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JP COGER'S WASHINGTON COUNTY NEWSLETTER 4/13/25




🔎 What’s Going On?


Last Thursday’s special meeting of the Washington County Planning Board was canceled due to a lack of quorum of the board members. It was canceled shortly after its 6:00 pm start time. This meeting was scheduled to serve as the public hearing for the proposed County Zoning Ordinance.


As of this writing, look for the new zoning ordinance to be added to the agenda for this week’s regular quorum court meeting, Thursday, April 17, 2025, 6:00 PM. This addition will require a two-thirds majority vote, which I do not anticipate will be an issue. However, whatever happens Thursday, or not, the ordinance must return to the Planning Board for a formal public hearing—currently anticipated for Thursday, May 1, 2025, at 5:00 PM, at the Washington County Courthouse.



I would personally prefer a dedicated special meeting for this zoning proposal, given the ordinance’s complexity and significant public interest. However, at this time, no such meeting is planned.



 

🏛️ This Week in Washington County


Washington County Quorum Court Regular Meeting

📅 Thursday, April 17, 2025🕕 6:00 PM📍 Washington County Courthouse (280 N. College Ave, Fayetteville)


🎥 Watch live on YouTube: Washington County YouTube Channel📄 View the Agenda


Currently on the Consent Agenda:


  • Item 8.1 – An ordinance appropriating $20,000 from General Fund reserves for the Washington County Soil and Water Conservation District.

  • Item 8.2 – An ordinance appropriating $500,000 from General Fund reserves for the Emergency Operations Center Construction Project Fund.

    • Note: Comptroller Paul Sherman estimates total county funding (excluding ARPA dollars) will be approximately $1.9 to $2 million.


📝 Note:  Likely the new zoning ordinance will be added to the agenda.  See above.  I suspect this is due, at least partly, to legislation recently passed in Arkansas, including, but not limited to, Act 314 of 2025, which will repeal city zoning and code enforcement authority outside city limits.  Other legislation concerning county zoning was also passed.

If there are other amendments or corrections that you are aware of that need to be made, please let me know as soon as possible before Thursday’s meeting.


If I get a list of amendments/changes before our meeting, I will share in a special newsletter edition.


 

🕵️‍♂️ In Case You Missed It


Finance & Budget Committee Meeting – April 8, 2025📺 Watch the meeting here🕘 Discussion on the Emergency Operations Center begins at 9:21 in the video.



 

🚔 Washington County Detention Center Snapshot (as of April 12, 2025)


  • Total in custody: Approximately 720 detainees

  • Restrictive bookings: Estimated 80–100 additional individuals not listed on the public dashboard (often federal or ICE detainees)

  • Listed as homeless: 73 individuals, either “homeless” or “1832 S. School Street” (Seven Hills Shelter)


📘 Read the 2020 Criminal Justice Assessment Study by the National Center for State Courts to understand why expanding the jail is not be the most effective or necessary path forward.



 

📢 County Bids & Procurement


Property Insurance – Buildings & Contents

  • Posted: March 28, 2025

  • Interpretation Requests Due: April 14, 2025, by 2:00 PM

  • Proposals Due: April 28, 2025, by 4:00 PM

  • Opening Date: April 29, 2025, at 9:30 AM



 

💼 Washington County Job Openings (as of April 12, 2025)

Good news! The Technology Director position has been reposted as of April 9. If you know someone who may be interested, please share!

Featured Role:

  • Technology Director (IT Department)💼 Full-Time | 💰 $102,648 – $113,152 | 📅 Posted: 04/09/25

Other Open Positions:

  • Adult Detention Officer: $21.91/hr

  • Election Poll Worker: $14/hr (Temporary)

  • Janitorial Staff: $16 – $17.62/hr

  • Juvenile Case Coordinator: $21.91 – $24.14/hr

  • Juvenile Detention Officer: $21.25 – $23.42/hr

  • Peer Recovery Specialist: $17.05/hr

  • Planning Technician: $21.25 – $22.31/hr

  • Mechanic III (Road Dept): $29.92 – $32.98/hr

  • Equipment Operator (DOE): $16.90 – $31.10/hr

📞 Road Department: 479-444-1610📞 Sheriff’s Office: 479-444-5700🔗 View all current job openings



 

Stay Connected


Thank you for staying engaged with the work happening in Washington County. If you’d like to be added to this newsletter mailing list—or know someone who would—please don’t hesitate to reach out:

📧 ejcoger@gmail.com📞 479-306-9994

More updates coming soon!

 
 
 

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