MEETING NOTICE: Newton County Quorum Court meets this Monday night, April 2, 2018, at 7:00 p.m. *ADDRESS: 100 Court Street, Jasper, Arkansas 72641
If you’re reading this notice, you need to attend this meeting!
Keep reading so you can learn more about the wonderful, much-needed Resolution that the Newton County JP’s will be voting on that night!
To “keep the trash tax fee” or “NOT to keep the trash tax fee”, that is the question.
And who is profiting from this whole landfill debacle? Follow the money — the crooks are scattered everywhere. The dirty hand of politics is at work!
Attorney Geoffrey Treece, the receiver, admitted at the recent Mountain Home trash tax/ “service fee” meeting that he got paid $455,000. That’s almost HALF A MILLION DOLLARS!
What “services” did Treece provide… in return for that money?
Read this excerpt! It’s from court document “MOTION FOR AUTHORITY TO SELL PERSONAL PROPERTY FREE AND CLEAR OF ALL LIENS, CLAIMS, AND ENCUMBRANCE “:
Come now the receiver, Geoffrey B. Treece (the “Receiver”), by and through his attorneys, Quattlebaum, Grooms & Tull PLLC, and for his Motion for Authority to Sell Personal Property Free and Clear of All Liens, Claims, and Encumbrances, state as follows:
On or about August 2, 2016, Travis Dotson, on behalf of 4D LLC (“4D”), an Arkansas limited liability company, submitted a bid in the amount of $461,000.00 to the Receiver for the District’s personal property. See Exhibit A, 4D’s Equipment/Office Bid for Former Landfill and Refuse Company.
The sale of the personal property shall be sold AS IS, WHERE IS with all faults, free and clear of all liens, claims, and encumbrances. Except as provided further herein, any and all liens, claims, and encumbrances shall attach to the sale proceeds and be held in escrow by the Receiver pending further orders of the Court. Upon information and belief, the only party known to claim a lien or security interest in the personal property is held by Bank of the Ozarks, as Trustee for the Bondholders (“Trustee”).
The Receiver has consulted with counsel for the District, the Trustee and the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality concerning the proposed sale and the related terms and conditions. None of the parties oppose the relief requested herein.
Another big question that begs to be asked: why weren’t advertised bids submitted for the sale of the personal property associated with the landfill… rather than it going to this one auctioneer, 4D LLC?
And who is this “4D LLC” company? The link from Manta says their business annual revenue is $464,661. That’s interesting because that amount is very close to the amount of the submitted bid above in the legal document for the sale of the landfill for $461,000.
And the MILLION DOLLAR QUESTIONS still remain:
Here’s an excerpt from the above linked consent order document:
On January 6, 2014, the District filed a petition for Chapter 9 Bankruptcy in the US Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Arkansas.
BE SURE TO CATCH UP, and read all about it! This trash tax/”service fee” has the potential to affect EVERY COUNTY IN ARKANSAS! Don’t let your county fall victim to this travesty. (Even if you don’t reside in this state, pay attention!)
The hyperlinks below will bring you to each of the articles so far.
Extortion in Arkansas! Tax Increase – Trash Tax for 6 Counties in Northern Ark.
The pressure is on the Justices of the Peace (JP’s) in all 6 counties! The JP’s are in control to vote the wishes of the people and STOP this trash tax/”service fee”!
The Justices of the Peace (JP’s) in each of the affected counties can put a stop to this illegitimate trash tax/”service fee”, once and for all, by passing the constitutional resolution listed below. Reminder: they have exclusive original jurisdiction! It can be effectively settled for your county and the property owners if a JP will sponsor the resolution and the quorum court pass will pass the resolution.
The local meetings that have been held throughout the affected counties recently have yielded up nothing! The receiver, Geoffrey Treece, has tried to get control of the public outrage regarding the illegal trash tax fee and has tried to do a lot of explaining at the local meetings that have been set up throughout the area. And he has failed!
Many of the same County Judges and Mayors supporting the $18 trash tax fee are also board members of the Ozark Mountain Solid Waste District AND the Northwest Arkansas Economic Development District!
