A new election employee will be a part of the county clerk’s office if the Quorum Court follows the recommendation of the Faulkner County Election Commission. The commission voted 2-1 to place an employee who would oversee county elections in County Clerk Melinda Reynold’s office.
Phil Lipsmeyer, a commissioner, said he thought the county had done pretty well with elections in the past.
“We haven’t had some of the problems of other counties,” he said. Lipsmeyer said he could not support having a full-time coordinator as proposed last month by Commissioner Marvin Lessmann. Lipsmeyer said he could support having a person who worked on elections during an election cycle in the county clerk’s office.
Frankie Sears, chairman of the commission, said the commission members could not hire anyone, but members could make recommendations to the Quorum Court.
“If we seemed confused during the last meeting, it is because we didn’t know Mr. Lessmann was going to the Quorum Court to discuss an election coordinator,” Sears said. Lessmann disagreed, saying that he had sent e-mails to both Sears and Lipsmeyer about the position.
Sears said after looking at Lessmann’s proposal and discussing the position with county judges from other counties, she thought an election employee should go in the county clerk’s office. She said the coordinator would be needed only for election years and would be expensive.
Lessmann said he thought the position should be a full-time one based on his conversation with election coordinators and judges.
He told Sears, “I may not have talked to the same people.”
“I am sure you didn’t,” Sears replied.
Lessmann said at the least, the commission should hire a part-time coordinator who could also work for the clerk’s office when not working for the commission. “Anything short of that would be the wrong thing to do for the county,” Lessmann said.
Lessmann called for a vote on his original proposal of a full-time election coordinator that would answer to the commission. The commission knocked down his motion 2-1. Sears then proposed placing a person in the clerk’s office. She said the employee would be able to receive voter registration training and then test machines, train poll workers and make site selections in election years. This proposal passed 2-1.
Road Commission
Clayton Glover of Wooster approached the County Road Commission to address issues on Carefree Circle. Glover said because of ditches that needed to be drug and clogged culverts, rainwater coming from Carefree Circle flowed into his yard taking out a bridge and making a ditch on his property. Glover said the water runs 85 feet from the road to his property. He and his wife placed 40 sandbags on the property to protect their residence from the water, he said.
Glover asked the county for help in getting a new culvert placed in the ditch. Judge Preston Scroggin told him that the county could not replace the culvert because it was on private property.
Justice Jerry Roberts suggested that since the county could not solve the problem that Glover go to small claims court. Johnnie Wells suggested that Glover talk to his neighbor before pursuing that option. Scroggin said if the neighbor would purchase the culverts and have them delivered, the county would install them.
Budget Committee
During the full Quorum Court meeting Tuesday, the budget and finance committee will present three grants for approval. One will aid the Faulkner County SWAT team with equipment. A second will help the Highway 286 Fire Department purchase equipment while the third will help Conway Cradle Care purchase playground equipment.
The committee will also present an ordinance to give Christmas bonuses to county employees. Full-time employees would receive $200.
The committee also heard from A.J. Cooper-Prince, who talked about a new program to provide meals to the elderly on the weekend. The committee opted to not pursue the matter. Cooper-Prince said she would seek private funding for the program.
