Finance and Budget Meeting 11/10/2026

Washington County, Arkansas Finance and Budget Committee meeting, November 10, 2026: The committee reviewed county finances and advanced several grant-related ordinances to the full Quorum Court with do-pass recommendations. These included $19,200 in additional juvenile court grant revenue; $250,000 from the Bureau of Justice Assistance Adult Treatment Court Program; $399,999 in SAMHSA Drug Court grant revenue; and $131,290 from the state Crisis Intervention Program, allocated as $53,741.53 to the Mental Health Court grant fund and $77,548.47 to the Drug Court grant fund. The committee also advanced the 2026 tax-levy ordinance and the proposed 2027 county budget. The budget was presented at approximately $124 million, about $4.6 million below the 2026 budget, and was amended to provide a 5% step increase for eligible employees and a 5% increase for employees at step 10 for the 2027 budget. The committee passed the amended budget to the full court with a do-pass recommendation; final approval was not shown in the transcript.

Most 2027 capital line items were removed from the proposed budget, while limited funding was retained for potential emergency maintenance and repairs. The committee also approved adding a budget control requiring capital appropriations to be used for the specific project approved by the Quorum Court; changing that use would require prior approval by ordinance. No vendor selections, contract awards, or bids were identified. The committee received financial and insurance reports, including discussion of employee insurance premiums, but took no procurement action on those matters.