Justices of the Peace (JP’s), you must override the wishes of the County Judges and the Mayors and vote the wishes of the people. Let’s do the right thing and VOTE Yea (YES) on “A RESOLUTION EXPRESSING DISAPPROVAL AND NON-PARTICIPATION CONCERNING THE SOLID WASTE ASSESSMENT ON NEWTON COUNTY PROPERTY OWNERS”
The Model Resolution for each of the six affected counties are listed below:
Attention all JP’s in the affected 6 county area (and especially those in Newton County): Don’t let the cunning Prosecuting Attorney for the 14th Judical District, David Ethredge from Mountain Home, come in and intimidate, beat you down mentally, or deceive you JP’s from voting for this much-needed resolution! He’s trying to protect the shysters that got you into this mess! Get a backbone! You have the power to stop this burdensome problematic trash tax/ “service fee”!
David Ethredge
Prosecuting Attorney for the 14th Judicial District
870-425-2595
Photo Credit: Bad Government in Arkansas
David L. and Susan Ethredge have a residental parcel # 002-11076-005 listed at 975 CR 11 Summer Hills subdivision in Mountain Home, Arkansas. The appraised value of the land and home is $326,100. Click here for a view of the physical property.
Keep in mind that EVERYONE has a motive for what they do: money, power, fame, control, etc. Or it could be love, freedom, security, etc. The sooner you can find out what it is, the better…
This is what needs to happen:
1) Local Quorum Courts (JP’s) need to pass the properly-worded, powerful constitutional resolution that was introduced earlier in our article “Extortion In Arkansas, Part 3“. This would decide whether the people in that affected county would have to pay the illegal trash tax/service fee. So, it’s up to you to help put the pressure on your own JP in your district to pass this wonderful, problem-solving resolution! Make sure you have a JP in your county that will sponsor this!
NOTE: The potent, properly-worded resolution is up for a vote by the JP’s at the Newton County Quorum Court meeting this Monday night April 2, 2018, at 7:00 p.m.
Address: 100 Court Street, Jasper, Arkansas 72641
You should attend this very important meeting in order to support the Justices of the Peace who will be voting to pass this resolution. It is decisively worded to have some teeth and to bite back! Newton County BETTER PASS THIS RESOLUTION because it is a must if they want to stop this illegal collection of the dastardly trash tax/”service fee”! If any county judge is intent on keeping this $18 trash tax fee in place, then he needs to be voted out and replaced because you can bet he doesn’t have the best interest of his constituents in mind. Remember, the local quorum courts have “exclusive original jurisdiction” according to our Constitution of the State of Arkansas, Article 7 Section 28.
Article 7, Section 28. County courts – Jurisdiction – Single judge holding court. The County Courts shall have exclusive original jurisdiction in all matters relating to county taxes, roads, bridges, ferries, paupers, bastardy, vagrants, the apprenticeship of minors, the disbursement of money for county purposes, and in every other case that may be necessary to the internal improvement and local concerns of the respective counties. The County Court shall be held by one judge, except in cases otherwise herein provided.
2) Circuit Judge Tim Fox needs to reverse his court order
3) Class Action Lawsuit from the property owners of the six affected counties. (Even if we took this all the way to the Supreme Court, we have no guarantee of the outcome.)
It boils down to the JP’s passing the resolution for your county. Don’t take “no” for an answer! Should the JP’s stand up and overrule Circuit Judge Tim Fox? Absolutely, because they have the power to do so! If you as residents will contact your JP, he/she can sponsor this resolution for your county not to participate in this extortion by the illegal trash tax/”service fee”. Hopefully, they will pass it in your county, but YOU had better call them once again and demand this resolution be passed by the JP’s in your county!
For your convenience, we have listed the Resolutions AND the contact information for the Justices of the Peace in all six affected counties directly below.
