“Tere were 3,080 houses that had registered voters in my district. And my wife and I knocked on all 3,080. It took us seven weeks. … But, hey, we both lost 30 pounds,” he said, with a laugh. He won the election and began his term in 2008 — just in time to help the county build a new detention facility. “One of the first things I did when I won my seat, when I first took office was see just how bad our jail was because we were in the process of trying to secure funding for a new jail,” he said. His jaw dropped at what he saw. It was clean and secure, he said.
But the old-style doors on the cells would put deputies and jailers in danger as inmates could reach through them and grab passers-by. “We now have a nice state of the art jail that’s located on the outside of town,” he said. “ And we are in the process of convert- ing our old jail into courtrooms.” Lemons is particularly proud of his role on the quorum court’s budget committee during the past five years, while helping to suc- cessfully navigate through the county’s recession. “Te first two years [on the budget committee] were very
tough,” he said. “Lonoke County hasn’t been hit as hard as the other counties in the area, but we have seen our revenues go down. Our per-tax receipts and per tax expenditures per person is one of the lowest in the state … and the most challenging part was trying to balance a budget with the unknown of what the economy was going to do.” He says the quorum court managed to balance the budget dur- ing the economic downturn, by using a little resourcefulness. “When your revenues are down, you sometimes have to be
creative. When faced with this situation, it’s common to cut em- ployees and services. However, we have not had to let anyone go, or cut services,” he said.
Growing Up
Lemons is the oldest child in his family, but in addition to living in the “fish bowl” that is the preacher’s home, he also grew up with a younger brother with special needs. Today, his brother is 49 and lives at home with his parents, but he’s something of a celebrity in his hometown. “He’s about like, well, I started to say he’s like a 7 or 8-year-old, but actually he’s not. He’s very smart. His motor skills really ham- pered him from being able to live on his own, but you can drive to Monticello, Arkansas, and you can say my little brother’s name and everybody in that town will smile from ear to ear.” His brother is one of the most lovable people you’ll ever meet,
unless you’re his older sibling, Lemons says with a chuckle, and recounts a story about his dad’s restored 1950s pick-up truck that was the victim of his brother’s mischief. “It was a beautiful, gorgeous vehicle. My brother wanted to go
to town in my dad’s Bronco, and my dad said, ‘No, we’re gonna drive the truck.’ So, my brother got a garden hose, opened up the gas tank cap and completely filled that car with water. He is something else,” Lemons said. Because of his younger brother, one organization dear to Lem- ons is the Special Olympics. His brother has participated in the torch ceremony, as his dad ran alongside, and Lemons calls it “one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever been a part of.” However, these days, Lemons is more apt to lend his volunteer- ing time to CASA, or Court Appointed Special Advocates, which serves as a voice for children going through abuse, divorce, foster care and other major life events. He serves on the board and helps to oversee the organization’s finances. “I see CASA being a tremendous need, especially in our coun- ty,” he said. “Te north end has grown exponentially, and a lot of
COUNTY LINES, FALL 2013
that growth has been young couples” who can’t always provide the stable home he was blessed to grow up in. He says his “soft heart” prevents him from taking on any actual cases with CASA, and he’s much happier with his administrative role.
Work-life balance As a child, his family thought Tim would follow his father into
the preaching profession. “My grandfather and great-grandfather were both Baptist min-
isters, Everyone expected me to become a preacher,” he explained. “However, that is a profession that you are ‘called into’ by God. I never got the call. If I had, I would have gladly accepted it, but still, never got the call.” Instead he went into civil engineering, and in the early days of his
career, as a business-owner without an official storefront, his wife ended up kicking him out of the home and into a commercial space.
See “Lemons” on Page 40 >>> 39
PROFILE
COUNTY OFFICIAL
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