AAC
As positive case numbers climbed, many counties restricted public access to their courthouses, urging citizens not to con- duct their business in person. “We locked our courthouse down to the public,” said Yell County Judge Mark Tone. “We asked the public to call in to make appointments.” Like Yell County, many Arkansas counties posted office phone numbers on the courthouse doors. In some cases, officials wear- ing protective gear came outside to meet residents and to accept paperwork or payments. Some had bank teller-type windows that opened to the outside, and they could conduct business that way. And counties with a robust internet presence encour- aged residents to conduct their business online. Many counties kept their courthouses open to the public but implemented strict screening protocols, required masks to be worn, placed hand sanitizer stations in the courthouse, and in- stalled barriers between the staff and residents. In some coun- ties, the number of people allowed in a single office was limited. Circuit and district judges stopped having court. Jails restrict-
ed the number of intakes, set up areas where inmates testing positive could be quarantined, and acquired as much Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) as they could to protect employees. Tese restrictions and new protocols meant that county gov- ernment had to get creative about serving the public. Pulaski County Judge Barry Hyde issued his first emergency
FEATURE
order in May 2020, closing the courthouse to the public. As of the publication of this magazine, the Pulaski County Court- house will remain closed through June 4, 2021, unless the judge extends his order.
“Te pandemic stifled or halted many businesses and ac- tivities in Pulaski County, our in-person services were no ex- ception,” Pulaski County Treasurer/Collector Debra Buckner said in a press release issued by the county. “My executive staff and I worked tirelessly to find a solution that would allow in- person payments.”
Tat solution came in the form of a partnership from Sept. 1, 2020, through Dec. 18, 2020, with a local bank with branches where payments were accepted at the drive-through. “We were guests of Centennial Bank,” Debbye Wolter, chief administrator in the Pulaski County Treasurer’s office, wrote in an email. “Tey offered us one drive-through lane at three locations
in Pulaski County. Our employees went to the branches and worked at the drive-through with taxpayers. We felt like this was a huge success as our building was closed and this was the only ‘in person’ and cash option at the beginning.” Also in September 2020, the Pulaski County Treasurer’s of- fice worked with CheckFreePay to accept cash payments at 52
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COUNTY LINES, SPRING 2021
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