JP Coger’s Washington County Update 6/8/25. 📫 Helping more neighbors stay informed, engaged, and empowered to shape their county government.
- Beth Coger
- Jun 8
- 4 min read
📣 A NOTE TO READERS
One of my goals with this newsletter is to increase public awareness of how your county government works — and encourage more people to:
✅ Attend public meetings✅ Write letters to the editor✅ Run for local office✅ Speak out and hold elected officials accountable✅ Get to know your elected representatives, including all Justices of the Peace, the County Judge, Sheriff, and others. Invite them to coffee or lunch. Let me know how that goes.
Stay informed. Get involved. Your voice matters.If you know anyone who’d like to be added to this mailing list, please contact me: 479-306-9994 or ejcoger@gmail.com
🚘Help Arkansas Justice Reform Coalition (AJRC) Keep Our Neighbors Safe and Out of the Justice System
Many people first become involved with the justice system over something as simple as a broken headlight, taillight, or brake light. For those living in poverty, a minor traffic stop can snowball into steep fines, court costs, and long-term financial and legal burdens.
You can help:
👉 AJRC, of which I am co-founder, is hosting a Free Car Clinic to help people avoid these consequences.
📅 Friday, June 13, 2025🕘 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM📍 St. Paul’s Parking Lot, Fayetteville
✅ We need volunteers and donations of car parts (headlights, taillights, brake lights, bulbs).
✅ Afternoon mechanics especially needed!
➡️ Volunteer: https://tinyurl.com/carclinichelp
➡️ Donate for parts: https://tinyurl.com/buypartsnow
This project helps keep people safe — and out of unnecessary court involvement and jail. This is beneficial to the people it helps and to all Washington County taxpayers. Your support makes a real difference.
🏛️ Upcoming Public Meetings — Week of June 7, 2025
Quorum Court Finance & Budget Committee
📅 Tuesday, June 10, 2025🕕 6:00 PM📍 280 N. College, Fayetteville🎥 Watch online: YouTube link (view only — no Zoom participation)
Public comment will be allowed at the end of the meeting (after decisions have been made), and before votes on any ordinances or resolutions.
Agenda Highlights:
ARPA Funds (May): $823,822.96
Real Estate Taxes (2025): $8,634,561.18 (+9.53% vs 2024)
One-Cent Sales Tax (May): $978,475.99 (60% General Fund, 40% Road Fund)
½-Cent Jail Sales Tax YTD: $7,177,037.31 (+7.06%)
Law Library Fund: $435,261.81
Jail Maintenance & Operation (May): $1,960,223.74
Key Ordinances:
Item 7: $280,626.60 for Circuit Court IV (Drug Court grant)
Item 8: $6,134.77 for Juvenile Detention & Election Commission (renegotiated contracts)
Item 9: $800,000 from General Fund for EOC Construction Project
What's Not on the Agenda?:
I submitted this proposed resolution (on time) requiring a fiscal impact statement for the Covid Mitigation Project (additional beds and related costs). Unfortunately, I was denied the opportunity to bring this forward and Washington County taxpayers are denied transparency.
Planning & Zoning Board
📅 Met Thursday, June 5, 2025🎥 Watch the meeting: Full video — 3+ hours
Highlights:
✅ All three variance requests passed 7-0. To learn more about each Variance Request, Conditional Use Permit, and related topics, be sure to check out last week’s update here
Discussion on Eaglecrest starts at 15:25 in the video.
Zoning Code Changes
🕑 Starts at 24:32 in video📄 Transcript of County Attorney’s presentation
Public comments: ALL speakers opposed the proposed changes.Concerns included:
Why move forward when there is no public support?
Too much power to the County Judge.
But here’s the troubling part: public questions were not allowed. Citizens could only make statements “into the record,” without any dialogue or response from county officials.
This is not how public engagement should work. It felt a lot like The Emperor Has No Clothes — they can call it a public hearing, the county attorney can define, according to his interpretation, a public hearing, but without two-way dialogue, that’s not true public engagement.
We must continue pushing for real transparency and accountability.
✅ (Starting at 1:21:46 in video) Social Sauna Pop-Up CUP approved 7-0 (despite significant neighborhood opposition).
✅ (Starting at 1:42:46 in video) Gulley Ranch, LLC CUP approved 7-0. This project drew unprecedented (at least to me) public opposition — I expect this decision will be appealed to the Quorum Court.
👉 Reminder: Planning Board members are appointed by the County Judge and confirmed by the Quorum Court.
Community Meeting — Proposed Wind Energy Project
📅 Wednesday, June 18, 2025🕕 6:00 – 8:00 PM📍 Cincinnati Fire Station (Lincoln Fire Station 2)12700 Cincinnati Road, Lincoln, AR 72744
📋 RSVP requested
🚨 Detention Center Snapshot (as of June 8, 2025)
Total Incarcerated Individuals: 684
Listed as Homeless or 1832 S. School Street: 69
This number may increase due to recent sweeps of homeless camps by the University of Arkansas.
“309” Trustees: 41
ADC Commitments (waiting for DOC beds): 92
Failure to Appear charges: 215
Hold for Other Departments: 224
📋 County Bid Postings
No new RFQs or bids as of 6/8/25.🔎 View all current RFQs and bids
🏢 County Job Openings (as of June 8, 2025)
Position | Type | Deadline | Pay |
Adult Detention Officer | Full Time | Open Until Filled | $21.91/hr |
Deputy First Class - Patrol | Full Time | Open Until Filled | $24.38 - $26.86/hr |
Election Poll Worker | Temporary | Open Until Filled | $14/hr |
Juvenile Detention Officer | Full Time | Open Until Filled | $21.25 - $23.42/hr |
Peer Recovery Specialist | Full Time | Open Until Filled | $17.05/hr |
Planning Technician | Full Time | Open Until Filled | $21.25 - $22.31/hr |
Road Department Mechanic III | Full Time | Open Until Filled | $29.92 - $32.98/hr |
Road Dept Equipment Operator EQ1-EQ4 | Full Time | Open Until Filled | $16.90 - $31.10/hr |
The Road Department (479-444-1610) and Sheriff’s Office (479-444-5700) are consistently hiring.
Final Thoughts
Your voices matter.Your presence matters.Your involvement matters.
👉 Keep attending meetings.👉 Bring a friend.👉 Write a letter.👉 Run for office.
Together, we can build a stronger, more transparent, more accountable Washington County.
Stay tuned — more updates coming soon!
JP Beth Coger
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