The Union County Quorum Court voted 4-to-3, with two abstained, to rescind the $5,000 for the Rock Island Greenway bike and running trail Thursday.
Last month, El Dorado Alderman Billy Blann and Robert Reynolds, chairman of the El Dorado Works Board, presented a proposal to the quorum concerning the bike and running trail from El Dorado to Ruston, Louisiana, along the Rock Island Rail line.
Blann said the total cost for a feasibility study from Crafton Tull would be $32,000. The city of Ruston agreed to pay half of that, and individuals have agreed to pay $6,000, leaving $10,000 needed for the study.
The quorum agreed on a 8-to-2 vote yes last month, that if the city raised $5,000 for the feasibility study, the county would provide the other $5,000.
On April 10, the El Dorado Works Board approved the funding request from Blann to conduct the study. El Dorado Works Board Treasurer Alison Abson said the $5,000 would come from the community development budget of the El Dorado Works tax.
On Thursday, Justice Johnny Burson brought up the previous meeting’s discussion and decision to provide the county’s half of the $10,000. He said last month he asked Reynolds about funding the trail through the El Dorado Works tax.
“(Reynolds) said it probably would, but there were legalities in there that they weren’t sure that they could build outside of the city of El Dorado,” Burson said. “That’s not true. I don’t know if I’m the only one that feels offended by that, but I think we got some bad information and I know what he said wasn’t correct.”
Burson motioned that if they hadn’t already paid the $5,000, then they shouldn’t.
In the March Quorum Court meeting, Blann said,”I did take this before the El Dorado Works Board and there was some conflict and some question about whether that money could be spent in the county. So there’s some question about that, so the attorney is looking at that.”
County Judge Mike Loftin said the amount had not yet been paid.
Burson said that the city agreed to pay their half of the $5,000 through the El Dorado Works tax. “The city has got nothing in it,” he said. “It was just taken out of the El Dorado (Works tax), where it should have come from.”
He added that the money should come from the El Dorado Works tax because “that is what the money is for, economic development.”
Justice Dean Storey asked if Burson was saying that they should rescind their vote, to which Burson replied, “I make that motion.”
A “no” vote indicated that the Justice did not want to take back the $5,000. A “yes” vote meant to rescind the money from the trail.
Justices Mike Dumas, Greg Harrison and Storey voted against the motion, while Carolyn Jones and Will Crowder abstained and Burson, Benny Vestal, Ross Burton and Cliff Preston voted to approve the motion.
Justices Cecil Polk and Justin Hendrix were absent from the meeting.
“I just feel like I don’t have enough information,” Jones said.
Preston said he believed that they need Blann and Reynolds to come back and answer the questions that the quorum has pertaining to the trail. “I believe economic development is a great thing as long as we have a great plan, and I do believe this is a great plan,” Preston said. “I think some questions need to be answered. I would love for them to come back.”
Preston added that he just wants to make sure that they are careful with the tax payer’s money and “wants every question answered.”
Kaitlyn Rigdon can be reached at 870-862-6611 or [email protected].
CLARIFICATION
This article has been updated to reflect a clarification that Union County Justice Cliff Preston voted to approve the motion to rescind the funds from the trail project.