By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
An audit report which cited St. Francis County for violations in several areas serves as a guide for proper financial practices, the chairman of the Quorum Court's budget committee said this morning.
Regan Hill said the items have been corrected or are in the process of being corrected.
One thing the county was cited for concerns $292,034 paid for contract labor, performed by a person who was already an employee of the county. That person, W.L. Laws, has since resigned his position as the Office of Emergency Services coordinator. State law (Ark. Code Ann. 14-14-1202) prohibits county employees from doing business with the county.
"Audit reports, at all times, say, 'You did this, don't do it again,'" said Hill. "That was why we addressed the issue."
The quorum court had discussed passing an ordinance declaring an emergency -- which it is allowed to do by law -- in order to continue doing business with Laws. The ordinance was tabled at the group's October meeting, and Laws has since resigned, saying he had too much outside work to continue in the OES position.
Hill said the county was in a frustrating position, contrasted to other government entities.
"One thing that needs to be made clear is that every other government can do it (do business with employees) but counties can't. That's why that ordinance was introduced the other day."
Hill said the county may still pass the ordinance, because Joe Young, who is a member of the County Election Commission, also owns one of only two gravel pits in the county. Hill said there are times when the county has no choice but to use Young.
"To me it's just a ridiculous requirement, especially if other entities can do it," Hill said. "At the same time, we don't mind fixing it. It's not like anyone is trying to cover up this audit report."
During the same period, the County Treasurer's Office was cited for failing "to properly reconcile bank statements with the County Ledger. This reconciliation provides the Quorum Court with accurate information of the county's finances."
Treasurer Ann Harbin said the problem had been corrected.
"We had some trouble with our bank statements, and there had been a lot of stuff voided out in the Clerk's office that didn't get to the Treasurer's office," said Harbin. "It has been corrected."
Also cited was the County Clerk's Office. The audit said the office "failed to maintain a cash disbursements journal, therefore prohibiting proper reconciliation of cash transactions."
Elizabeth Smith, the current County Clerk, was not in office during the time specified. The county clerk at that time was Dick Krablin. Smith said the problem has been corrected.
"It certainly has," she said. "It means, like, when at the end of the month, when I make my final office statement to the Treasurer, I have to report how much money I have received and how much I have paid out that month."
Smith had been a deputy clerk before she ran for the office.
"It's just a separate ledger we keep," said Smith. "We kept it up until 2000 when I was here. It was just something they failed to do while I was gone."
The audit also cited County Judge Carl Cisco for transfers from restricted funds to the General Fund, which were classified as loans and at the time of the audit had not been repaid. Cisco was out of town and could not be reached for comment on the audit.
The offices of Sheriff and Collector and Circuit Clerk were found to be in substantial compliance in the audit, according to the Legislative Joint Auditing Committee report. The Assessor's office was not included in the report.
By CRYSTAL HOLLIS
T-H Staff Writer
This year's "Coats for Kids" drive begins this week and will continue through the end of November.
The drive, which starts on Thursday, Nov. 1, is being sponsored by Baptist Memorial Hospital - Forrest City and Express Dry Cleaners at 425 North Washington St. The coats will be distributed to local area schoolchildren who need them.
Coats may be dropped off in the lobby of the hospital between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, or at Express Dry Cleaners from 6:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, and on Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. However, those wishing to donate coats are encouraged to drop them off at the hospital. The dry cleaners will then clean the donated coats.
According to BMH-FC Marketing Manager Tiffany Billingsley, teachers and administrators at all local schools will tell them which children need the coats. "The teachers will tell us who needs a coat, and also anybody in the community who knows of a child in need of a coat can let us know," she said.
Billingsley and Debbie Capps, co-owner of Express, discussed the needs of some of the children they had heard about recently.
According to Capps, "We have done this coat drive off and on for the past 10 years. One year, a teacher informed us there were two brothers attending one of the schools and they had only one coat to share between them. That's hard to imagine how they got along in the cold weather with just one coat to share," said Capps.
Billingsley said all sizes of coats are needed. "We are going to provide coats to children of all ages. Not all children wear kid sizes. Some kids wear adult-sized coats, so all sizes will be needed.
A kickoff meeting will be held Nov. 8 to begin Forrest City's participation in the Arkansas Department of Health's Hometown Health Improvement Project.
The meeting will be held at the Forrest City Civic Center.
According to a press release, the project seeks to "forge a partnership between health care providers, employers, and the community with the common goal of improving over all community health."
Melissa Ward, team leader of the St. Francis County Health Unit, elaborated this week.
"This will be an organization of community members," she said. "We're going to address any health issues the community members are concerned with, whether medical, social or environmental."
She said the agenda will be broad and the goals are deliberately general at this time.
"There is no map laid out for this," she said. "There is no plan. It's whatever the group decides is important to the community-- what they feel is a health issue.
"The first meeting is Nov. 8 and after that we will form a community coalition and take it from there," she continued.
According to Ward, the first job will be to assess the needs and see what resources are already here. She said there would be an effort not to duplicate services, but to increase the utilization of services that are already available.
In the press release, Dr. Fay Boozman, director of the Arkansas Department of Health, said," We are excited to have St. Francis County join the Hometown Health Improvement Project. Local community input is the only way we help Arkansas become the healthiest state in the nation.
There are currently 20 Hometown Health Improvement Coalitions located across the state. Some of these are Boone County, Project TOUCH in Union County, Drew County and Crittenden County.
Anyone wishing more information about the meeting should call Ward at the Health Unit, 870-633-1340.
The spouses and children of Arkansas Army National Guard Company C are scheduled to get military identification on Wednesday, Nov. 7, at the Armory in Forrest City.
According to a press release from Sfc. Walt Cullum with Company C, children aged 10 and up and spouses of Armory personnel should be at the Armory next Wednesday at 10 a.m. to get their military ID's made. The ID cards are necessary for health care on and off of military bases.
The ID computers will then travel to Brinkley on Nov. 8, for those families that live closer to Brinkley.
Members of Company C, left Forrest City on Oct. 19, for training at Fort Carson, Colo.
Following their training in Colorado the units will be part of a contingent that will be travel to the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt as part of the Multinational Force and Observers, an outgrowth of the 1979 Peace Treaty between Israel and Egypt.
This year's Fourth Annual Forrest City Heart Walk, held last Saturday, has been called a record-setting success, according to BMH-FC Marketing Manager Tiffany Billingsley, one of the organizers.
Walkers raised $18,797.45, while in-kind donations and sponsors added about $7,000 to the event.
More than 70 walkers and volunteers gathered on the grounds of Baptist Memorial Hospital Saturday morning, braving the season's coldest morning yet to support the fight against heart disease, the nation's number one killer.
This year's walk included an opening ceremony featuring Kenny Norman, a 12- year old Forrest City student, singing the National Anthem, while a Junior ROTC Color Guard representative presented the American Flag.
In honor of the firefighters and emergency medical services personnel who lost their lives as a result of the terrorist attacks in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania, the American Heart Association will contribute $1 million raised from American Heart Walk events to the 911 Disaster Fund.
"While fighting heart disease and stroke is still the mission of the American Heart Association, the association's contribution is its way of showing support and appreciation to firefighters and EMS for their heroic deeds in saving lives and advancing the American Heart Association's mission," according to a press release.
The American Heart Walk, held nationwide, is the main fund raising event for the American Heart Association. It is estimated that more than a half-million walkers will participate in more than 775 Heart Walk events in 2001.