation fund.
[44:25] Sponsored by Justice Todd.
[44:27] Yeah, this is an appropriation ordinance.
[44:30] It's going to cover K9 and training, along with the vent hood,
[44:34] and then for the county clerk's office, some
[44:38] restoration of records, and I move for this to be approved.
[44:41] Second.
[44:42] Motion by Justice Todd, seconded by Justice Jones.
[44:45] Is there any further discussion?
[44:48] Hearing none, will the court please call the roll?
[44:50] Jeff Dunn.
[44:51] Yes.
[44:51] Ken Farmer.
[44:52] Yes.
[44:52] Richard McKean.
[44:53] Yes.
[44:54] Mike Miller.
[44:54] Yes.
[44:55] Carrie Smith.
[44:55] Yes.
[44:56] Brian Armus. Joseph Bollinger.
[44:58] Yes.
[44:58] Joel Jones.
[44:59] Yes.
[44:59] Jacob Jensen.
[45:00] Yes.
[45:01] Danny McCracken.
[45:02] Yes.
[45:02] Dustin Todd.
[45:03] Yes.
[45:03] John Rissler.
[45:04] Yes.
[45:04] Kurt Moore.
[45:05] Yes.
[45:06] Bethany Rosenbaum.
[45:07] Yes.
[45:08] Lucas Poynter.
[45:09] Yes.
[45:09] It's 14 yeas, 1 absent.
[45:11] Thank you for that vote. Moving on in the agenda, item 12 J, please.
[45:15] It is an appropriation ordinance amending appropriation ordinance 0202555, the
[45:19] 2026 Benton County budget, to create a new fund, 3630, Federal
[45:23] Highway Administration, FHWY, fund year '27, Carbon Reduction
[45:27] Program, CRP, grant, and to authorize transfers,
[45:31] appropriate additional funds, and authorize additional expenditures in department
[45:34] 200, road fund 3630,
[45:38] fund year... Or, I'm sorry, FHWY fund year '27 CRP,
[45:42] Panther Bike Trail, and in department 414, adult drug
[45:46] court fund 3048, AOC opioid settlement.
[45:49] Sponsored by Justice Dunn. Todd.
[45:51] Todd.
[45:52] Yeah.
[45:52] Todd.
[45:54] As mentioned, this is to create funds to appropriate some different
[45:58] grants, the biggest one being the
[46:02] study for the bike trail.
[46:05] That has an $80,000 match, but $53,000 is in
[46:08] kind, and then a transfer of a little over $26,000,
[46:13] and then some other smaller grants. I move for this to be approved.
[46:17] Second.
[46:18] Motion by Justice Todd, second by Justice Jones. Is there any further discussion?
[46:24] Hearing none, will the clerk please call the roll?
[46:26] Jeff Dunn.
[46:26] Yes.
[46:27] Ken Farmer.
[46:27] Yes.
[46:28] Richard McKean.
[46:29] Yes.
[46:29] Mike Miller.
[46:30] Yes.
[46:30] Carrie Smith.
[46:31] Yes.
[46:31] Brian Armus. Joseph Bollinger.
[46:33] Yes.
[46:34] Joel Jones.
[46:34] Yes.
[46:35] Jacob Jensen.
[46:36] Yes.
[46:36] Danny McCracken.
[46:37] Yes.
[46:38] Dustin Todd.
[46:38] Yes.
[46:39] John Rissler.
[46:40] Yes.
[46:41] Kurt Moore.
[46:42] Yes.
[46:42] Bethany Rosenbaum.
[46:43] Yes.
[46:44] Lucas Poynter.
[46:44] Yes.
[46:45] It's 14 yeas, 1 absent.
[46:47] Thank you for that vote. Moving on in the agenda, item 12K, please.
[46:50] Is an ordinance establishing a 287G ICE program fund as a unique
[46:54] special revenue fund. Sponsored by Justice Todd.
[46:58] Yes, I believe this is first reading. Is that correct, or?
[47:02] Correct.
[47:02] It would be, yes, sir.
[47:04] Okay.
[47:04] It's not an appropriation ordinance. Yes, sir, first reading.
[47:07] Okay.
[47:07] I can briefly speak to it. Once again, this is to establish a
[47:11] fund. We're not setting the policy.
