During its regular monthly session on Tuesday, the Batesville City Council voted unanimously to meet with the Independence County Quorum Court and discuss the operation of the Independence County Shooting Sports Range, also known as the Paul H. “Rocky” Willmuth Shooting Sports Complex.
Last week, the Independence County Quorum Court Budget Committee indicated the city had not been fulfilling its obligation to assist in funding the operation.
According to the Independence County treasurer, the county has contributed in excess of $700,000 over the years to fund range operations while noting the city’s contribution has been mowing the range. The shooting range budget is around $170,000 a year. The projected revenue for the county’s fiscal year shows approximately $67,000 from range fees with the remainder being provided by the county through a recreational grant.
The memorandum of agreement between the Arkansas State Game and Fish Commission, Independence County, and the City of Batesville calls for the city to work in cooperation with the county to provide maintenance and repairs necessary to keep the shooting range in a safe, clean, and good working condition.
At Tuesday night’s meeting, council members also discussed the history of the range and the city’s obligation toward it.
The mayor said the agreement, made years before the current county administration, was for the city to maintain the grounds. Elumbaugh said the city has done that by putting time and money into providing water, sewer service, trash pickup, and more.
Councilman Tommy Bryant said Tuesday night the written agreement has been honored by all county administrations since it was written until County Judge Robert Griffin’s administration.
Bryant said the county obligated itself to operational costs which includes the cost of any and all employees, so Griffin has no basis for saying the city is not paying its fair share, adding that the city is doing more than what is called for in the agreement.
Bryant said Griffin wants the city to look bad and to keep a wedge between it and the county.
“You know, we’re all Independence County residents, and I despise the judge for pitting the city residents against the rural residents,” Bryant said.
The county budget committee had called a meeting to discuss range funding for Thursday, Feb. 24, and invited the city to come to attend. However, at Tuesday night’s council meeting, the council voted a meeting should be between all members of the city council and the full quorum court, not a committee. That’s when the council voted to meet with the full quorum court on Thursday, March 3.
Yesterday afternoon, Elumbaugh released this email:
Good morning,
At last night’s Batesville City Council meeting, it was agreed upon that both the full City Council and the full Quorum Court need to come together for an in person meeting. I know the Council was invited to a budget meeting tomorrow night, but with the impending weather this meeting could need to be moved. We are proposing the two parties meet on March 3, 2022 at 6:00 p.m., possibly at The Loft or a location that is convenient for both.
I greatly appreciate everyone’s input and my hope is that we can work together and continue to move Independence County forward.
Sincerely,
Rick Elumbaugh, Mayor
City of Batesville
An hour after the mayor’s email was sent, the committee changed the original date of the meeting due to the inclement weather to 6 p.m. on March 3 at the juvenile courtroom.
In an email noting the date switch, the county said it will “…not be a meeting of the full court, but all are welcome to join us.”
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