The 2013 version of the Faulkner County Quorum Court will look much like the 2012 version. Three new justices of the peace will take their positions, and during the first meeting of the court, it looked as if every JP wanted to have their hands and eyes on the budget.
All quorum court members present during the first meeting of 2013 expressed interest in being a part of the Budget and Finance Committee, so much so that County Judge Preston Scroggin said he consulted several lawyers to see if he could increase the number of representatives from five to seven.
“I agonized over this,” Scroggin said. “And it is wonderful to see that everyone is so interested in this aspect of the court’s duties. I wanted to look at what was best for the people of Faulkner County as opposed to certain interests. I never thought it was about Republican or Democrat on this committee.”
Randy Ingram from District 1 will continue to chair the committee.
The court will continue to meet the third Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m. The budget and finance committee will meet every second Tuesday at 6 p.m.
The court also appointed Allen Dodson as the County Attorney and Patrick Moore as County Coroner.
“Allen is a man of intense integrity, as we all have seen these last few months,” Scroggin said. Dodson was appointed after former attoney Stephan Hawks resigned amidst controversy. Dodson has been the attorney since July but was appointed with the new court.
“I cannot tell you how proud I have been of Patrick,” Scroggin said before the court approved his appointment unanimously.