***Click here for the Newton County Resolution***
Newton County Judge, Warren Campbell
District #1 Shannon Willis, 870-446-2648 or 870-688-2618 (cell)
District #2 Richard Campbell, 870-715-0753
District #3 Terry Clark, 870-861-5805
District #4 Dennis Sain, 870-294-5229 or 870-294-5295
District #5 Jerry Lee, 870-429-6400
District #6 Jimmy Martin, 870-429-5533 jimmy.martin@co.newton.tx.us
District #7 Steven Adams, 870-446-5125 or 870-428-5520
District #8 Arlis Jones, 870-365-9771
District #9 John D. Phillips, 870-446-5523 or 870-577-0975
**Click here for the Searcy County Resolution**
Searcy County Judge, Jim Harness 870-448-3554
Searcy County JPs:
District #1, Ronald Ragland, 870-448-5467
District #2, Danny Hiett, 870-496-2210
District #3, Michelle Manes, home 870-439-2693
District #4, Nathan Treadwell, home, 870-221-3509 cell,
District #5 Johnny Horton 870-448-7128
District #6, Jeff Mays, 870-448-3047 or cell 870-221-1253
District #7, Ronald Garrison, (870) 448-2986
District #8, Wesley Smith, 870-504-0390
District #9, Larry Dye, cell 870-448-7902
***Click here for the Carroll County Resolution***
Carroll County Judge Sam Barr: 870-423-2967
District #1 Jack Deaton 479-253-9673 jjd1701@yahoo.com
District #2 Charles (Chuck) Olson, 479-253-0119 dist2jp.colson@gmail.com
District #3 Lamont Richie, 479-244-7502, trolleyman02@gmail.com
District #4 Marty Johnson, 870-423-6111, jp4mjohnson@gmail.com
District #5 Matt Phillips, 870-480-7151, mattphillipsccjp5@gmail.com
District #6 Craig Hicks, 870-654-7078, craighicks@cox.net
District #7 Noreen Watson, 870-350-4165, noreenwatson@windstream.net
District #8 Don McNeely, 870-350-3392, don@mcneely.io
District #9 Roger Hall, 870-438-6527, rhall@windstream.net
District #10 Larry Swofford, 870-423-9340, ltswofford@windstream.net
District #11 John Howerton, 870-480-6460, johnhowerton1@yahoo.com
***Click here for the Marion County Resolution***
Marion County Judge: Terry C. Ott, 870-449-6231 mcjudge@yellville.net
Marion County JPs:
District #1 Mike Scrima Phone: 870-431-8363/870-404-9001 vacation@blackoakresort.com
District #2 David Nixon Phone: 870-421-8783 esox1954@gmail.com
District #3 Gregg Alexander Phone: 870-453-3700 cattle.aw@gmail.com
District #4 Carl W. McBee Jr. Phone: 870-405-0533 carl@voltplastics.com
District #5 Raymond Mayo 870-656-0734/870-656-0734 rpmayo@hotmail.com
District #6 Brady Madden Phone: 870-449-3000/870-404-6412 bradym11@yahoo.com
District #7 Wesley Shipman Phone: 870-656-2022 wesley.shipman@gmail.com
District #8 Claudia Brigham Phone: 870-449-5434 cbrigham2002@yahoo.com
District #9 Joyce McCalla Phone:870-449-4572 imccalla@yelcot.net
***Click here for Baxter County Resolution***
Baxter County Judge Mickey Pendergrass, 870-425-7756 judge@baxtercounty.org
District #1 – Gary Smith, Phone: 870-431-8070
District #2 – Luci Soltysik, Phone: 870-481-5843
District #3 – Rick Steiner, Phone: 870-492-7245 baxcojp3@gmail.com
District #4 – Bill Lucas, Phone: 870-425-7809
District #5 – James Kerr, Jr., Phone: 870-404-4326
District #6 – Rhonda Tink Albright, Phone: 870-656-4095
District #7 – Marilyn Williamson, Phone: 870-405-5312
District #8 – Edna Fusco, Phone: 870-421-6368
District #9 – Neal Pendergrass, Phone: 870-492-4576
District #10 – Kevin Litty, Phone: 870-421-0664
District #11 – Ty Chapman, Phone: 870-499-0380
***Boone County UPDATED Resolution*** (BOONE COUNTY NEEDS to pass this stronger Resolution. JPs, this one does have more “teeth” to it. Will you sponsor it? We will be calling each and every one of you to find out if you will sponsor this for your next regular quorum court meeting. The one you passed does nothing.)
