RISON - The Cleveland County Quorum Court convened for its regular monthly session on Monday evening, tackling a broad agenda that included county fund balances, personnel adjustments, a major operational update from the local food pantry, and infrastructure concerns surrounding the county library.
County Finances
During the committee reports, officials reviewed fund balances, grants and statewide revenue updates. Discussion also turned to county employee pay scales and state minimum requirements.
The justices of the peace addressed questions regarding annual salary increases, clarifying that pay raises are not automatically mandated by state law every year. “The 3 percent raise is only mandatory if the county falls below what the state minimum requires,” explained Justice Melody Spears, referencing guidelines from the Association of Arkansas Counties (AAC) based on the county’s class size and population data.
A committee for payment of county employees was established, which will meet separately later in September.
In personnel matters, the court approved an early start date for a newly hired employee Jeff Howard, who will be replacing Cleveland County Veterans Services officer Greg Herron in January. The early hire date was approved to allow Howard to work alongside Herron for the rest of the year.
Food Pantry
Pam Martin from the Cleveland County Food Pantry provided an update on their operations at the pantry currently hosted at the Rison United Methodist Church each month.
“In July 2024, we joined the Arkansas Food Bank,” Martin shared, noting that the partnership dramatically increased their purchasing power.
Since October 2024, the pantry has obtained 245,049 pounds of food while spending $30,426.24.
The pantry now distributes an average of 140 boxes of food each month—spending an average of $1,385 per month on food in addition to the free food supplied by the Arkansas Food Bank.
Funding comes from private donations, grants, and ongoing community…