County Officials Discuss Tax Election

FAYETTEVILLE — The Washington County Quorum Court heard almost two hour’s worth of comments Thursday from residents who cheered in favor and jeered against paying for public transit through an expected sales tax election in May.

Their spirited comments came minutes after members of the Quorum Court unsuccessfully attempted to delay the quarter-cent sales tax election to November and a different unsuccessful attempt to suspend rules and approve the election.

Quorum Court members now have one last opportunity to approve the election at their March meeting, if they want to make the deadline to put the question on the May 22 primary ballot. They will need a simple majority in March to approve the election.

Officials with Ozark Regional Transit asked the Quorum Court almost a year ago to approve a sales tax election that could result in a revenue boost of more than $7 million annually for the transit provider. The Quorum Court voted in March to support calling for an election and let voters decide. They began the process to approve the election last month.

Justice of the Peace Tom Lundstrum of Springdale made the motion to put the sales tax on the ballot during November’s general election.

Many among the 100 people in attendance yelled “no” and jeered. Justice of the Peace Joe Patterson of Springdale said 8 percent of county voters went to the polls during the primary in 2004 compared to 79 percent during that year’s general election.

“The ( turnout) for this general election should be huge,” Lundstrum said. “So we would actually be giving a far greater number of people in our county the ability to vote on this issue than we would by putting it on the May ballot.”

Lundstrum’s proposal failed 12-5. Lundstrum along with Justices of the Peace Joe Patterson of Springdale, Butch Pond of Fayetteville, Rick Cochran of Tontitown and Mary Ann Spears of Farmington supported putting the question on the November ballot.

Justices of the Peace Candy Clark of Fayetteville, Lance Eads of Springdale, John Firmin of Fayetteville, Barbara Fitzpatrick of Fayetteville, Ann Harbison of West Fork, Eva Madison of Fayetteville, Margie Alsbrook of Springdale and Rex Bailey of Springdale voted against the delay.

Many in the crowd cheered and clapped after comments from transit users, students and other who identified themselves as disabled or incapable of driving spoke about the need for an expanded public transit system in the county.

Former County Judge Jerry Hunton was among current and former public officials who spoke in favor of the election, including Fayetteville Mayor Lioneld Jordan, his chief of staff Don Marr, a board member of Regional Transit, and former Bentonville Mayor Terry Coberly, now a Washington County resident.

Hunton reminded Quorum Court members the county passed a sales tax to pay for building a $22.5 million jail through a special election.

“We did it in a special election, and folks, we only had like 6,000 voters,” Hunton said. “When you stop and think about special elections, it works for you and it may work against you, depending on your position. It’s a double-edge sword.”

Clark asked the Quorum Court to move beyond the ordinance’s second reading, suspend rules and read the ordinance a third time before the final vote. Clark’s proposal needed a two-thirds majority and failed 8-5.