Changes Ahead For Quorum Court

— Benton County’s legislative branch could face some tumultuous times as the Quorum Court assimilates six new justices of the peace.

“It’s a lot easier to sit on the sidelines saying ‘I wouldn’t have done that!’ than it is sitting up there and hearing both sides of an arguments and making a reasonable decision,” said Justice of the Peace Dan Douglas. Douglas is leaving the Quorum Court after four years to take a seat in the state House of Representatives.

Quorum Court

Amendment 55 to the state Constitution sets the range for the number of justices of the peace for Arkansas’ counties:

“No county’s Quorum Court shall be comprised of fewer than nine justices of the peace, nor comprised of more than 15 justices of the peace. The number of justices of the peace that comprise a county’s Quorum Court shall be determined by law. The county’s Election Commission shall, after each decennial census, divide the county into convenient and single member districts so that the Quorum Court shall be based upon the inhabitants of the county with each member representing, as nearly as practicable, an equal number thereof.”

Source: Staff Report

“It’s just not as easy as saying, ‘Let’s do this.’”

Benton County has had 13 justices of the peace on its Quorum Court, which is the legislative branch of county government. The county’s population topped 200,000 in the 2010 Census, triggering a provision of state law increasing the number of justices of the peace from 13 to 15.

Each justice of the peace is supposed to represent a district of roughly equal population. When the old districts were established after the 2000 Census, each justice of the peace represented about 11,000 people. The uneven growth of the county over the last decade had resulted in some of the districts having 25,000 to 30,000 residents while others had slightly more than 11,000. State law allows for a variance in the population of justice of the peace districts of no more than 5 percent.

When the new districts were drawn, the county’s Election Commission directed that one consideration be to avoid placing incumbent justices of the peace in a single district. That was done, guaranteeing at least two new members on the Quorum Court from the pair of additional districts. Barry Moehring won election to the new District 15 seat and Brent Myers won the race for the District 14 seat.

The number of new justices of the peace grew beyond the two new seats when Douglas chose to pursue the state House post and Justice of the Peace Herb Hawkins chose not to run again. Douglas will be replaced in the District 9 on the Quorum Court by Susan Anglin and Hawkins was replaced by Pat Adams in the District 6 seat.

Justice of the Peace Dale King was defeated in his bid for re-election to the District 1 seat by Mike McKenzie, adding another new face to the Quorum Court for 2013. Justice of the Peace Frank Winscott recently sold his home and moved outside the boundaries of District 2, leaving that seat vacant. Under state law, Gov. Mike Beebe will appoint someone to serve out the two-year term Winscott was elected to.

Justice of the Peace Kurt Moore was first elected to the Quorum Court in 1998. He was elected twice before having his district shifted by the results of the 2000 Census. Moore said there is typically some turnover on the Quorum Court and new justices of the peace will face a learning curve.

“Normally, about every term we have a quarter to a third of the JPs leave or be replaced,” Moore said. “It looks like this group has been pretty studious. They’ve been attending meetings and asking questions, mostly weighing in on particular issues that were discussing in that meeting.”

Moore said his experience has been that new justices of the peace typically need six months to a year to gain an understanding of how county government works.

“By their second year they have as much of a handle on things as established JPs,” Moore said.

Anglin said she’s learned a lot by attending meetings and observing the process of county government.

“I feel more prepared since I have attended.” Anglin said. “I know I have a lot to learn but I’m excited and ready to serve.”

County Judge Bob Clinard will be entering his second term in office in 2013. He said he’s optimistic about the new justices of the peace.

“I have met with all of the new JPs coming onto the court and I think they will all be good at the job.” Clinard said. “As a group, they are dedicated to doing their best for the county.”

Clinard said that going from 13 justices of the peace to 15 may present more of a challenge than assimilating a number of new faces.

“It’s quite an eclectic group, with an interesting cross-section of backgrounds,” he said of the Quorum Court. “Anytime you try to get 15 people to agree on something it’s got to be more difficult.”

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