FAYETTEVILLE -- Washington County's justices of the peace Monday debated how the county will dispense tens of millions of dollars in services next year by asking a perennial question: Who's in charge of this money?
The Quorum Court's role as the county's legislative branch means it sets and divides the money among the Sheriff's Office, coroner, Road Department and other county agencies. During Monday's finance committee meeting, some justices of the peace said this role means the court should manage spending down to the line items for office supplies or food. Others agreed in part but said they should allow departments some flexibility in their spending.
Meeting information
Washington County Quorum Court
• When: 6 p.m. Thursday
• Where: Quorum Courtroom of the county courthouse, 280 N. College Ave. in Fayetteville
It's a question that came up last year as well, resurfacing now with several justices of the peace who are facing their first budget discussions. No firm answer to the question came during Monday's open-ended discussion, but the court's eventual decision could affect how quickly the county can respond to unexpected needs and who decides how to do so.
"I think what we think we're budgeting in the fall is not what we actually spend as the year plays out," said Joel Maxwell, a Republican who represents District 13 along the county's rural, western side.
He pointed to department heads' ability to shuffle money between line items, with a few exceptions. Departments can't add any employees or move more than $5,000 for equipment without Quorum Court approval, but most other transfers can be done as they see fit, with the comptroller's go-ahead insuring the budgets can handle them. All line item transfers are reported each month.
The county budget this year comprises about $59 million.
"I think micromanaging is a horrible curse at times, and so that's what I don't want to do," Maxwell said. But he suggested a cap on transfers without the court's OK, perhaps a dollar amount or a percentage of a line item or spending category. Similar ideas were also raised last year, leading the Quorum Court then to require the monthly reports.
Some said even caps might not go far enough, and all budget changes should get Quorum Court approval. That would mean transfers could be delayed up to a month waiting for the next Quorum Court meeting. Department budgets must reflect typical operations and not have extra padding, said Eva Madison, a Fayetteville Democrat.
"I think unanticipated expenses are exactly why you come back to the Quorum Court," she said. "We need to keep our eyes on the prize, and the prize is our reserves to pay for unanticipated expenses."
Madison and the rest of the Quorum Court last year chopped about $4 million from the budget to rebuild those reserves after years of gradual decline. Based on the rest of the year's revenue predictions, the county's unappropriated reserve is about $4 million, and the justices hope to grow it further with next year's budget.
Some justices decried a confrontational perspective and said departments should keep some control over their spending.
County government is "a partnership," said Ann Harbison, a Democrat from West Fork. The wide range in department size makes transfer caps less useful, she added.
"I'm not aware of any department last year that went over their budget," said Bill Ussery, a Springdale Republican who said he wasn't particularly troubled by transfers "as long as we're informed of it. We need to be sure we're not spending a whole lot of time answering questions no one's asking."
To make sure reserves grow, Ussery suggested holding overall budgets steady next year and leaving specific line items to department heads.
However the Quorum Court handles transfers, finance chairman Rick Cochran said he plans to involve department heads early on in budget discussions. He's asking them to emphasize what the numbers mean and what the money is buying.
NW News on 07/14/2015