Taking place just a day after news emerged of the death of County Treasurer Ricky Reyenga, the Nevada County Quorum Court meeting Tuesday evening resolved the question of who would take up Reyenga’s duties. Until an appointment is made by the court after an application process, current Deputy Clerk of District Court and Deputy Treasurer Lorelai Hale will perform the duties of the office. During the meeting she sat in the jury box next to the seat Reyenga used to use during past meetings. 

The meeting can be seen in its entirety in the video just below the photos. 

The Justices of the Peace voted to allow Hale access to the county’s bank accounts. At the prompting of JP Willie Wilson, it was decided by consensus that the court’s budget committee, which includes Wilson, JP Herbert Coleman and JP Patricia Grimes, will discuss a raise in Hale’s pay to reflect her new responsibilities. 

After the meeting, several county officials shared their memories of Reyenga for a story that will also appear on SWARK.Today. 

In Old Business, the court considered an ordinance first read at its August regular meeting. Entitled "An Emergency Ordinance for the Protection of the Traveling Public, Condition and Maintenance of the County Maintained Public roads in Nevada County and Within Its Unincorporated Limits; To Declare and Emergency; And for Other Purposes," the ordinance--makes illegal the presence or placement of obstacles to travel along marked and unmarked county roads unless with the written permission of the county judge.” 

The ordinance, shown below SWARK.Today's article on the court's August meeting, also includes language to allow the county to clear the obstacles or make repairs and bill the person or organization causing the situation for the full cost. 

It also provides for a fine of $1,000 with the potential for an additional $500 a day fine for continued noncompliance with the law. Breaking the law could lead to prosecution for a class A misdemeanor, the next step down from a felony. 

The ordinance was tabled during the August meeting and not brought up for consideration in September’s regular meeting.  

On Tuesday evening, County Judge Mike Otwell invited Ben Hale to speak. Hale, Prosecuting Attorney for Eighth North Judicial District and acting as Nevada County Attorney, advised the court to add language to the ordinance making clear in each article that written permission from the County Judge or their designate is required if any exceptions are to be made for parties doing construction or utilities services involving obstacles to travel on Nevada County roads. 

JP Coleman asked if the amount of time after the ordinance was first read in August and the posting of the ordinance in the courthouse as well as its being publicized in media outlets was sufficient. Hale agreed that it was.

Hale also said the U.S. Constitution’s prohibition of ex post facto laws prevents the county from prosecuting offenses that were legal prior to the passage of the law. "Anything's that's in the ground now, anything that's a problem now I can't prosecute somebody for doing that," Hale told the court.

Otwell spoke of the urgency of passing the ordinance, citing the example of a county road grader driver who nearly had an accident due to a gas line being in his path that an independent contractor had laid without notifying the county.  

When former JP candidate Shane Horn, filming the meeting for his personal website, asked the reason for the need to pass the ordinance on an emergency clause and whether the ordinance defined the emergency, Otwell said “What makes it an emergency to me is I nearly lost a motor grader driver.” Hale pointed out and County Clerk Tammie Rose read aloud the language in the ordinance that defines the emergency. 

The JPs passed the ordinance with six out of eight voting yes. JP Curtis Johnson abstaining and JP Brenda Stockton not present during the vote. 

In new business, the JPs voted to accept a grant of $7,500 for the Sheriff’s Office for supplies. 

At the beginning of the meeting, after the invocation, pledge of allegiance, approval of previous meeting minutes, the financial statement for the month was presented by Lorelai Hale. She said because the past month had three payrolls while distribution taxes were only coming in this Wednesday, the solid waste budget was in the negative at the moment. But the county’s budget as a whole, she reported, is in positive territory.

Prescott-Nevada County Economic Development Office Executive Director Mary Godwin, Prescott-Nevada County Chamber of Commerce Director Jamie Hillery and County Extension Agent Stacey Stone gave reports on their respective offices. 

Godwin said she presented each JP with sales tax receipt numbers with comparisons to surrounding counties so they could answer questions to their constituents.  She said good news would be coming soon regarding new business prospects but she could not announce the specifics yet. 

