FALL 2010


IN THIS ISSUE FEATURES


County Judges at Fort Smith ....................................................24 NY Volunteers Help Rebuild Mena ..........................................28 GIS Centerline in All 75 Counties ............................................32 Streamlined Sales Tax Stalled.................................................34 Lincoln, Boozman at Conference ............................................36 ABCs of Writing A Press Release ............................................42 Blue Ribbon Commission: Down to the Wire .......................46 Best Practices: Securing Your Deposits .................................52


AN INSIDE LOOK Calendar of Events ............................................................................6


AAC Staff Profile ............................................................................26 Meet Communications Director Randy Kemp


AAC Conference Recap .................................................................36 AAC Scholarships ...........................................................................45


Member Benefits ...........................................................................48 Free CDL Drug Testing for AACRMF members


AAC NewsPoints .............................................................................49 The Last Word (Making Sausage!) ............................................ 58


DEPARTMENTS


From the Director’s Desk: By Chris Villines ....................................................7 President’s Perspective: By Hon. Mike Jacobs ..............................................9 Legislative Tangents: By Jeff Sikes ...............................................................10 Research Corner: By Mark Whitmore ..........................................................11 Frequently Asked Questions: By David Morris ............................................12 County Law Update: By Mike Rainwater ......................................................13 Attorney General Opinions: By Mark Whitmore .........................................14 County News.....................................................................................................16 From the Governor: By Hon. Mike Beebe .....................................................47 NACo News .......................................................................................................55 Advertiser Resource Index .............................................................................58


about Crawford County


On the Cover: The Crawford County Courthouse is a landmark among the handsome old buildings in historic downtown Van Buren. It is thought to be the oldest active county courthouse west of the Mississippi River.


(AAC photos / Randy Kemp)


Mountains in the northern half, and rolling farmlands, forested ridges and isolated mountains and lakes in the southern half. Van Buren is the county seat. Te main economic base of the county is agriculture and affiliated industries, soy- beans, fruit and vegetables, beef cattle and poultry. Tourism is growing steadily with the lakes, rivers, mountains, valleys and the scenic views. Crawford County’s Courthouse is listed in the National Historic Register and thought to be the oldest active county courthouse west of the Mississippi River. Te original portion of the courthouse was constructed in 1842. People are attracted to historic downtown Van Buren that has six blocks of restored


C COUNTY LINES, FALL 2010


architecture, including arts, crafts and antique shops. Several motion pictures have been filmed in Van Buren. Crawford County’s 2000 census count was 53,247, a 25.3% increase since 1990. Learn more at: www.crawford-county.org


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rawford County was the largest county in Arkansas when it was established in 1820. Originally, Crawford County included part of eight counties as well as part of the Indian Territory. It is marked by rugged terrain from the Ozark


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