Treasurer candidates talk reserve, future

FAYETTEVILLE — The two Washington County Treasurer candidates discussed their experience and the county’s reserve at Friday’s forum.

The Chamber of Commerce began hosting a series of candidate forums Tuesday at the Fayetteville Public Library.

Republican and incumbent Bobby Hill, 51, is running against challenger Zane Chenault, 55, a Democrat and fiscal conservative.

The Treasurer’s Office handles county revenue from local, state and federal agencies and distributes money to taxing entities, including school districts. The office’s duties also include investing county money and estimating revenue for the Quorum Court’s budgeting process.

Hill has more than 21 years of experience in the treasurer’s office and has lived in the county for about 24 years. He began as deputy treasurer in 1997, was promoted to chief deputy in 2008 and was elected treasurer in 2014.

He earned his bachelors degree in political science from the University of Central Arkansas.

Chenault served in the Army before entering the private sector. He worked as vice president of service delivery at CompuCom, where he oversaw a $250 million in revenue and about 2,000 employees, he said. In 2018, he was appointed as the member-at-large representative for the Fayetteville Airport Board. He earned his bachelor’s degree in computer science at Arkansas State University.

Chenault said he’s running to find solutions to current budget issues and, if elected, plans to stay engaged with other county agencies to look over all the budgets and county residents throughout the budgeting process.

“For the last several years, Washington County has been spending at a deficit. If you have to rely on prior year’s reserve revenue in order to cover current year expenses, you are effectively operating in the red,” he said.

Chenault believes his prior experience in budgeting, cost control and contract negotiation makes him the better candidate, he said.

He wants to figure out a way to rebuild the rebuild the county’s reserve without cutting money for education and infrastructure support and maintenance, and opposes any across-the-board percentage cuts to budgets.

One way he suggested trying to do this is to see where the county could better collaborate with other counties to consolidate services, he said. He would also like to help the county be involved in Northwest Arkansas economic development and growth by creating more partnerships with chambers and cities.

“Yes, that might not fit specifically in the strictest definition in the administrative roles of the treasurer’s office. I don’t care,” he said. “I am going to expand the role of the treasurer.”

Hill said the interest returns have increased 525 percent since 2014. This came from investing locally, which is important to Hill, he said, because these businesses help grow the community and provide local jobs.

His budgets are still conservative, he said, remaining below 2014’s level. “I know what I’m doing and I’ve done every job in the office,” he said. “I will not spend your money unless it’s necessary.” His plan is for the office to go paperless with employee direct deposits, which could save thousands each year.

An audience member at the forum asked about how the 2020 census would impact the budget, and both candidates said it will cause a $1.5 million loss to the budget and is something the office must prepare for.

The county treasurer earns $103,531 annually, which is based on state law and Hill’s experience.

The election is Nov. 6. Early voting begins Oct. 22.

Chenault

Hill