By Ray King
Despite the usual bickering between County Judge Gerald Robinson and Justice of the Peace Lloyd Franklin Jr., which has become a staple part of Quorum Court meetings for months, the August meeting, which was held Monday, was different. The County’s legislative body was actually able to pass some legislation.
Of that legislation, none was more important that a $100,000 appropriation for the Jefferson County Election Commission to pay for the Pine Bluff School District millage election which will be on the ballot Tuesday.
After the meeting, Robinson talked about getting that appropriation approved.
According to Mike Adam, the chairman of the election commission, the money is needed to pay for election programming and printing of absentee ballots, pay two technicians to prepare all voting machines, then deliver and pick them up, staffing at the poll sites, poll worker training, required commission meetings, and office supplies.
The back and forth between Robinson and Franklin dominated the first part of the meeting as Robinson said the meeting would follow the agenda prepared by his office and refused to use an agenda prepared by the County Clerk at the request of Franklin, who cited state law that requires the clerk’s office to prepare legislation.
After a number of requests from Franklin wanting Prosecuting Attorney S. Kyle Hunter to wade in on the dispute, Hunter did speak, citing, as he did last month, his belief that a policies and procedures ordinance adopted by seven members of the quorum court during what Robinson called an illegal meeting was valid until a judge says differently. Hunter went on to say that County Attorney Terry Wynne probably would have a different opinion.
Robinson has filed a lawsuit against the 13 members of the Quorum Court about that policies and procedures ordinance which he says attempts to usurp his authority. No court date has been set as yet and an attorney for the Quorum Court has also not filed a response to the allegations.
