search.noResults

search.searching

dataCollection.invalidEmail
note.createNoteMessage

search.noResults

search.searching

orderForm.title

orderForm.productCode
orderForm.description
orderForm.quantity
orderForm.itemPrice
orderForm.price
orderForm.totalPrice
orderForm.deliveryDetails.billingAddress
orderForm.deliveryDetails.deliveryAddress
orderForm.noItems
AAC


COVER STORY


50th anniversary conference sets record attendance Officials hear from congressman, governor and pay tribute to past leaders


8-10, 2018, at the John Q. Hammons Convention Center in Rogers/Benton County. “Honoring our Past, Celebrating the Present, Envisioning our Future” was a fitting theme for the event, which drew record attendance of nearly 750. With Randolph County Circuit Clerk and AAC Board President Debbie Wise presiding over Wednesday’s opening gen- eral session, Benton County Judge Barry Moehring welcomed attendees. He intro- duced the keynote speaker, U.S. Congress- man Steve Womack, who discussed the negative effects of political partisanship and the need for marketplace fairness. National


T Association of Counties


(NACo) Executive Director Matt Chase also spoke, touching on the opioid crisis, disaster coverage, and other topics. AAC Executive Director Chris Villines led the traditional roll call — in a non- traditional way. Attendees watched vid- eo footage of all 85 courthouses in the state and let their presence be known as their courthouse appeared on the screen. On the morning of Tursday, Aug. 9,


Gov. Asa Hutchinson discussed fund- ing for drug task forces and highways, as well as emergency services reform. Te Tursday luncheon was a time to honor the past. Former AAC executive directors and board presidents — Brenda Pruitt, Eddie A. Jones, Mike Jacobs, and Judy Beth Hutcherson — were seated at the head table. Villines recognized each, and attendees reflected on the past as they viewed a history video narrated by Jones. Speaker and entertainer Bill Stain- ton kept officials on their toes with his presentation, “Te 5 Best Decisions the Beatles Ever Made.” Afterward, the AAC recognized two officials for their “tire- less work in boldly advocating for the counties of Arkansas.” Te 2017 Inau- gural Wes Fowler Advocacy Award was


42


AAC Executive Director Chris Villines (left) welcomes Gov. Asa Hutchinson (right) to AAC’s conference in August. Christian Gonzalez (left, center) with the Governor’s of- fice and Doug Smith (right, center) with the Governor’s campaign also are pictured.


City, County, and Local Affairs commit- tees convened to hear presentations on im- provement districts, the Arkansas home- stead tax credit, and emergency services reform, among other items. Upon adjournment, candidates for Sec-


retary of State, John Turston (R) and Su- san Inman (D), participated in a forum, addressing issues such as voting equipment and communication with counties. To wrap up Tursday, officials enjoyed the annual dinner and dance, featuring


Rainwater and Arkansas Drug Director Kirk Lane. In addition to providing an update on litigation, panelists shared facts about the crisis and personal stories. Finally, the AAC presented Lane and


Ellington a Diamond Award for their exemplary work in combating the opi- oid crisis in Arkansas through education and litigation. Te awards ceremony was a fitting symbol for the “future” of the AAC and Arkansas’ 75 counties.


COUNTY LINES, SUMMER 2018


he Association of Arkansas Counties (AAC) celebrated its 50th anniversary at its annual conference Aug.


presented to Eddie Jones, and the 2018 award was presented to retired Colum- bia County Clerk Sherry Bell. Break out sessions on retirement, crisis communication, human resources and other relevant topics were offered. In ad- dition, the Senate and House State Agen- cies committees and the Senate and House


Beatles tribute band Liverpool Legends. Friday ended with a panel discussion on opioids. Speakers were Second Judi- cial District Prosecuting Attorney Scott Ellington, Arkansas Municipal League Executive Director Mark Hayes, AAC Litigation Counsel Colin Jorgensen, At- torney Jerome Tapley, Attorney Mike


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68