Boone County Judge Robert Hathaway, 870-741-5760, boonejudge@windstream.net
District #1 Jim L. Milum, 870-741-7532
District #2 Glenn Redding, 870-754-9305 gredding33@gmail.com
District #3 Dan Roberts, 870-743-5916
District #4 Bryan Snavely, 870-741-1280 or 870-391-1139
District #5 Fred Woehl Jr., 870-743-4600
District #6 Bobby Woods, 870-741-2222 or 870-365-5422 (cell), homesteadrealty@windstream.net
District #7 Bill Michel, 870-416-1334
District #8 James D. Harp, 870-365-6069 or 870-365- 0321 (cell)
District #9 Ralph H. Guynn, 870-741-7177 or 870-365-9600 zaptap32@windstream.net
District #10 James Widner, 870-741-3363
District #11 David Thompson, 870-436-5788
Here are some quotes from an interview done today (March 30, 2018) with Arlis Jones, JP in Newton County, District 8:
The Arkansas Constitution has put the highest judicial power in the county courts of justices of the peace, calling it “exclusive original jurisdiction” that the county court has over all matters of “local concern”.
Let the powers-that-be try to overcome that with their lesser judicial power if they want litigation. It’s high time our constitutional power gets put to work — which is what the bureaucratic administrative process continually tries to suppress and conceal.
That’s why the crooks, the lawyers, and the bureaucrats show up in force to scare JP’s into “tabling” their powerfully worded Ordinances and Resolutions, by threatening them with litigation, etc. that never happens.
That’s what happened last month in March at Newton County Quorum Court when I submitted a Resolution that would free Newton County from paying the unwarranted $18 trash tax.
When Boone County had passed their similar, but ineffective resolution against the trash tax, nobody raised a ruckus at all, because it was toothless and would accomplish nothing.
BUT when I added a few select words that changed the whole playing field with our Resolution against the trash tax, the prosecutor jumped to his feet, challenging us with totally unsubstantiated litigation threats, thereby scaring the JP’s into “tabling” it until Monday night, April 2.
The promoters of illegal taxation of the people are so worried about this very effective Resolution and are attending highly publicized public meetings in which nothing but a bunch of hot air gets blown around and more questions get asked than answered. That strategy is to distract and deceive the public into THINKING that someone, somewhere is going to do something to fix the problem. Then comes the media comparing the trash tax to a divorce which after all the fireworks still ends with the problem unresolved and in this case the people roll over and pay the debts of the shysters who incurred it.
I’m here to tell you, it doesn’t have to end like that. We can win these battles.
OUR COUNTY COURTS HAVE THE POWER TO FIX THESE PROBLEMS, BUT WILL THEY??? NOT IF THE GUILTY PARTIES ARE SUCCESSFUL IN SCARING OUR JP’S INTO DOING NOTHING. MAKE SURE YOUR JP HEARS FROM YOU AND KNOWS THAT YOU WILL HOLD HIM ACCOUNTABLE IF HE BOWS TO THE PRESSURE TO DO NOTHING. See you Monday night at Quorum Court in Jasper at 7:00 p.m.! If you really mean business that you don’t want that tax, you’ll be there, and your JP will know it!
— Arlis Jones, Justice of the Peace, District 8, Newton County, Arkansas
Secure Arkansas believes that Mr. Jones sent in a more expanded version to the Harrison Daily Times and/or the Newton County Times.