[47:14] That MOU, or MOA, has already
[47:18] been signed by the sheriff's office, but this will create the fund as
[47:22] described.
[47:24] It's first reading. Justice Miller?
[47:28] Yeah. First, I want to say I
[47:31] do appreciate people who come and
[47:34] give us their opinions, their thoughts.
[47:39] I may not always appreciate the way it's done, but I'm sure
[47:44] I may not be the only one.
[47:47] I do have a great
[47:50] place in my heart for
[47:52] our men and women who put on the uniform every day.
[47:56] They put the badge on,
[47:58] and they go out not knowing if they're going to come back or not.
[48:02] And so I want to publicly say thank you to our law enforcement.
[48:07] I, for one, appreciate collaboration,
[48:12] especially when it's done in an effort to
[48:16] maintain law and order and to follow the laws of our
[48:20] land.
[48:21] So,
[48:22] I think...
[48:24] We'll not have any more outbursts, sir.
[48:27] Public comment's over. We'll not have any outbursts from the audience.
[48:31] So, I just want to publicly state I appreciate
[48:36] Our sheriff's office and the people who put the uniform on every day.
[48:40] And having said that,
[48:44] this particular ordinance
[48:47] is an accounting function,
[48:50] and to me, we have fiduciary responsibility
[48:53] to set up that
[48:56] fund site, fund code correctly.
[49:00] And I would move for suspension of the rules so that we can
[49:04] pass this tonight.
[49:09] Second.
[49:11] There's a motion by Justice Miller to suspend the rules to go to third reading.
[49:14] I think I heard Justice Rissler has seconded.
[49:18] So, on the floor right now is a
[49:22] motion to suspend the rules. If passed, then we would go immediately to
[49:26] third reading. I'll open it up for comment. Justice Bollinger.
[49:31] Justice Miller, just so
[49:34] we all know, what is the intention for suspending the
[49:38] rules to pass this tonight? Is there a logistical reason for this or-
[49:41] Yes,
[49:43] in my opinion, because we know that funds are going to be coming very
[49:46] soon for this, and if we wait, then those funds can't
[49:50] be appropriated and spent where they're intended to be
[49:54] spent.
[49:56] Justice Bollinger.
[49:59] I understand that point of view.
[50:02] With all due respect, I don't think
[50:05] if checks are coming in... Granted, I would
[50:08] say they should probably bounce because we're in $30-plus trillion of
[50:12] debt, so maybe the checks aren't good, but it's the federal government after all.
[50:16] But that being said,
[50:19] I don't think the
[50:20] money coming in is going to expire.
[50:23] I think we have a method or process of multiple readings over the course of
[50:26] months for public comment, be able to be able to be engaged on this.
[50:30] I understand your point of view. I think it's, we don't want to give
[50:34] up good governance
[50:36] because of a
[50:39] need like that. I understand your point of view. I don't think it's necessary.
[50:42] I think the money,
[50:43] if that's the issue, will still be just as good three months from now as it would
[50:46] be today, and we don't give up good governance for the sake of expediency,
[50:50] so...
[50:53] Are there any other comments on the suspension of the rules?
[50:58] Justice Jones.
[50:58] This is a question for Deborah, Judge, if you'll allow it, which is, is
[51:02] there a requirement that we need to have this available when the funds come in?
[51:06] A requirement, not a recommendation, a requirement.
[51:09] No, there isn't really a requirement.
[51:11] It's just that it's going to go into our regular operating
[51:15] fund. We just won't be able to appropriate.
[51:17] Okay.
[51:21] And then, I guess if that-
[51:23] Yeah, Justice Jones
[51:24] ... from the sheriff's office, is there a reason for needing to appropriate
[51:28] these funds for some purpose that couldn't wait for a
[51:31] couple of months?
[51:35] First funds should start arriving in about 30 days.
[51:38] I'm sorry, Chief, you mind coming up to the podium?
[51:40] Sorry.
[51:48] The first funds should start arriving in about 30 days, as of last week, I
[51:52] think. So, it's merely where the county wants to put these
[51:56] funds and hold these funds,
[51:58] and the accounting it, whatever Deborah recommends, is what the sheriff's office
[52:02] would recommend.
