JP Coger's Washington County UPdate 9/20/26
Welcome to this week’s Washington County Update!
It was a good week in Washington County for getting things done:
Last fall, a constituent asked me why Washington County did not send taxpayers email reminders when property taxes were coming due, kind of similar to the payment reminders many of us receive from credit card companies and other businesses.
I took the suggestion to Washington County Tax Collector Angela Wood. She was receptive, listened carefully, and began exploring how her office could make it work.
This weekend, the Collector’s Office will send mass emails reminding taxpayers that tax season is here. The emails will also include a link for those who wish to pay online.
A huge Thank You to Collector Wood for listening and turning that suggestion into action. It is a good reminder that speaking up can make a difference.
This week also brought an important victory for Washington County employees and their families: the Quorum Court approved eight weeks of paid parental leave. It was a reminder that local government can make a lasting difference when we listen to employees and act on what tell us they need.
It will be interesting to see if other counties "copy" us on this. I hope so!
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👀 Looking Ahead
All meetings are open to the public. Unless otherwise noted, meetings will be held at the
Washington County Courthouse, 280 N. College Avenue, Fayetteville.
Planning Board Meeting: Thursday, September 24, at 5:00 p.m.
County Services Committee Meeting: Monday, September 28, at 6:00 p.m.
Finance & Budget Committee Meeting: Tuesday, October 6, at 6:00 p.m.
October Regular Quorum Court Meeting: Thursday, October 15 at 6:00 p.m.
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WASHINGTON COUNTY MEETINGS WEEK OF 9/20/26:
The Washington County Planning Board meeting is Thursday 9/24/26 at 5:00 p.m.
The Planning Board will hear three (3) Conditional Use Permit (CUP) applications:
DSD Razorback Division Dump Site H1-CUP - 15953 Harp Road. (WC 3803), Fayetteville, Arkansas. Commercial/Industrial - Construction Spoils Dump Site. 18.35 acres
Lake Sequoyah Drive Sauna Pop-Up CUP - 17096 Lake Sequoyah Dr., Fayetteville, Arkansas. Commercial - Sauna/Spa. 4.03 acres
Grace Haven Ranch CUP - 7122 W. John Garrison Rd., Fayetteville, Arkansas. Commercial - Religious Retreat Center
Also, three (3) County Land Development Hearings:
1. Hummingbird Minor Subdivision - 14302 Hummingbird Rd WC 302, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701. 14.75 acres / 3 parcels. Single Family Residential.
2. Replat Village Estates Subdivision - 17988 Village Estates Dr., Springdale, Arkansas 72764. 9.80 acres / 2 parcels. Single Family Residential.
3. White River Preliminary Subdivision - 1230 N. Double Springs Rd., Fayetteville, Arkansas 72704. 10 acres / 1 parcel creating eight (8) lots. Single Family Residential.
4. Genesis Ranch Preliminary Large-Scale Development (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3) - 14938 Greasy Valley Rd., Prairie Grove, Arkansas 72753. Commercial-Multi-Family Residential Treatment Facility.
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So what happened last week?
Regular Quorum Court Meeting — Thursday, September 17, at 6:00 p.m.
Watch the full meeting HERE.
Read my Summary, with time stamps, of the entire 9/17/26 Quorum Court meeting HERE.
Quorum Court Approves Paid Parental Leave
The most important action at Thursday night’s Quorum Court meeting was the approval of eight weeks of paid parental leave for eligible Washington County employees. The policy applies when an employee welcomes a child through birth, adoption or foster placement. This benefit will help families during a life-changing period while also making Washington County more competitive in recruiting and retaining good employees.
JPs voting FOR Parental Leave Ordinance: Highers, Rios Stafford, Ricker, Pond, Bruns, Rivera Lopez, Ecke, Dean, Washington, Coger and Dennis
JPs voting AGAINST Parental Leave Ordinance: Leming, Wilson, Massingill and Lyons.
Other Meeting Highlights
Freeman Health bond resolution: A resolution involving up to $425 million in tax-exempt bonds was presented for addition to the agenda even though JPs had not received it in advance and it had not gone through committee. I objected because this was a complete surprise and it did not go through committee first, as required by ordinance, (unfortunately, this happens on a regular basis and things often get pushed through and "rubber stamped," and the initial motion to add it failed. Later in the meeting, the court voted 13–2 to reconsider and add it. The second time the resolution passed. JP Kyle Lyons and I were the only votes "No" votes.
Conditional-use permits: The Phillips Masonry application was returned to the Planning Board for additional engineering information concerning drainage and the amount of disturbed land. The court approved permits for Long Pine K9, Father’s House Church and Greenspace Creations.
JPs voting FOR sending back to Planning Board: Highers, Rios Stafford, Ricker, Bruns, Wilson, Rivera Lopez, Lyons, Washington and Coger.
