Allen seeks ninth term on Benton County Quorum Court

BENTONVILLE -- Tom Allen, who has served as a justice of the peace for 15 years, is seeking a ninth term on the Benton County Quorum Court.

Allen, 55, of Bentonville, is unopposed for the District 4 seat on the Quorum Court.

Allen became executive vice-president and principal of Sage Partners, a commercial real estate firm, in August 2016. Before that he worked in a similar capacity for the real estate division of Hunt Ventures.

Allen said the Quorum Court has dealt with a number of substantial issues on his years as a justice of the peace, including rural ambulance service. He said the county's proposed new courts building is the single biggest project the county has undertaken in his time on the Quorum Court.

"The biggest issue that we've addressed and resolve was the ambulance issue," Allen said. "But today, probably the biggest issue is the funding and building of a new courts facility."

Allen said the Quorum Court has had major financial issues in the past, pointing to the years just before and after Bella Vista incorporated. He said the effort to cut and balance the county's budget in those years makes him cautious about paying for a $30 million courts building.

"Over 10 percent of our revenue budget was taken out because of that," Allen said of the incorporation of Bela Vista. "At this time, until we can find reasons not to that are valid and worthy, I support a bond issue and paying the debt service out of our existing revenue."

Allen said the county has some flexibility in its budget since the elected officials and department heads have been asked to budget tightly and have done so for the past several years, After the 2017 fiscal year ended, he said, the county had about $3 million in funds that were budgeted but not spent.

"We don't need $3 million a year for debt service," Allen said. "So until we can prove that was an anomaly, I think we don't need to increase taxes."

Justices of the peace are paid on a per meeting basis -- $230.51 for Quorum Court and Committee of the Whole meetings and $144.08 for other committees they are members of -- and serve two-year terms.