[52:09] So, what I'm hearing from Deborah, and I
[52:14] think the AAC has recommended that we
[52:17] cash these checks, put them in the right fund pretty quickly,
[52:21] but it's not a requirement, it's a recommendation, and we can put them in
[52:24] operating, they just can't be appropriated because they need to be audited
[52:27] appropriately.
[52:28] So then, the question is,
[52:31] is there a need or a reason that we would need to appropriate within the next two
[52:35] months?
[52:35] No. We don't have an emergency right now-
[52:38] Okay
[52:38] ... that we would have to have these funds.
[52:39] Okay.
[52:40] Farm Court is very good at providing funding, so that would be
[52:43] taken care of if we needed that.
[52:45] Okay.
[52:46] Question?
[52:48] Justice Miller.
[52:50] So,
[52:51] if it's 90 days before this
[52:54] fund is approved,
[52:57] then how much time does it take to go through the
[53:01] process of appropriating those funds?
[53:07] Deborah, go ahead.
[53:09] It would be another 30 days after that.
[53:11] So, once this goes into effect, this one does have the emergency clause in it, so
[53:15] it goes into effect as soon as it's approved.
[53:17] Doesn't have to wait the 30 days, and we can immediately go to
[53:21] finance and appropriate, which is one reading.
[53:25] So, we could be 120 days then.
[53:28] Right.
[53:28] And,
[53:30] would those funds be required to be expended this fiscal
[53:34] year if they came in?
[53:36] No.
[53:37] Justice Jones.
[53:38] Are you done? Okay. There's a clarification on this, may be a Tom or Deborah
[53:42] question, which is, could we appropriate in the same month that we create the
[53:46] fund since this has an emergency clause?
[53:48] If we create the fund first and have an appropriation afterwards,
[53:52] it reduces 30 days. It cuts 30 days out, if that's possible.
[53:57] Yes.
[53:57] Okay.
[53:58] That's pretty much what we do all the time with grants anyway.
[54:00] Yeah.
[54:00] We create a fund and appropriate at the same time.
[54:02] Yeah. So we could cut that 30 days back if they do have a request come in, but it'd
[54:06] still take the
[54:08] July, August, September, so in September we could have requested finance for some
[54:12] of these funds if they have requests.
[54:18] Just...
[54:19] I'm sorry,
[54:22] Justice McCracken.
[54:24] Danny, Danny, Justice-
[54:24] I said I don't speak very often, but, on this one said I
[54:28] don't really think that there's going to be any change in the opinions of anyone
[54:32] on this court between now and the end of September for the third vo-
[54:37] And I think we should just go ahead and get it over with, put it out there, get it
[54:41] under the table and completely done, and suspend them
[54:44] tonight.
[54:49] Any other comments? Justice Roessler.
[54:52] I agree with Justice McCracken that I can't imagine any
[54:56] reason that we wouldn't want our books
[54:59] correct
[55:00] when the money comes in, and it's just putting it in the right bank
[55:04] account
[55:05] so that when it does come, our bank account's ready.
[55:09] And so I don't see any reason either for waiting.
[55:12] This is just preparation for some funds that we know are coming.
[55:17] It isn't really any policy, it's just a place
[55:21] to put it, the right account, and
[55:23] it helps us with accountability. It should
[55:27] help keep our finances in order, and when we get requests of how much
[55:31] came,
[55:32] we can answer that from one fund and not multiple reports in the future.
[55:37] So I
[55:38] support suspending the rules for this.
[55:42] Justice Rosenbaum.
[55:44] Yes, Judge. So the motion is still on the floor to suspend the rules.
[55:48] Is that
[55:49] active still?
[55:51] And I greatly respect you, JP Miller, and feel a
[55:55] little conflicted, but I
[55:58] am going to vote against suspending the rules
[56:02] out of principle that
[56:04] I feel the purpose of the three months is to give opportunity for public comment.
[56:08] And I do agree that
[56:12] I don't think our decision tonight would be different
[56:16] in three months.
[56:18] And the reason why it's conflicting is because the last two public meetings at
[56:22] quorum court has become
[56:25] quite volatile, if you will. Language from the public that's
[56:29] difficult to hear.
[56:31] We've been called dumb. I've personally been called a racist.
