Quorum Court approves funding for vaccination clinics

BENTON COUNTY — The Benton County Quorum Court on Thursday night approved $113,000 in funding for Northwest Arkansas Council vaccination clinics.

The vote was 10-3, with justices of the peace Tom Allen, Joseph Bollinger, Joel Jones, Susan Anglin, Richard Taylor, Dustin Todd, Ron Homeyer, Kurt Moore, Leigh Nogy and Joel Edwards voting yes. Voting no were justices of the peace Ken Farmer, Carrie Perrien Smith and Brian Armas. Justice of the Peace Richard McKeehan was absent.

There are 14 members on the Quorum Court, all Republicans. There is one opening on the court.

The handful of public comments made at the meeting were all against giving money to the council. Arguments included the clinics were not necessary, not wanting to give taxpayer money to the council and that there were better opportunities to use the money elsewhere.

Funding will come from the American Rescue Plan. The plan provides $350 billion in federal money for eligible state, local, territorial and tribal governments nationwide, according to the county. Benton County will receive a combined $54 million — $27 million over the next two years.

The appropriation ordinance had a winding path to get to final approval.

The $113,000 for the council’s covid-19 vaccination and public information campaign had to go to a second reading after it failed to get the necessary 10 votes needed for such an ordinance at last month’s Quorum Court meeting. The vote was 9-4 in favor of the appropriation.

County Judge Barry Moehring called a special Quorum Court meeting Oct. 19 for the second reading.

Justices of the peace didn’t vote on that ordinance after some of them voiced concerns about $1 million going to the marketing campaign while $200,000 is planned for the vaccination clinics.

Instead, justices of the peace came up with an amended ordinance that required the $113,000 could only go toward vaccine clinics and not any marketing efforts. The amended ordinance passed 10-2, with two members absent.

Farmer asked to amend that ordinance to bring the total down to $25,000, but the amendment failed 7-6. Voting no were Allen, Smith, Jones, Anglin, Taylor, Homeyer and Edwards. Voting yes were Farmer, Armas, Bollinger, Todd, Moore and Nogy.

The ordinance states, “These funds shall not be used for advertising or marketing.”

Benton and Washington counties, along with Bentonville, Fayetteville, Rogers and Springdale, were asked to pay a prorated share toward a $1.2 million, 12-month campaign of vaccination clinics and strategic messaging.

The goal is to reach the 30% of eligible unvaccinated residents who previously indicated they were on the “fence” regarding getting a vaccine, said Ryan Cork with the Northwest Arkansas Council. The information came from a poll the council conducted along with Benton, Washington and Sebastian counties, he said.

The vaccination clinics are best defined as three separate efforts: vaccination clinics to include boosters, personnel to help administer monoclonal antibodies and personnel to help with testing, Cork said.

Nogy asked for an amendment that the money could only be used for antibody and monoclonal testing, but that died for lack of a second.

Fayetteville’s city council, on Oct. 19, approved using $93,969 in rescue plan money to help pay for the campaign. The Rogers City Council last month approved a resolution to partner with the council to help it continue the vaccination and public information campaign. The resolution appropriates up to $69,908 of city money from the rescue plan, according to Mayor Greg Hines. The Springdale City Council pledged $87,176 from its rescue plan money to support the council’s efforts last month.

Bentonville and Washington County have not decided yet on funding the initiative.

In other business, the court voted 13-0 to purchase body cameras for the Sheriff’s Office using American Rescue Plan money.

The Sheriff’s Office will receive 85 body cameras, 60 camera systems for cars and other equipment, at a cost of $633,000. The cameras will be compatible with camera systems that are now in several vehicles.