Saline County Arkansas
Saline County Judge - Lanny Fite
Saline County Courthouse
200 N. Main - Room 117
Benton, AR 72015
Phone: 501-303-5640
Fax: 501-303-5682
County government elects nine executive officers and countywide legislative body called the Quorum Court to provide these various services. The nine elected officials are County Judge, Sheriff, County Clerk, Circuit Clerk, Collector, Assessor, Treasurer, Coroner and Surveyor. Some counties combine two of these offices into one such as the County Clerk/Circuit Clerk and Sheriff/Collector. Also, not all counties elect elect a Surveyor or Coroner and in the counties that do elect them, these jobs are usually not full-time positions. The county legislative body is entitled the Quorum Court and is composed of 9-15 members called Justices of the Peace. These justices of the peace are district officers and not county officials because they represent a district within the county.
The chief executive officer for the county government in Arkansas is the County
Judge. As chief executive, the judge authorizes and approved the
disbursement of all appropriated county funds, operates the system of county
roads, administers ordinances enacted by the quorum court, has custody of county
property, accepts grants from federal, state, public and private sources, hires
county employees except those persons
employed by other elected officials of the county, and presides over the quorum
court without a vote, but with the power of veto. (A.C.A. 14-14-1001-1103)
All powers not vested in the County Judge as the chief executive officer of the
county shall continue to be exercised and administered by the county court, over
which the County Judge shall preside. The county court is the County Judge
sitting in a judicial role.
The county court of each county has exclusive original jurisdiction in all
matters relating to:
1. County Taxes: Including real and personal ad
valorem taxes collected by county government. The county court's authority
in this area includes jurisdiction over the assessment of property, equalization
of assessments on appeal, tax levies, tax collections, and disbursement of tax
proceeds.
2. Paupers: The court's jurisdiction includes all
county administrative actions affecting the conduct of human services programs
serving indigent residents of the county where such services are financed in
total or in part by county funds.
In addition to the duties of the county court, the county
judge is responsible for coordinating the day to day inter-governmental
relations between the various state and federal agencies operating at the county
level. The judge must also apply for all federal and state assistance
moneys for which the court is eligible, and appoints the members to all
administrative and advisory boards in the county, some of which have to be
confirmed by the quorum court.
The Constitution of the State of Arkansas provides for the
election of the county judge to a 2 year term of office with the requirements
that he/she be at least 25 years of age, a qualified elector, and a resident of
the county. In the event of a vacancy in office, the quorum court fills
the vacancy by appointment, the appointee serving until the next general
elections, when a successor is elected. Before beginning his/her duties,
the county judge must enter into an official bond, to guarantee his/her proper
performance of the duties. This may be accomplished either through the
State Fidelity Bond Program, which covers all employees on the payroll, or a
Fidelity Bond purchased for the officer. The county judge must also take a
constitutional oath of office.
The county judge is entitled to that salary fixed for his/her
office by applicable laws and quorum court appropriation. To Assist the
county judge in performance of his/her duties, the county judge may appoint such
number of assistants as the quorum court may approve by funding. The county
judge generally supervises the personnel within his/her employment and may
discharge them and regulated their employment, within the guidelines established
by the quorum court. The office of the county judge is to be
operated according to all constitutional and statutory provisions of law in
concurrence with the annually approved budget for the office.
This site is maintained by Webmaster