Union County Judge Mike Loftin is closely tracking statistics for active coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in the county as he considers reopening the Union County Courthouse to the public.
Loftin previously said he intended to reopen the courthouse June 1 but he decided against it after watching COVID-19 numbers for Union County over the weekend.
By 4:30 p.m. Monday, the Arkansas Department of Health reported that 173 people had tested positive for the virus in Union County and 987 tested negative; there were 33 active, positive cases; 132 recoveries; and eight deaths.
“I’m still watching the numbers a little bit. If I can get them headed down pretty good, then I’ll open the courthouse back up,” Loftin said. “We’re just watching the numbers and I’m going to watch the numbers for a few more days.”
The courthouse has been closed to the public since March 20 due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
In the meantime, other options are available for residents to conduct business with the county while the courthouse is closed to the public.
Loftin reminded residents that they may assess personal property taxes by calling the Union County Assessor’s Office at 870-864-1920.
“You can assess taxes over the phone and the (information) goes from the phone, through the computer and directly to (Arkansas) Revenue Office. You can get your (vehicle registration) license plate and tags without ever coming to the collector’s office,” Loftin explained.
Personal property taxes can be paid online or by mail, said county Collector Karen Scott, adding that taxes for the current year are payable online.
Scott said a service fee is charged for the online payment option, which may be accessed by visiting www.unioncountyar.com and going to the tax collector’s page.
She said the service fee is assessed by and paid to the state and the amount varies, based on the amount of personal property taxes that are due.
One county resident recently asked why the service fee could not be waived since the county courthouse is closed to the public.
“That’s a fee that comes from the state. That’s got nothing to do with us,” Scott said.
Messages left for Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s office were not immediately returned Monday.
People may also visit the west (Washington Avenue/PJ’s Coffee) side of the courthouse and hand over payments to the on-duty sheriff’s deputy/security officer, Scott said. Cash, cashier’s checks or money orders are accepted.
“We’re trying to do as many online as we can because we don’t want to put our officers at risk. We’re trying not to bombard him as he is the one who is seeing all the (foot) traffic,” Scott said.
County residents may also call the collector’s office at 870-864-1930 to inquire about business that cannot be conducted online or by phone.
In the Union County Clerk’s Office, business with the public has largely been suspended during the COVID-19 outbreak.
County Clerk Shannon Phillips said her office is conducting as much business as it can by mail.
An early attempt at curbside service did not work out well, she said, adding, “We were all over the place.”
Some services are still being offered, such as probate filings, which may be mailed in or dropped off on the west side of the courthouse.
Assumed names/DBA (Doing Business As) requests may also be mailed in but they must first be notarized by another notary service.
“We’re here taking phone calls. We’ve waived a lot of fees, as many we could because we know people are having a hard time right now,” Phillips said.
Phillips said her office has also suspended the issuance of marriage licenses — a move that has elicited several angry responses.
“Several courthouses are not doing marriage licenses anymore. We had a lot people coming from Louisiana, crossing state lines and coming up here because their courthouse is closed to them,” Phillips said. “Most of the complaints are from Louisiana people because they’re getting turned down everywhere they go.”
With ongoing considerations of reopening the courthouse, Phillips advised couples who plan to marry to wait until their wedding date nears to look into purchasing a marriage license, which costs $60, cash only.
“A lot of people were panic-buying and their marriage licenses have now expired and they don’t want to have to buy it again. So they should wait until closer to their wedding date and check back with us,” she said.
Phillips said the clerk’s office has adjusted its operations to protect the health of its employees and to continue providing services that are vital to county government operations — such as employee services, including payroll and insurance, and paying the bills to make sure supplies and equipment keep rolling in to serve the public.
County clerk office workers’ schedules have been modified and work-from-home accommodations granted and those who come into the office practice social distancing and other prescribed safety measures.
For more information, call the county clerk’s office at 870-864-1910.