Article by Madeline Pyle
White River Now
At last night’s meeting, the Independence County Quorum Court voted to send a formal letter to Batesville terminating the county’s recycling agreement with the city. County Judge Robert Griffin said the city has not met the agreement’s obligations for several years.
Griffin also asked the court to approve the purchase of side-arm trucks in order to distribute additional waste carts, which the court passed. The court also approved a motion for the county to hire an attorney to assist District Attorney Daniel Haney in resolving the recycling issue.
In other business, Griffin nominated Justice of the Peace Tim Stewart to serve as the county’s representative on the Ramsey Mountain Project committee, and Griffin nominated JP Keith Harmon to serve as a community member for the committee. The court approved the nominations.
In the county library report, Bill Walmsley with the library board shared that the library had seen a 123% increase in patrons since the library moved to its new location on Main Street. The court approved Griffin’s nomination of Walmsley to serve on the board an additional five years.
In the Old Independence Regional Museum report, Twyla Wright announced that the museum will host a traveling Smithsonian exhibit for six weeks starting in September.
The court also passed a resolution allowing Griffin to apply for a grant with the Arkansas Unpaved Roads Grant Program. Griffin said the grant would repair roads in between Union Hill and Pleasant Plains.
In other news, the court passed a resolution declaring Independence as “a Second Amendment county.” According to the resolution, it is “an expression” of the county’s support of a “nationwide effort to affirmatively state county government support for the U.S. Constitution, Bill of Rights, [and] Second Amendment…”
All members of the court were present.
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