[56:35] And what I would consider language that is threatening to,
[56:38] certainly our positions, if not our livelihood, who we are.
[56:42] Nonetheless, the principle is I do believe in public comment, and as hard as it is
[56:46] to hear,
[56:48] that's going to be my position tonight, is that I will not be
[56:51] supporting the suspension of rules.
[56:55] I'd like to make one point real quick. This will require 10 votes.
[56:59] So with that, I think Justice Smith, and then I'll go to Justice Bollinger.
[57:04] While I do support this, and you know I've never been hung up on having
[57:08] a philosophical issue of suspending the rules,
[57:11] I feel like this isn't a good enough reason to suspend the rules, and so
[57:15] I'll be voting against it.
[57:18] Justice Bollinger.
[57:21] Just to kind of echo what I said before and echo what Justice Rosenbaum and Smith
[57:25] have said,
[57:26] and
[57:28] yes,
[57:29] Justice McCracken, you're probably correct.
[57:31] No one's opinions on the quorum court
[57:34] will change within these three months.
[57:35] You're probably right on that, but that's not the point.
[57:38] The point is for the people in the crowd.
[57:41] The point is for the people in Benton County to be able to express their opinion to
[57:44] their government. That is the point of three readings.
[57:46] That is the intent of that, and just because it's
[57:49] uncomfortable doesn't make we change the rules.
[57:52] And
[57:54] so, no, I don't support that. Now, do I want to be called
[57:58] racist for the next three months or whatever like that?
[58:00] Which is
[58:01] obviously completely incorrect. No. But you know what?
[58:06] That's their position, and they have a right to be able to do that.
[58:09] And
[58:11] is it hard? Yeah. But
[58:13] it's their right as citizens to be able to do that.
[58:15] And I just want to say this, too.
[58:19] Swearing is also their free speech as well.
[58:21] I understand, Judge, your position on that, but I want to say that if a person
[58:25] wants to swear at me, they have every right to do that as well, so...
[58:31] Any other comments?
[58:33] All right. There's a motion and a second on the floor to
[58:37] suspend the rules on item 12K.
[58:42] If there are no other comments, will the clerk please call the roll.
[58:46] Jeff Dunn.
[58:47] No.
[58:48] Ken Farmer.
[58:49] No.
[58:50] Richard McKeon.
[58:53] No.
[58:54] Mike Miller.
[58:55] Yes.
[58:56] Carrie Smith.
[58:57] No.
[58:58] Brian Armus. Joseph Bollinger.
[59:00] No.
[59:01] Joel Jones.
[59:02] No.
[59:02] Jacob Jensen.
[59:04] No.
[59:05] Danny McCracken.
[59:06] Yes.
[59:07] Dustin Todd.
[59:08] No.
[59:09] John Roessler.
[59:10] Yes.
[59:11] Kurt Moore.
[59:12] Yes.
[59:13] Bethany Rosenbaum.
[59:14] No.
[59:15] Lucas Poynter.
[59:16] Yes.
[59:18] That's five yeas.
[59:21] However many nays.
[59:23] Zero.
[59:23] One absent. Is that nine? Nine and five is 14, and one's 15. Okay.
[59:27] All right.
[59:27] Five, nine and one.
[59:28] So that motion fails.
[59:31] So what this will mean is that 12K has been read one
[59:35] time, and will be back on the quorum court agenda in
[59:39] August, is what that means.
[59:44] Oh, Justice McCracken.
[59:46] I would request that we vote on it tonight before we leave.
[59:53] He can request a roll call vote.
[59:55] Yes. Wait, so let me make sure I understand.
[59:58] There could be a vote tonight, but it's not a final vote?
[1:00:00] It's not a vote, it's just a straw poll.
[1:00:02] Just a straw poll.
[1:00:04] So is that... I'm kind of-
[1:00:07] We did last month.
[1:00:08] Hold on a second. Justice Jones.
[1:00:10] Yeah. So I don't know if it would be a straw poll, because if we're going to
[1:00:13] request a vote, then it would be a vote to move it to second reading.
[1:00:16] That's the kind of the rule we passed, is that we would just read
[1:00:21] one, two, and vote on third for passage, but if we vote, then we're voting to move
[1:00:25] it.
[1:00:26] That was my understanding when we implemented that change.
