The budget issue in Jefferson County gets worse as workers get closer to the third period without pay

Jefferson County, Arkansas – A budget crisis has gripped Jefferson County following today’s failed quorum court meeting.

Nearly 400 county employees are still unpaid as they approach their third consecutive pay period without compensation after County Judge Gerald Robinson called a special meeting this afternoon with what Quorum Court members claim was short notice, preventing most members from attending.

“I believe that everybody who knows me well is doing business with me. “I have always been taught to make a decision, whether it’s good, bad, or ugly,” says Gerald Robinson, the county judge.

Members of the quorum court and employees have accused County Judge Gerald Robinson of blocking the approval of a fair budget and using employee pay as leverage to pass his own budget, escalating tensions between local officials.

He has made five unsuccessful revisions to his budget, and he still won’t let the quorum court utilize its legislative power to change it. They are unable to change the budget. He will not permit them to make changes to the budget. According to citizen Lloyd Franklin, “The only thing he will permit is for them to vote his budget up or down.”

Numerous people have voiced their support for Senate Bill 182, arguing that it will secure worker compensation and help the county’s financial problems.

Judge Robinson, however, has continuously disregarded this choice, requesting that the court accept or reject his suggested budget in its entirety.

“Jefferson County had made great strides and was a thriving county going forward. Judge Robinson remarks, “That we have ceased to be the bright example of how you can rise from the depths of nearly hell.”

Many county employees now have to rely on community organizations to make ends meet as a result of the protracted conflict.

“He has made the county employees wait in line for goods and handouts from the various organizations because they have work for money that they are entitled to, so it does kind of upset me,” Franklin says. “You know, the whole situation is a very humbling situation within itself.”

Supporters of SB 182 are looking to the state legislature to find a solution while the standoff persists. County workers and those who support them are left waiting for a breakthrough that will end the crisis and rebuild trust in local government.