The Jefferson County Quorum Court reverted back to its usual chaos on Monday night as numerous items on the agenda brought confusion and discord to the meeting.
On Monday Deltaplex News began publishing information regarding the super sponsorship’s that eight members of the quorum court are using to place items onto the agenda. In an email to Deltaplex News on Monday evening Chief Deputy Clerk Tiffany Lowery confirmed that no meetings are taking place to determine what the eight justices are putting on the agenda via super sponsorship.
There are no meetings being held to determine super-sponsors. As I advised the County Judge this morning, the majority of justices informed that if the request comes from the County Clerk’s office as outlined by the procedure ordinance, they would be willing to sponsor those items. The procedural ordinance does not require a meeting to determine which items the justices would like to sponsor, nor have any meetings been scheduled by the County Clerk’s office for this purpose. The majority of justices believe the committees have not been formulated based on the guidelines within the procedural ordinance.
The County Clerk’s office reached out to Association of Arkansas Counties (AAC) legal counsel with regards to the use of super-sponsorship and we have been advised that there is no law for or against the use of super-sponsorship and it is likely within the purview of the quorum court to use this method if it is found in the county policy which they established in their procedural ordinance 2025-8.
Sponsoring an item to be placed on the agenda does not constitute a yes or no vote. These items must still be voted on by the full court.
Hope this helps,
Tiffany Lowery
In a second email Lowery when asked where the items being placed on the agenda via super sponsorship are coming from it was stated that the super sponsorships come from items department heads want placed onto the agenda, with eight members of the quorum court have given previous consent to use their names for the super sponsorships as long as the items come from the County Clerk’s office.
That email is below:
The department head submits their request on letterhead. The County Clerk office is responsible for drafting the ordinances based on the request. The Majority Justices have already given their consent that as long as the items come from the County Clerk’s office (based on the procedural ordinance), then they are consenting to their names being placed on the ordinances as super-sponsorship. It only takes 5 but all 8 agreed to sponsor the ordinances if they meet the criteria and nothing in their procedural ordinance says that they have to have a meeting. A verbal or written request can be given so long as the ordinance bears the name of the sponsoring justices. (They are listed on the ordinance)
There really is no story here other than the County Judge does not like the idea of the super-sponsorship because he has never heard of the idea. The County Clerk’s office has done its due diligence and reached out to AAC (Association of Arkansas Counties) legal counsel as we do with any other concerns we have and have been advised that because it is apart of the county ordinance (until someone files a lawsuit and a circuit judge intervenes) it is lawful.
Thanks,
Tiffany
At Monday night’s meeting six items put on the agenda via super sponsorship were struck from the agenda because they were already on the agenda after they came through committee meetings held last week. County Judge Gerald Robinson said that by them having to strike items from the agenda that they super sponsored shows that they don’t always know what they are placing on the agenda.
On a vote to override a county judge veto from last month Justice Alfred Carroll claimed Robinson’s veto was out of order. Carroll claimed in the meeting that the County Judge does not have power to do a blanket veto.
“The law says it is clear all of the items you vetoed was done improperly, so it voids those. There is no need for a vote to override the veto because it is an improper veto.”, Carroll said in the meeting. Carroll ended up walking out of the meeting before a vote could be cast by the quorum court.
After a vote which did not provide enough votes to override the veto Robinson said that Carroll is incorrect in his assortment.
Several of the eight justices who have supported the super sponsorship process declined to comment when approached by Deltaplex News staff at Monday’s meeting.
