JP Coger's Washington County UPdate 4/5/26

Beth Coger
Apr 5
3 min read

📅 Week of: April 5, 2026 📍 Washington County, Arkansas

WHAT’S REALLY HAPPENING IN WASHINGTON COUNTY

This week’s County Services meeting made something clear: when processes are unclear or inconsistently applied, it creates real consequences—for businesses, for residents, and for the county as a whole. Some agenda items highlighted gaps in enforcement, communication, and transparency. I’ve outlined the key takeaways below so you can see exactly what’s happening and why it matters.

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🏛️ This Week (4/5/26) in Washington County

Washington County Election Commission Meeting

📅 Monday, 4/6/26 | ⏰ 10:00 AM 2721 South Brink Drive, Fayetteville, Arkansas

📄 Agenda: HERE

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Washington County Quorum Court FINANCE & BUDGET COMMITTEE MEETING

📅 Tuesday, 4/7/26 | ⏰ 6:00 PM Washington County Quorum Court Room

📄 Agenda: HERE🎥 Watch Live: HERE

Some Agenda Items to Watch:

Item 4: Treasurer’s Report - Bobby Hill

Item 5: Employee Insurance Report - Charles Angel

Item 6: Comptroller’s Report - Paul Sherman

Item 7: Arisa Health Presentation - Brian Davis

Item 8: Your Questions & Comments Welcomed and Needed on this: C-PACE Report - Jonathan Rasburry The agenda does not include a “C-PACE Report.” Here is something I found on their website (C-PACE). The proposed Ordinance is HERE. Arkansas Code Annotated § 8-15-101 et seq. has existed since 2013 as the Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) Act. In the 2025 legislative session, lawmakers revisited and expanded/activated the framework—particularly to enable what you’re now seeing locally as ARK PACE Improvement Districts. HERE is the proposed “Participation Agreement.”

I took the entire Arkansas Code § 8-15-101 - 8-15-120 and did a “copy and paste” so you can read all the statute HERE.

Item 9: An ordinance authorizing Washington County to join the Arkansas Property Assessed Capital Expenditure (ARK PACE) Improvement District.

Item 10: An ordinance amending the Community Rebuilding Initiative (“CRI”) Grant Fund for 2026. This will funnel more taxpayer money to the CRI Program which is NOT a pretrial services program, despite what this ordinance says.

MEETINGS FROM LAST WEEK:

Washington County Quorum Court County Services Committee. Watch HERE. Read my time-stamped summary HERE with a breakdown of actions taken and items discussed.

Read the time-stamped summary transcript of that meeting HERE.

What happened:

A resolution targeting the Steuart Family Lights & Fireworks for operating without required permits was postponed, not resolved.

An ordinance was advanced to require resolutions to go through committee review—just like ordinances.

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🏛️ Transparency Corner: Public Records

📌 Gulley Ranch LLC v. Washington County Etal - Amended Notice of Appeal and Complaint Filed 3/20/26.

Email Coger to Cantrell & Tabor - Water, Heat & Air at Jail Expansion

Email Response Tabor to Coger

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💰 FOLLOW THE MONEY

📄 Contract 2026-101 - Washington County and Johnson Controls “Washington County Courthouse Building.” Term: 4/1/26 to 3/31/27. Price $34,700.00. Subject to automatic renewal after the initial term.

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📊 Washington County Jail Data Dashboard

⚖️ Detention Center Data

Snapshot Date: April 4, 2026

Individuals Incarcerated in WCDC: 698

Homeless/Unsheltered: 65

Key Operational Updates:

Calls for service: Up ~10% year-over-year
Staffing:
- Patrol nearly fully staffed
- Dispatch down 2 positions
- ~25 detention vacancies (6 recruits currently in training)

Jail & Population Data as of 3/30/26:

Pretrial population: 352 (down)
309 inmates: 34 (16 male / 18 female)
Federal detainees: 95
- Including 6 immigration detainees
Female population: 99
Individuals sleeping on floor: 146 (all male)
COVID cases: 3 active

🔎 Public Data Resources

Detailed reports are available here:

Detainee Charge Report:https://www.washingtoncountyar.gov/government/departments-f-z/sheriff/detention-information/detainee-charge-report

You can check the “Calls for Service” board here.
Here’s a list in alphabetical order to search for people.

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🧾 County Bid Postings (as of 04/05/26):

ACTIVE BIDS:

Bid 2026-09 Firearms for Sheriff’s Office Bid openings: 4/14/26 9:00 AM; Bids Due: 4/13/26 at 4:00 PM. This is for the purchase of Glock firearms, ammo and accessories and also provides for the trade in of weapons and accessories.

You can view all closed bids here. View all RFQs and bids [here].

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🧑‍💼Here are the Washington County Job Openings as of 04/05/26

In addition to other job postings, the position for GIS Analyst-IT (0115015), Pay Grade 14: $58,697.60 - $64,708.80 is still active.

There are other good job opportunities available - check them out and share!

View and apply for job openings HERE.

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As always, I appreciate everyone who takes the time to stay informed and engaged. These conversations aren’t always easy, but they are necessary. Good policy—and good government—depend on clear rules, open discussion, and a commitment to doing the work the right way, even when it’s complicated. The more community involvement we have, the better the decisions are that we make.

— Beth Coger

Justice of the Peace, District 9

Washington County Quorum Court