In This IssueSUMMER 2018


Features AAC Names 2018 Scholarship Recipients..................................24


AAC Presents Wes Fowler Advocacy Awards................................26 Pulaski County Cuts Ribbon on New CSU....................................28 U.S. Congressman Hill Holds Opioid Conference....................30 0pioid Crisis Solution ’Multifaceted’.............................................31 Des Arc Library Comes to Fruition.................................................32 Cover Story: AAC Reflects on 50 Years of Rich History................34 Randy Kemp Memorial Golf Tournament Recap.......................40 50th Anniversary Conference Sets Record Attendance............39 Poinsett County Courthouse: An Iconic Centerpiece..................50 24 Counties Receive Grants for Courthouse Renovation..........52 AAC Staff Profile: Adrienne Criswell..............................................62 Workers’ Compensation Fund Pays Dividends............................64


Inside Look Guardian RFID Holds Users Meeting.........................................53


County Clerks Talk Legislative Agenda in Logan County...........54 Collectors Honor Retirees in Pope County...................................55


Cover Notes: Celebrating 50 years of AAC history


The AAC has grown through the years, renovating and expanding several times. Above, members of the AAC Board of Directors and other county officials break ground in 1996 on a plot of land that houses the modern-day AAC headquarters.


— AAC File Photo COUNTY LINES, SUMMER 2018


during a National Association of Counties (NACo) conference that was attended by Mississippi County Judge A.A. “Shug” Banks, Yell County Treasurer Jim Pledger, and several other Arkansas county officials. Their aim was to establish an organization that would provide representation for all county officials state- wide. They met with resistance at first, but eventually the General Assembly passed a bill that would create the AAC legislatively. The AAC provides a plethora of services now, including advocacy, education, a Work- ers’ Compensation program, and a Risk Management Program. The AAC celebrated its 50th anniversary at the annual conference held in August. Appropriately enough, the conference theme was “Honoring our Past, Celebrating our Present, Envisioning our Future.”


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Turn to page 34 to read more about the AAC’s history. A conference recap begins on page 40.


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Treasurers Meet in Sebastian County...........................................56 Assessors Hold Summer Meeting in Carroll County...................57 Circuit Clerks Discuss Legislative Agenda...................................58 Judges Meet in Miller County..........................................................59 Sheriffs Install New Executive Board............................................60 Logan County Plays Host to Assessors..........................................50


Departments From the Director’s Desk...................................................................7


President’s Perspective.....................................................................9 From the Governor............................................................................11 Research Corner...............................................................................12 AG Opinions .......................................................................................16 Governmental Affairs.......................................................................17 Legal Corner.......................................................................................18 Seems to Me..................................................................................... 20 Litigation Lessons.............................................................................22 Savings Times 2................................................................................23 NACo News Update: 2020 Census...............................................65


(Cover illustration by Christy L. Smith)


n April 10, 1968, the Association of Arkansas Counties (AAC) filed its Ar- ticles of Incorporation. The idea for the AAC was born on the beaches of Hawaii


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