JP Coger's Washington County UPdate 7/12/26
TRANSPARENCY CORNER AND FOLLOW THE MONEY
This week brought several important developments in Washington County government—from questions surrounding next week's Quorum Court meeting (Will there be one?), to new developments in the Building & Grounds facilities plan, to the letting of bids for a portion of that "plan."
As I always do, I've included the supporting documents so you can review the information yourself and draw your own conclusions.
↪ Quorum Court Meeting
It began when I asked what I thought was a simple question: Will the regularly scheduled July 16 Quorum Court meeting be held as required by law, and if so, under what arrangements? The answer led to a long email string and a closer look at Arkansas law governing Quorum Court meetings.
I recently learned that airline tickets had been purchased (HERE) for County Judge Patrick Deakins and members of his staff to attend the National Association of Counties (NACo) Conference in New Orleans, with departure scheduled for July 15—one day before our regularly scheduled July 16 Quorum Court meeting.
Under Arkansas law and the Washington County Code, a regularly scheduled Quorum Court meeting may only be changed, postponed, or relocated under very limited circumstances. (1: The County Judge declares an emergency and 2: the safety of the general public is at risk.)
See Ark. Code Ann. § 14-14-904(a)(2) and the corresponding provisions of the Washington
County Code (link below).
For those interested in the complete drama chronology...:
↪ My Legal Research: Arkansas law and Washington County Code. See my research HERE and HERE.
Deakins’ initial response: HERE. “Safety First.”
My Response to Judge Deakins (with supporting documentation): HERE.
Judge Deakins Second Letter (after I sent receipts): HERE.
Judge Deakins Follow-UP letter to Coger HERE: Stating, “...he will...let me know…”
My Final Response: HERE. Explaining why I believe his response missed the central legal issue.
Regardless of personal disagreements, my concern has remained the same from the beginning: ensuring that Washington County follows Arkansas law and its own Code when conducting the public's business.
↪ Building & Grounds Multi-Year Facilities Plan HERE.
I wrote about this last week and shared letters from all eight Circuit Judges and
All Elected Officials wrote Judge Deakins that they want to be involved in decisions regarding his facilities plan, pointing out that it was done without corroboration with the judges and other elected officials.
County Judge Deakins did respond on 7/7/26. Read the response HERE.
7/8/26 Follow-Up from B&G Director Ledgerwood HERE.
7/9/26 Letter from Washington County Bar Association objecting to removal of attorney space HERE
In his July 7 letter (link above) responding to concerns raised by the Circuit Judges and other elected officials, County Judge Patrick Deakins assured everyone that no decisions had been made and that the June 29 presentation was merely the beginning of a planning discussion. However, events that followed raise questions about whether those assurances are consistent with subsequent actions.
↪ Only three days later, on July 10, Washington County advertised Bid 2026-16 seeking competitive bids for renovation of 114 N. College Avenue.
The bid package includes a pre-bid conference, detailed specifications, contractor requirements, and an August bid opening date.
Those actions naturally raise an important question: if no decisions had yet been made and collaboration was only beginning, why had the County already advanced to the competitive bidding stage for one of the projects discussed? The public deserves a clear explanation.
↪ PCard Purchases for County Officials & Employees totaling $78,196.37 for June 2026 can be found HERE.
PCard Purchases Last Three Months:
Billing Month | Amount | |
April 2026 (paid in May) | $70,047.08 | |
May 2026 (paid in June) | $57,053.80 | |
June 2026 (paid in July) | $78,196.37 |
April → May: down $12,993 (−18.6%)
May → June: up $21,143 (+37.1%)
June is the highest of the three months.
UPCOMING MEETINGS IN WASHINGTON COUNTY:
📅 Washington County Quorum Court regular monthly meeting: Thursday 7/16/26 at 6:00 PM, Washington County Courthouse. This meeting will be live-streamed on the County’s YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/washcoar
Read the complete Agenda HERE.
Agenda Highlights:
Item 5: Citizens Comments: Fifteen minutes - three minutes per individual. You may address the JPs on any subject. (May be extended by 2/3 vote by JPs)
Item 8: An Ordinance Authorizing Washington County to Join the Arkansas Property Assessed Capital Expenditure Improvement District. This ordinance is on its third and final reading.
Item 9: An Ordinance Ratifying CUP for The Genesis Ranch Project. This item is also on its third and final reading. Read the application and staff report HERE.
________________________________________________
WASHINGTON COUNTY MEETINGS FROM LAST WEEK:
1. The Washington County Quorum Court Finance & Budget Committee met Tuesday, 7/7/26. Watch the meeting HERE.
Read Meeting Outline and Summary HERE
Below are some highlights, but read the Summary above and watch the meeting for full details:
✔ Key Takeaways
County finances remain strong at the halfway point of 2026, with spending well below appropriations.
Employee insurance claims continue to improve, with anticipated stop-loss reimbursements expected later this year.
The Circuit Clerk made a data-driven case for one additional employee without requiring additional 2026 county funding.
HR continued its countywide job classification review, bringing several regrade requests forward.
The Collector's Office retroactive pay request generated the meeting's most substantive policy discussion regarding precedent and fairness.
2. The Washington County Planning Board was scheduled to meet Thursday, 7/9/26 and hear two Conditional Use Permits and two land developments. However, only two board members were present and the meeting was called off due to lack of quorum. Watch that happen HERE.
The meeting was rescheduled for Thursday 8/13/26 at 5:00 PM, Washington County Courthouse.
___________________________________________________________
📊 Washington County Jail Data Dashboard
⚖️ Detention Center Data.
Snapshot Date: July 11, 2026
Individuals Incarcerated in WCDC: 735
Individuals Incarcerated in Benton Co: 675
Homeless/Unsheltered WC: 69
A significant portion of the jail population remains pretrial, meaning many individuals have been arrested or charged but have not yet been convicted of a crime. They sit in jail because they are too poor to buy their freedom.
🔎 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.
__________________________________________________________
🧾 County Bid Postings (as of 07/12/26):
ACTIVE BIDS:
Bid 2026-15 - Fire Alarm System Replacement - Juvenile Detention Center. Bids due: 7/13/26 at 4:00 PM; bid opening 7/14/26 at 9:00 AM.
Bid 2026-16 - CD Set PDF HERE. Project Manual HERE. Renovation of 114 N. College, Fayetteville, Arkansas. Bids are due: 8/4/26 at 4:00 PM. Pre-Bid Conference: 7/20/26, 2:00 PM, @ 114 N College. Bids will be opened: 8/5/2026 @ 9:00 am, Washington County Courthouse.
___________________________________________________________
🧑💼Here are the Washington County Job Openings as of 07/12/26
Full Time | Open Until Filled | $21.91 / HR | |
Full Time | Open Until Filled | 24.38 - 26.86/hr | |
Temporary | Open Until Filled | 14/Hr | |
Full Time | Open Until Filled | $16 - $17.62 | |
Full Time | Open Until Filled | $21.25 - $23.42/hr | |
Full Time | Open Until Filled | $23.71 - $26.13hr | |
Full Time | Open Until Filled | 19.95-21.98 | |
Full Time | 07/12/2026 4:30 PM | $18.61-$20.51 | |
Full Time | Open Until Filled | $21.25 - $23.42 | |
Full Time | 07/22/2026 4:30 PM | $23.71 / HR | |
Full Time | Open Until Filled | $58,697.60 - $64,708.80 | |
Full Time | Open Until Filled | $21.91 - $24.14/hr |
View and apply for job openings HERE. Please share this list! ___________________________________________________________
— Beth Coger
Justice of the Peace, District 9
Washington County Quorum Court
Comments