Ordinance to exempt ex-JP pulled

FAYETTEVILLE — A proposed ordinance meant to make sure former Justice of the Peace Sharon Lloyd is legally employed with the county was pulled from consideration without being voted on during the Quorum Court meeting Thursday.

“It seems very, very clear that we’ve got a rule, and we’re not following it,” said Justice of the Peace Bill Ussery, a Republican representing northeastern Springdale.

Washington County Judge Joseph Wood hired Lloyd this past January, but the county has an ordinance precluding an elected official from working for the county for one year.

Lloyd, a Republican, was appointed to her position in 2015 but is considered an elected official under the ordinance. She left office Dec. 31.

Lloyd was hired after Wood didn’t rehire Renee Biby, grants administrator and public utilities coordinator, in December. Biby was among four longtime employees who were fired and replaced.

The move has been controversial among justices of the peace.

On Thursday, Ussery put forward a proposal to “allow Sharon Lloyd to be employed by Washington County and thus create an exemption to Washington County Code,” according to the proposed ordinance.

The proposal, which was retroactive, was up for a second reading Thursday.

Justice of the Peace Sue Madison, a Democrat representing southeastern Washington County, said Ussery’s proposal shouldn’t be considered because state law mandates county employment policies be generic and broad, Madison said.

Ussery’s legislation mentions Lloyd by name.

“It is really unthinkable to me to have one ordinance for one person,” Sue Madison said.

The employee policy in place has an exemption clause allowing the Quorum Court to approve hires such as Lloyd’s. But that exemption also violates state law, County Attorney Brian Lester said.

To meet state requirements, the current ordinance shouldn’t include any exemption allowing the Quorum Court to approve an employee, Lester said. The exemption clause isn’t valid and neither is the proposed legislation, Lester said.

“The Quorum Court doesn’t have the power to hire county employees — that’s expressly reserved for the county judge,” Lester said.

Justice of the Peace Eva Madison, a Democrat representing northeastern Fayetteville, agreed with Sue Madison and pulled the proposal. Eva Madison said the proposal wasn’t “in order” because the original ordinance isn’t in line with state law.

Wood was absent from the meeting, and Eva Madison was chairwoman in his place. Lloyd also wasn’t at the meeting, and Lloyd’s husband, Justice of the Peace Roddy Lloyd came to the meeting late.

Lloyd, a Republican representing western Springdale, was elected this year to the seat his wife vacated.

Madison said she made her decision to pull Ussery’s legislation because of Lester’s advice, she said. Ussery said he plans to ask Lester to do more research on the issue.

“The ordinance is dead, but the issue is not,” Ussery said.