Newsletter | Beth Coger

Oct 29, 20233 min read

WASHINGTON COUNTY NEWS & HAPPENINGS

Washington County Update - October 29, 2023 THINGS TO KNoW: STILL NO NEWS ON COMMITTEE APPOINTMENTS FOR THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE...

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Oct 22, 20234 min read

Fairness and democracy aren’t present in Washington County...

→ Judge Deakins appointed Jackie Perry Ryan to the Board of Equalization and Butch Barthelemew and Larry Walker to the Water Authority. ...

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Oct 15, 20233 min read

Judge Deakins directs Prosecutor Durrett to SUSPEND ALL CJCC meetings until further notice…

→ Prosecutor Matt Durrett, co-chair of the Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee (CJCC), received a letter from County Judge Deakins...

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Oct 15, 20232 min read

Want to know how we went from a $97M budget to the proposed $112M budget (+15% year over year)!?

WC 2024 Budget information to consider after the October Finance & Budget meeting: This is the reason we’ve had a nice cushion in the...

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Oct 8, 20234 min read

AFOIA ordinance passes, No added data on Jail or CSU, Deakins plans to push the 2024 budget through

Here’s the play-by-play of what happened at the QC’s County Services Subcommittee meeting on 10/2: → Minute 22:37: JP Evelyn Rios...

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Oct 8, 20232 min read

What is the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (“SCAAP”)?

It’s a federal grant that pays Washington County to provide our undocumented neighbors’ names, release dates, and home and work addresses...

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Oct 1, 20233 min read

Pretrial services approved, $550K grant for Mental Health Court, and we continue to fight for AFOIA

The CJCC voted to move forward with pretrial services The Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee (CJCC) met and voted FOR a proposal for...

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Oct 1, 20234 min read

More on Arkansas Freedom of Information Act (AFOIA)

If you’re a community member who believes in open and transparent government, and/or if you have had trouble getting public records or...

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Sep 24, 20233 min read

$20K Ordinance Fails, CJCC review pretrial services, and WC pushes through a $20MM Jail Expansion

A lot happened this week so I'm just going to dive right in! Ordinance to spend $20,000 of taxpayer dollars on outside council FAILED at...

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Sep 24, 20231 min read

Want to know why attending and participating in this meeting is important? Find out more here…

WASHINGTON COUNTY FULL CJCC MEETING, Thursday, 9/28 @ 12:00 PM, Quorum Courtroom, WC Courthouse. IN PERSON ONLY. Hopefully the meeting...

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Sep 24, 20234 min read

Ordinance to spend $20,000 of taxpayer dollars on outside council FAILED at its first reading.

But we're not done yet! Here’s how the JPs voted: click here. It will be back on the agenda up to 2 more times, with the next reading at...

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Sep 17, 20234 min read

Washington County Update - September 17, 2023

The WC QC claims to want to save taxpayer dollars, but is willing to allocate over $30,000 on outside council when our county attorneys...

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Sep 8, 20233 min read

Washington County Update - September 10, 2023

Here’s everything you need to know to keep our local government transparent… How can the Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee (CJCC)...

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Sep 8, 20232 min read

“I never believe I don’t have the power to do things”

- The Honorable Christi Beaumont said at the CJCC meeting. I have deemed this the quote of the year! This meeting was not posted on the...

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Sep 8, 20232 min read

A budget is more than just a series of numbers on a page; it’s an embodiment of our values...

The Finance & Budget Committee met Tuesday, 9/5/23. We reviewed budgets for the following officials: Assessor Russell Hill; Circuit...

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Sep 3, 20233 min read

Washington County Update - September 3, 2023

What we fund is what we value… Let’s dive in as the QC continues to work through the 2024 Budget. Here’s what you need to know … JESAP...

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Sep 3, 20231 min read

Continuation of 2024 Budget discussion included a request for a modest increase to the Prosecutor’s

The Prosecuting Attorney, Matt Durrett’s 2024 budget proposal contains $1,172,717.00 salaries and benefits for the three deputy PAs and...

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Sep 3, 20232 min read

JESAP ignores Mac Mayfields recommendation to hire a Criminal Justice Coordinator (CJC) …

Let’s back up a bit. What is JESAP? It is the Jobs Evaluation Salary Administration Program. Any county job that is created has to be...

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Aug 27, 20233 min read

Washington County Update - August 27, 2023

Here’s what happened last week: ➦ Finance & Budget meeting we reviewed sheriff’s budgets for 2024, which included over $1.5M in increases...

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Aug 20, 20236 min read

Washington County Update - August 20, 2023

Here’s everything you need to know about the August QC Meeting: ➦ My ordinance to fund nonprofits with ARPA money failed. Read more...

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