“We do have a couple of good things that we'll be announcing here, probably within this next month sometime around new job creation and new business. I'm just not quite at that point that I have permission to put it out in the public, but it’s just something. It’s been such a sad, sad day the last day or two. So maybe this will give you something to feel positive about,” she said. 

JP Wilson asked whether grant application opportunities from the federal government were coming to her. Godwin said she was on the notification list for grant opportunities from the federal agencies but most grant funds are usually provided to the states to determine to whom the funds would be distributed.  Wilson complimented the completion of culverts placed in the city. “It's actually enhanced the beautification, but it also serves a very important purpose,” he said, referring to a grant-funded project to address city drainage issues. 

Godwin said a walk-through had been completed recently and notes given to the contractor about spot issues to address.  She also told Wilson she knew of his concern for Wildcat Road, which is in his district and her office is working with Southwest Arkansas Planning and Development District (a state agency that helps communities in its 12-county district with projects, grant writing and grant administration) to help get it fixed. 

A recent report, Godwin said, concluded that Nevada County and Prescott are no longer eligible for many grants because the percentage of residents making low to moderate incomes is no longer above 51 percent. She said she had conferred with the Arkansas Economic Development Commission and discovered the numbers came from the U.S. Census Bureau. She said that unless it can be shown in another survey that over 51 percent of the residents in the census block in which Wildcat Road is located fall into the low to moderate income category, the road might not be eligible to apply for as many grants as otherwise. 

Wilson said the findings puzzled him because all the public school students in his district are eligible for the free lunch program. Godwin replied that Nashville had also lost its majority low to moderate income designation. 

JP Coleman asked about the progress on extending broadband internet to rural areas in his district, saying he knew of a couple looking to buy a half-million-dollar house who needed broadband service to do their jobs. Godwin said that in the current phase of Arkansas Broadband expansion broadband companies are submitting bids for grants the Arkansas Broadband office will provide to install fiberoptic internet cable and other equipment to cover rural areas. 

“Until that grant period is over [at the end of November] and they award those grants, we're not sure who will get to build out to those people,” Godwin said, adding that in the zoom meetings she had attended Arkansas Broadband Office leaders assured attendees they would make broadband internet access available to every Arkansas resident.  She said it may not be known which companies got local contracts until at least January. 

Hillery promoted this Saturday October 12th’s Fall Festival which will take place downtown around the courthouse from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and include 80 vendors, including food trucks. Live music performances will also take place. She referred to a schedule of events for the festival she provided for the JPs.  

The Giving Tree project will open up again this year starting November 4th to provide children in households with low incomes with necessities during the Christmas season. Last year 30 children were adopted by the programs. Families interested in receiving such gifts can contact the Chamber’s offices at [email protected] or 1-870-887-2101. Those wishing to support the project can donate items or money by using the same contact information. 

JP Wilson said the recent Nevada County Fair had been very popular with public school children and staff. He thanked Hillery for all the effort that went toward its success. 

Stacey Stone, Staff Chair of Nevada County Cooperative Extension Service, introduced Sheila Ballard, who will be taking the place of Caitlyn Kirkham as the agent in charge of Family and Consumer Sciences. A new 4-H agent will join the office in about a week.  Stone said 35 kids showed animals at the county fair and 20 at the Southwest Arkansas District Livestock Show. Four children attended the Arkansas Youth Expo. Twenty-five kids from the county will show animals at the Arkansas State Fair starting Wednesday.  Some students will go to nationals in Kansas City.  “We’re looking forward to some big things,” Stone said. 

JP Grimes asked how well the carnival at the county fair did.  Godwin said the fair had done especially well on Saturday and the premium sale had set a new record, taking in $36,000, beating the previous record by $4,000. 

JP Grimes at the end of the meeting asked Godwin for a report on former JP and County Judge candidate Bob Cummings’ health. Godwin said he had emergency surgery last week and is being kept isolated at home while he recovers.