County Judge

The chief executive officer for county government in Arkansas is the county judge. As chief executive, the judge authorizes and approves the disbursement of all appropriated county funds, operates the system of county roads, administers ordinances enacted by the quorum court, has custody of county property, accepts grants from federal, state, public and private sources, hires county employees except those persons employed by other elected officials of the county, and presides over the quorum court without a vote, but with the power of veto (ACA 14-14-1101 – 1102).

All powers not vested in the county judge as the chief executive officer of the county shall continue to be exercised and administered by the county court, over which the county judge shall preside. The county court, in fact, is the county judge sitting in a judicial role.

Quorum Court

The Quorum Court is the “voice of the people” concerning the County issues in their districts. The Quorum Court can vote to make ordinances or resolutions that pertains to County issues i.e. Road, Budget, and “Public Safety.”

To address the Quorum Court with your concern you should contact the Justice of the Peace for your district.

Road & Bridge

The Road and Bridge department provides and maintains transportation infrastructure to the citizens who live, work and travel through the County. These services include road construction and maintenance, county-wide fleet maintenance and fuel services, bridge and drainage construction and maintenance, engineering studies, surveying and construction management.

Solid Waste

The Solid Waste Department is a governmental agency responsible for assisting municipalities, businesses and citizens within the county with management of solid waste.

Treasurer

The county treasurer is the disbursement officer of the county, and is the unofficial or quasi comptroller. A few counties do have a county comptroller. The treasurer is responsible for the custody and disbursement of all county funds and school district funds. The treasurer, therefore, receives county property tax collections, county sales tax collections, county turnback funds, grant funds, fees and fines from other county officials and departments, and revenues from various other sources. The treasurer, after receiving this revenue, distributes the money to the various taxing entities and the other units of the county. The county treasurer signs checks, prepared and signed by the county clerk indicating that the expenditure has been authorized by the county court, to pay employees and creditors of the county.

Veterans

Veterans Departments serve veterans and their eligible dependents, through advocacy and education to access federal and state benefits, high-quality long-term nursing care, and burial honors.

Coroner

The county coroner is charged with the responsibility of determining the cause of death for those deaths properly the responsibility of the coroner. Although the duties of the county coroner are, necessarily, intermittent, the office is a full-time position.

County Clerk

The county clerk is the official bookkeeper of county government and serves as the clerk for the county, quorum and probate courts.

District Clerk

District courts are the courts of limited jurisdiction.

Circuit Clerk

The circuit clerk is the clerk of the circuit court and juvenile court and usually acts as the ex-officio recorder of the county.

The administrative duties of the circuit clerk are to maintain a record of all proceedings of the circuit courts to enter docket number and name of the defendant and to prepare the dockets for these courts (ACA 16-20-102). The circuit clerk prepares summons, warrants, orders, judgments, and injunctions authorized by the circuit court for delivery by the county sheriff. The circuit clerk also maintains a file of all cases pending in either court, as well as a record of all past court cases and their disposition (ACA 16-20-303 and 16- 20-304).

In addition, the circuit clerk acts as a secretary to the jury commission by keeping a list of all prospective jurors (ACA 16-32-101 et seq.).
The circuit clerk is also the ex-officio county recorder and is responsible for recording deeds, mortgages, liens, and surety bonds, and many other orders and instruments which involve property within the county (ACA 14-15-401 et seq.). The circuit clerk maintains a record of many miscellaneous items and files certain licenses. The circuit clerk also swears in all notaries public and files regulations of state agencies which license trade or professional workers.

Collector

The county collector is the collector of taxes for the county and collects municipal, county, school and improvement district taxes and turns them over to the county treasurer. The collector is responsible for collecting all property taxes from the first day of March to the fifteenth day of October during the calendar year after they are assessed.

Assessor

The duty of the county assessor is to appraise and assess all real property between the first Monday of January and the first of July, and all personal property between the first Monday in January and the thirty-first of May (ACA 26-26- 1408 and 26-26-1101). All property in the state shall be assessed according to its value on the first of January except merchants and manufacturers inventory that is assessed at its average value during the year immediately preceding the first of January (ACA 26-26-1201).

The assessor must make an abstract of assessment showing the total assessed value of the county.

The assessor is required to maintain current appraisal and assessment records by securing necessary filed data and making changes in valuations as they occur in land use and improvements. He/she is also charged with staying abreast of all property transactions within the county and keeping a file on all properties updated throughout the year (ACA 26-26-715).

Sheriff

The county sheriff is the sheriff of the courts, maintains public peace, and has custody of the county jail. As chief enforcement officer of the circuit courts, the sheriff’s office, which includes the sheriff and deputies, is charged by constitutional and statutory laws with the execution of summons, enforcement of judgments, orders, injunctions, garnishments, attachments, and the making of arrests on warrants issued by the courts. The sheriff also opens and attends each term of circuit court, notifies residents selected to jury duty and assists in handling witnesses and prisoners during a given court term.

The sheriff, or a member of that staff, often prepares and assembles evidence of the Prosecuting Attorney’s case against defendants charged with both felonies and misdemeanors. The sheriff also transports convicted prisoners and others declared by the court to the various penal and mental institutions of the state.

The sheriff in every county has the custody, rule, and charge of the county jail and all prisoners committed in his county (ACA 12-41-502). The sheriff shall be conservator of the peace in his county (ACA 14-15-501). It shall be the duty of each sheriff to quell and suppress all assaults and batteries, affrays, insurrections, and unlawful assemblies; and he shall apprehend and commit to jail all felons and other offenders (ACA 14-14-1301). The sheriff also works with the various local municipal law enforcement officials or other state and federal officials charged with law enforcement.

Office of Emergency Management

The Office of Emergency Management is responsible for coordinating efforts of multiple agencies including governmental, volunteer fire departments, and private in emergency preparedness, disaster planning, and disaster response.

911 Coordinator

The 911 Coordinator is responsible for addressing, mapping, and road signs as well as for the implementation, operation and maintenance of the 911 system.