[1:00:29] Yeah, state law on the rule-
[1:00:31] Yeah
[1:00:31] ... what's called the rule, is very clear that there's no need for a vote on the
[1:00:35] first or second readings.
[1:00:37] Yeah.
[1:00:37] There's no requirement whatsoever. You certainly may take it.
[1:00:41] It doesn't do any harm to take a vote, but it's not required.
[1:00:48] So are you making a motion
[1:00:50] to vote? And in this case, it'd still just be a vote, and it would still be on for
[1:00:54] the August quorum court.
[1:00:55] Yes, I am.
[1:00:57] Okay. Is there a second to go ahead and take a vote
[1:01:00] tonight?
[1:01:01] Second.
[1:01:02] All right. We have a motion and a second.
[1:01:04] Motion by Justice McCracken, second by Justice Miller to vote on first reading.
[1:01:09] And essentially that would be
[1:01:11] moving to second reading in August. Is there any further discussion?
[1:01:16] Will the court please call the roll?
[1:01:18] Butt Dunn.
[1:01:18] Yes.
[1:01:19] Kim Farmer.
[1:01:20] Yes.
[1:01:20] Richard McKean.
[1:01:21] Yes.
[1:01:22] Mike Miller.
[1:01:22] Yes.
[1:01:23] Terry Smith.
[1:01:23] Yes.
[1:01:24] Ryan Armus. Joseph Bollinger.
[1:01:28] Joseph Bollinger.
[1:01:29] Abstain.
[1:01:33] Joel Jones.
[1:01:34] Yes.
[1:01:35] Jacob Jensen.
[1:01:36] Yes.
[1:01:37] Danny McCracken.
[1:01:37] Yes.
[1:01:38] Dustin Todd.
[1:01:39] Yes.
[1:01:39] John Rissler.
[1:01:40] Yes.
[1:01:40] Kurt Moore.
[1:01:41] Yes.
[1:01:42] Bethany Rosenbaum.
[1:01:43] Yes.
[1:01:43] Lucas Poynter.
[1:01:44] Yes.
[1:01:45] That's 13 yays, one abstain, and one absent.
[1:01:47] Okay. So we'll have this at second reading at the
[1:01:51] August quorum court. Is that August 27th?
[1:01:55] Uh-
[1:01:55] I think so. It's on the bottom here
[1:01:56] ... on the-
[1:01:57] Yeah
[1:01:59] ... on the-
[1:01:59] All right. That concludes new business for this evening.
[1:02:02] We'll move on to item number 13, other business.
[1:02:03] Is there any other business for the quorum court tonight?
[1:02:08] Seeing none, announcements. I would just, again,
[1:02:11] say that look for a notification for Intergovernmental Council
[1:02:16] August 5th, that's Wednesday,
[1:02:19] at 2:00 PM. And again, that's an official
[1:02:23] body, so the mayors will be sitting here, just so everybody knows and you're not
[1:02:26] surprised if your name's not up here and there's a mayor's name up here.
[1:02:29] And I'm not sure we have enough room for it, so we might have to put some behind
[1:02:33] too. Otherwise, you can see the upcoming calendar
[1:02:37] there. Finance on Tuesday, August 11th.
[1:02:39] Committee of the Whole on August 18th, when we'll bring back the Drainage Criteria
[1:02:43] manual, and we will have a few other planning items on that night.
[1:02:46] And then quorum court will be on August 27th.
[1:02:50] Justice Jones.
[1:02:51] Just want to remind everybody that we still have a potential for having
[1:02:55] an extra finance meeting Monday, August 17th at 6:00
[1:02:58] PM, to talk about potential ARPA funds.
[1:03:01] And then just remind everybody that the August finance meeting will be
[1:03:05] long, so pack a lunch.
[1:03:07] We're going to talk about courts and a whole bunch of other things, and the new
[1:03:10] court facility and everything to do with that so that we're not surprised
[1:03:14] in budget.
[1:03:16] So just a reminder.
[1:03:18] Thank you.
[1:03:19] Are there any other announcements?
[1:03:22] All right. Seeing none, I'll entertain a motion to adjourn.
[1:03:25] Move we adjourn.
[1:03:26] All right. We're adjourned. Thank you, everybody.