Pulaski County notebook

League plans forum on county judge race

The League of Women Voters of Pulaski County will host a county judge candidate forum Sept. 8 from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Quorum Court room on the fourth floor of the county administration building at 201 S. Broadway.

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The forum will feature the three candidates for county judge, who will respond to questions from the League and members of the public in the audience.

Democrat Barry Hyde, Libertarian Glen Schwarz and Republican Phil Wyrick have filed to run for the county judge seat being vacated next year by retiring County Judge Buddy Villines.

The county judge serves for two years, beginning Jan. 1. Villines will make $91,592.80 this year as county judge after serving in the position for 24 years.

The League plans to film the forum for release on cable television and social media, according to a news release. So far, its forum is the only such event planned before the Nov. 4 election.

NLR's Meadow Park ends polling option

Meadow Park Elementary School in the North Little Rock School District will no longer serve as a polling place, Pulaski County Election Director Bryan Poe said Tuesday.

Instead, voters will go to Bethany Baptist Church at 308 Eureka Garden Road for the Sept. 16 School Board elections and all subsequent elections.

The commission is working toward moving all polling locations out of elementary schools.

The election commission is also working toward finding a new polling place for voters who used to cast their ballots at New Haven United Methodist Church in Hensley, which recently burned down, Poe said.

"Hopefully we'll have something by next week," he said.

Expanding gets two companies endorsed

The Pulaski County Quorum Court endorsed Tuesday night two companies for tax incentives from the Arkansas Economic Development Commission for expansions within the county.

The Quorum Court approved the measures 11-0, with District 4 Justice of the Peace Julie Blackwood, D-Little Rock; District 9 Justice of the Peace Wilma Walker, D-College Station; District 10 Justice of the Peace Robert Green, D-McAlmont; and District 11 Justice of the Peace Bob Johnson, D-Jacksonville, absent from the meeting.

Ben E. Keith Co., a distributor of food and alcoholic beverages, plans to add $60 million in facilities and equipment in North Little Rock, hiring 74 employees at an average hourly wage of $30 within five years of completing the project. The expected annual payroll for the new hires is $4.44 million.

Davis Rubber Co. at 1800 E. 14th St. in Little Rock is improving its facilities and adding equipment at a cost of $1.2 million. It expects to increase its workforce from nine to 13 as a result of the project, paying the new employees an average of $11 per hour. The expected annual payroll for the new hires is $125,000.

The company expects to increase the volume of tires it recycles.

Local governments must endorse companies that wish to participate in the Arkansas Economic Development Commission's tax incentives program.

Court accepts Dean as member to board

Gary Dean will serve on the Pulaski County Bridge Facility Board for the next five years, after approval Tuesday night from the Pulaski County Quorum Court.

The board deals primarily with the Junction Bridge.

The Quorum Court approved the measure 11-0, with District 4 Justice of the Peace Julie Blackwood, D-Little Rock; District 9 Justice of the Peace Wilma Walker, D-College Station; District 10 Justice of the Peace Robert Green, D-McAlmont; and District 11 Justice of the Peace Bob Johnson, D-Jacksonville, absent from the meeting.

Dean is a partner at Williams & Dean Associated Architects in Little Rock and founded his first architectural firm 43 years ago. He received a bachelor's degree in architecture from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville in 1967.

Dean replaces Eddie Armstrong III, the board's chair who stepped down in June.

County to buy new financial software

Pulaski County will buy new financial software that meets the standards for Legislative Audit, after the Quorum Court approved appropriating funds for the purchase Tuesday night.

The current software does not meet Legislative Audit standards.

The purchase will be done with $150,000 from two different county funds, including the capitol maintenance and technology reserve fund.

Comptroller Mike Hutchens said the county waited to buy new software because it wanted to see it work for another county first. He said Benton County has used the software, and it worked successfully there.

The software would not be used until next year.

Metro on 08/28/2014

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