JP COGER’S WASHINGTON COUNTY UPDATE 6/1/25
- Beth Coger
- Jun 1
- 6 min read
NCSC was contracted by Washington County to assess the criminal justice system, with a focus on understanding the nature and dynamics of the offender population, the propensity to grow and change in the future, and how it will affect the planning elements within the criminal justice system.
📚 Assignment:
Read the 2020 Criminal Justice Assessment Study by the National Center for State Courts. 📖 Access the report here This report explains why we don’t need to spend millions expanding our jail to stay safe. Want to talk solutions? I’m happy to chat about what we should be doing instead — like ending the practice of renting jail beds to the federal government. Reach out with your questions or thoughts.
TWO UPCOMING PUBLIC MEETINGS WEEK OF 6/1/25:
📌The Washington County Quorum Court County Services Committee meets Monday, 6/2/25 at 6:00 PM, 280 N. College, Fayetteville, Arkansas. This is an in-person meeting only. You may watch online here https://www.youtube.com/user/washcoar, but you won’t be allowed to participate via Zoom.
Because this is a committee meeting of the whole, public comment will be at the conclusion of the meeting, after all decisions have been made. There should also be public comment time before we vote on any ordinance or resolution.
Things to know & watch:
Item No. 6: Washington Regional Yearly Report.
Item No. 7: Community Rebuilding Initiative update.
Item No. 8: An ordinance amending Ordinance 2025-017 to add full-time military for the purpose of vacation accrual, to read as follows:
For employees in vacation accrual eligible positions, accruals will be calculated on the employee’s accumulative time with the County. All Full-Time Military, State, County, and City employees in the State of Arkansas will be grandfathered in based on years of service.
Item No. 9: An ordinance adopting a new Employee Handbook for Washington County. This starts on Page 11 through Page 43 in the Agenda. This will do away with the last handbook that was updated in 2018 (per the ordinance) and adopts a completely new handbook. This is very important for county employees as it will affect their employment benefits and much more. If you know a county employee, please share this with them.
Item No. 10: A resolution to recognize and participate in “The Arkansas 250 Commission” as it works to celebrate “Arkansas’s Rich History” on July 4, 2026. I am not familiar with this commission, so if anyone has information, please let me know your thoughts on this.
📌The Washington County Planning & Zoning Board meets Thursday, at 5:00 PM, Thursday, 6/5/25. This meeting will take place in the Quorum Court Room at the Washington County Courthouse. (Notice Planning Board meetings start at 5:00 pm)
Here is the agenda for that meeting. Click each item to review the staff report and much more information.
The meeting will be livestreamed on the county's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/washcoar,
There are three (3) variance hearings:
There are two (2) Conditional Use Permit Hearings:
Social Sauna Pop-Up CUP. 17097 Lake Sequoyah SC 50, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701; Allyson Mrachek; Proposed Use: Commercial - Sauna/Spa.
Gulley Ranch, LLC CUP. Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5. 15786 E Black Oak Rd., WC 57, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701; Bates & Associates; Proposed Use: Commercial - Event Center.
County Land Development Hearings:
Gulley Ranch LLC Preliminary LSD. Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5
An Ordinance Repealing Ordinance 2023-26 that required EagleCrest Recovery CUP to obtain a CUP. This report is dated 1/6/2023 though it does contain some documents from later on. I don’t see anything here that explains what has happened in the lawsuit or why this is being brought forward. I do note that the agenda says: “Explanation to the latest court ruling regarding the EagleCrest Recovery CUP Project.” I don’t know what that means exactly.*
An Ordinance Modifying the Planning & Zoning Laws in Washington County. This copy finally appears to include the amendments and changes made by the quorum court to date. I note again that the agenda for this item says: “Explanation and discussion of the newly proposed WC Planning & Zoning Ordinance.” *
*Does this mean the county has decided to abide by A.C.A. § 14-17-207 and have a real public meeting and allow citizens to ask questions and get answers? Stay tuned.
📌(Two weeks away) Community Meeting – Proposed Wind Energy Project in Washington County Date: Wednesday, June 18, 2025 Time: 6:00 – 8:00 PM Location: Cincinnati Fire Station (Lincoln Fire Station 2 on Google Maps) 12700 Cincinnati Road, Lincoln, Arkansas 72744. Please see the flyer below for additional details. RES requests that attendees RSVP in advance.
UPDATE ON RED DIRT MINE LAWSUIT (a/k/a Heritage Farms located South of Wedding Drive off Greenburrow Road):
If you’d like to read the pleadings filed in this case on appeal, you can find them here. Just click on each link to review briefs, etc.
Last week the Arkansas Court of Appeals affirmed Judge John Threet’s ruling in Washington County Circuit Court in the case of the red dirt mine conditional use permit that started in 2018, thereby affirming that the Washington County Quorum Court did not act “…in an arbitrary or capricious manner…” when they denied the CUP.
The case in the COA is, MMSC, LLC, f/k/a MMSW LLC, V. WASHINGTON COUNTY ETAL, Case No. CV-21-282.
Read the decision here: https://opinions.arcourts.gov/.../en/item/523639/index.do
“We hold that the circuit court’s findings were not clearly erroneous on the disputed factors or in its conclusion that the quorum court did not act in an arbitrary or capricious manner in its denial of MMSC’s CUP application.”
There’s still the possibility of a filing for a petition for rehearing or petition for review. The Mandate is usually issued from the Court of Appeals to the Circuit Court (Ark. Sup. Ct. R. 5-3) once the appellate court’s decision becomes final, which is typically after the last petition for rehearing or review is ruled on or the time for filing a petition for review or rehearing has expired. 5-3(a)
🌟 DETENTION CENTER INFORMATION 5/31/25
As of Saturday, 5/31/25, there were 696 individuals detained in the Washington County Detention Center.
65 detainees list their addresses as either "homeless" or "1832 S School Street" (Seven Hills Homeless Shelter).
Forty (40), “309” Trustees
108 ADC Commitments (waiting in our county jail for beds to open at the Department of Corrections)
209 in jail on Failure to Appear charge
233 “Hold for Other Department)
Here’s the link to the Detailed 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 5/31/25)
No new RFQs or bids as of 5/31/25.
View all RFQs and bids [here].
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County Job Openings (as of 5/31/25)
Full Time | Open Until Filled | $21.91 / HR | |
Full Time | Open Until Filled | 24.38 hr - 26.86 (DOE) | |
Temporary | Open Until Filled | 14/Hr | |
Full Time | Open Until Filled | $21.25 - $23.42/hr | |
Full Time | Open Until Filled | $21.25 - $22.31 | |
Full Time | Open Until Filled | $29.92-$32.98 | |
Full Time | Open Until Filled | $16.90-$31.10 |
The Road Department (479-444-1610) and Sheriff's Office (479-444-5700) are consistently hiring.
Below is the link for all posted job openings in Washington County. The road department and sheriff’s offices are almost always hiring. The road department is 479-444-1610. The sheriff’s office is 479-444-5700.
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