Quorum Court tables petty cash plan for Drug Court

Quorum Court tables petty cash plan for Drug Court

Gift- card- for- programcompletion plan hits a snag

with county officials

news@theeveningtimes.com

Crittenden County Quorum has decided to hold off for now on creating a petty cash fund for use by the Drug Court.

Circuit Court Clerk Terry Hawkins requested that the Quorum Court pass an ordinance to create the fund so that the Drug Court can use it to buy gift cards to reward graduates of the program.

But several justices expressed concerns over the need for such a fund because of problems in the past.

No department or office in the county has a petty cash fund.

“Petty cash was a nightmare for us 25 years ago,” said Justice Vickie Robertson. “That’s why we cut out petty cash. If we establish a petty cash fund then the next thing you know somebody else will need a petty cash fund then somebody else.”

Robertson questioned why the Circuit Court Judge can’t just write a check for the gift cards and turn in a receipt to get reimbursed rather than have petty cash on hand.

“Why can’t they just go to Walmart and buy a $10 or $25 card and use one check to do it?” Robertson asked. “There have been times when people bought Christmas lights and you just bring your receipt in.”

Justice Stacey Allen asked why the county was spending taxpayer money to reward people in Drug Court for good behavior.

“We shouldn’t be rewarding them for doing well by getting off drugs,” Allen said.

Allen agreed with Robertson that if the Circuit Court Judge wants to buy gift cards that she should just buy them and submit a receipt.

“A judge is saying we can reward them with a gift card for drug court?”

Allen said. “If that’s the case, why can’t the judge take it out of drug court and let them buy the gift card? If we give them money and if the judge wants to reward somebody, let him reward them and not make the county pay for it and let them submit a claim.”

County Treasurer Charlie Suiter said Circuit Court Judge Cindy Thyer is the one requesting the petty cash fund be set up.

Suiter said Thyer, whose office is in Jonesboro, was out of town in a meeting and called him and asked him to go buy gift cards for Drug Court.

“The judge said ‘I don’t want to handle this (petty cash). You need to handle it personally through your office,’” Suiter said. “She is in Jonesboro and has to make a special trip down here to sign. She said it needs to be done out of your office.”

Suiter said he got $200 from the bank and brought it to Jonesboro so the Drug Court could buy the gift cards and turned in the receipt to get reimbursed.

“That’s what brought this about,” Suiter said. “And we’re talking a very small amount of money. And it would be (Circuit Court Clerk) Terry (Hawkins) who would be buying these.”

Hawkins, who was unable to be at the meeting when the ordinance was discussed, said Thyer asked her to draft the ordinance because having a petty cash account would make it easier for Drug Court to buy the cards.

“The way it works right now is if they want a gift card, the circuit court judge has to have the check made payable to her in her name,” Hawkins said. “And then she has to go cash the check and keep up with the receipts.

It just was not a good thing.”

Hawkins said she called state auditors and Arkansas Administrative Office of the Courts and was told that state law does allow for a line item in the budget to create petty cash accounts for use by Drug Courts.

“I cleared it with them (AOC) and they said yes, we can do this. There are statutes that say we can have a petty cash fund,” Hawkins said. “But it has to be in an elected official’s name because the court personnel are actually state employees. They are not county employees.”

Hawkins said Thyer asked that the county cap the petty cash fund at $500.

If the Quorum Court approves

the ordinance, the

check will be written in Hawkins name and the Drug Court program. She will then cash it, put the funds in a secure place, and dole out the money once she gets a written authorization

from the circuit

court judge stating how much the Drug Court needs.

“Then the drug court people will come to me, I will hand them the $40 or however much they need..

Then they will go get the cards and bring the receipts back to me,” Hawkins said. “And when the funds get low, I will take those receipts to the treasurer and he will give me the money.”

Hawkins said there are safeguards in place to watch over the petty cash.

“The state auditors can come in at any time and I better have the same amount of receipts as I had cash money for,” Hawkins said. “And nobody except the circuit court judge and the Drug Court can handle that money.”

Hawkins said she is glad the Quorum Court is scrutinizing the request to create the petty cash account.

“I totally understand,” Hawkins said. “I’m glad they are checking to see that we spend the money right. I don’t have a petty cash account in my office at all — and I’m glad we don’t.”

The Quorum Court tabled the ordinance until next month.

“I just want us to be consistent,” Robertson said.

“Petty cash was a nightmare for us. I still say somebody should just put it on their card and submit a claim, unless you can tell me there is some type of a situation.”

By Mark Randall