JPs voting AGAINST sending back to Planning Board: Leming, Pond, Massingill, Ecke, Dean and Dennis.
Automated license-plate readers: The court approved an ordinance prohibiting the use of county funds for automated license-plate-reader systems. I supported the ordinance and was very happy it passed.
Library Board: Travis Warren was reappointed to the Washington County Library Board. I voted “No” because we were not provided sufficient notice from the County Judge or his office. Sending an email out the day of the meeting with only an applicant’s name is not a real notice.
The meeting was chaired by JP Lisa Ecke because County Judge Patrick Deakins was absent.
TRANSPARENCY AND FOLLOW THE $MONEY$:
Nearly $800,000 Requested for Community Alternative Program (CAP) and Community Rebuilding Initiative (CRI) :
The proposed 2027 budget includes $524,194 for the Community Alternative Program (CAP) and $264,232 for the Community Restoration Initiative (CRI)—a combined $788,426 from the County General Fund.
Nearly $478,300, or 61% of the combined requests, is listed simply as “Other Professional Services..
The CAP budget also includes $66,166 for “Rent—Land & Buildings” and $57,259 for property insurance. That comes to just over $10K per month for those two items.
The CRI request is labeled “RSAT Matching,” but the budget does not identify a new RSAT grant, the amount of any grant, or the required matching percentage. The requested $264,232 is substantially more than the county’s previous $94,696.92 RSAT match.
$130,839,265 2027 Washington County Total Appropriation Requests
4.3 Mills - County General Millage; Legal limit is five - Washington County is 43rd in regard to arrayed counties.
36 Arkansas Counties have millage for County General at 5
$1,757,090 Projected Interest Income 2027
Read the Comptroller's "2027 Budget Request Talking Paper" HERE.
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📊 Washington County Jail Data Dashboard
⚖️ Detention Center Data. Read the most recent Inmate Population Analysis HERE.
Read the Detainee Summary HERE.
The Washington County Detention Center’s September 18 reports showed between 719 and 732 people in custody. The Daily Counts report listed 358 pretrial detainees, 216 state prisoners and 85 federal prisoners.
The people incarcerated that morning had already accumulated 137,097 days in jail, with an average stay of 190 days. Many of those are low level non-violent offenders who simply do not have the money to buy their freedom. This is why a real pretrial services program would help so much and save millions of dollars.
The reports also showed between 91 and 93 women in custody.
Read the 2020 Criminal Justice Assessment Study. Washington County has not implemented the study’s central recommendations and, in my view, has instead directed funding toward programs that conflict with its recommended approach.
🔎 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 September 20
Bid 2026-19 — Detainee Food, Commissary, and Communications Services. Bids are due September 28 at 4:00 p.m. The bid opening is September 29 at 9:00 a.m. in Suite 530 of the courthouse.
Bid 2026-21 — AI-Powered Phone, Chat, and Email Communications Platform. The Assessor’s Office is seeking an AI-assisted constituent-service platform for phone, chat, and email, with live access to the agency’s property-records system. Bids are due September 21 at 4:00 p.m. The bid opening is September 22 at 9:00 a.m. in Suite 530 of the courthouse.
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Washington County Job Openings
Washington County listed 17 job openings as of September 18, including positions in public safety, the courts, behavioral health, elections and the Road Department. Fourteen are identified as full-time positions, one is part-time, one is temporary and one does not specify the employment type.
The Road Department has the largest number of openings, with six positions:
Mechanic II — $28.22–$31.11 per hour
Three Operator I positions — $18.61–$20.51 per hour
Operator III — $20.58–$22.68 per hour
Operator IV — $21.25–$23.42 per hour
Applications for one Operator I position and the Operator IV position close at 4:30 p.m. on October 2. The other Road Department openings remain open until filled.
Public-safety openings include an Adult Detention Officer at $21.91 per hour, a Juvenile Detention Officer at $21.25–$23.42 per hour and a Sheriff’s Maintenance Technician at $23.71 per hour.
The county is also seeking a Deputy Public Defender, with an annual salary of $76,606.40–$84,448; a Case Manager/Counselor and Drug Court Counselor, both listed at $24.04 per hour; a Peer Recovery Specialist at $18 per hour; and a part-time Division IV Law Clerk at $16 per hour.
Juvenile-services openings include a multilingual Juvenile Officer and a Division III Juvenile Probation Officer, each paying $21.91–$24.14 per hour. The county is also accepting applications for temporary Election Poll Workers at $14 per hour.
Except for the two Road Department positions with an October 2 deadline, all listings are open until filled. Interested applicants may review qualifications and apply through the Washington County job-postings page.
View and apply for current job openings. Please share these opportunities with anyone who may be interested.
I know I have covered a lot but I did try to make it shorter than some recent newsletters.
I look forward to any questions or comments you may have.
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— Beth Coger
Justice of the Peace, District 9
Washington County Quorum Court
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