What’s been going on at the local trash tax meetings? Here are some local news articles from KY3 and the Harrison Daily Times:
1) Here’s the latest from KY3 from the public meeting in Harrison (Boone County) that was held March 28, 2018
“North Arkansas landfill fee meeting leaves questions still unanswered”
2) Here’s a Harrison Daily times article by James L. White:
‘It’s the principle of the thing’
*3) And heres a Harrison Daily Times article about the Newton County public meeting:
“Property owners object to bail out of ‘horrible’ deal”
And keep in mind, we STILL don’t have any accounting on what happened to the $12,340,000 bond money.
*See the FOIA request that was sent to both Ozark Mountain Solid Waste District and Northwest Arkansas Economic Development District, Inc. below:
Secure Arkansas sent out the following Freedom of Information Request dated March 20, 2018 to Ozark Mountain Solid Waste District and the Northwest Arkansas Economic Development District, Inc. shown directly below — and the replies received from Melinda Caldwell, Executive Director of Ozark Mountain Solid Waste District AND the OWNER of Via Recyclables are in yellow highlight after each numeral. We’ve also included her reply verbatim below that.
———————————————————————————
Attn: Melinda Caldwell, Executive Director
Melinda Caldwell, Executive Director,
Baxter County Judge Mickey Pendergrass – Chairman
Gassville Mayor Jeff Braim – Vice Chairman
Per the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act 93 of 1967, I am requesting the following information that is listed below
————————————————————————
This is the unbelievable response we received from Ozark Mountain Solid Waste District:
from: Melinda Caldwell<melinda@viarecyclables.com>
date: Wed, Mar 21, 2018 at 11:19 AM
subject: Re: FOIA Request
mailed-by: viarecyclables.com
Please find answers for questions 1 – 4 of your FOI Request.
1. We have reviewed records and we are unable to locate any such document.
2. We have reviewed records and we are unable to locate any such document.
3. OMSWD does not have copies of those documents. Northwest Arkansas Economic Development District managed District business and maintained records in 2005.
4. OMSWD does not have copies of those documents. Northwest Arkansas Economic Development District managed District business and maintained records in 2005.
—————————————————————————–
So, basically, Ozark Mountain Solid Waste District states that they have NO documentation regarding those four requested pieces of information. Really? These documents should have been on file and available to the public!
To date, Secure Arkansas has received NONE of the above documentation requested via FOIA to the Ozark Mountain Solid Waste District.
The same FOIA request was also sent to the Northwest Arkansas Economic Development District, Inc., and here is the unbelievable response we received from them for the same four FOIA questions:
This reply will serve as an acknowledgement of receipt of your FOIA request. This organization has had no affiliation with the Solid Waste District since 2009. As a result and based on a cursory review of our files I am doubtful of the availability of many of the records you seek. The current management team, including myself, has only been here since late 2014 so we have a limited knowledge of the events that occurred and any accompanying documentation that existed during the time of your records request. We have been able to locate some resolutions that may address item #2 and they are attached for your review. These are the only resolutions that could be located that appear to be pertinent to your request. I will be out of the office until late next week so I have copied my Deputy Director, Jeremy Ragland, on this reply. He will coordinate the continued research into your request and will communicate with you as to the results of our search.
Respectfully,
Joe Willis
Executive Director
Northwest Arkansas Economic Development District, Inc.
Hwy 62-65/412 N P.O. Box 190
Harrison, AR 72602
Office 870-741-5404
Fax 870-741-1905
———————————————————————————————–
The districts AND all boards must be reminded that the taxpayer IS NOT going to be held hostage or stand as a guarantee or as collateral for their bad investments!!! Taxpayer money is NOT a bottomless pit or type of bank to be used at will by ANY district or board. The corruption must be stopped NOW!
Pass the info along to your friends, family, civic centers, church family, senior centers, schools, workplace, etc.
Make sure there is a very large crowd present Monday night in Jasper! Hold your JP’s feet to the fire to vote for this resolution!
Yes, Secure Arkansas will continue to follow the money! Extortion in Arkansas, Part 7 will be released soon. You can bet that as long as these illegal taxes/ “service fees” are continued and are collected, Secure Arkansas will keep releasing more information as it is gathered. There should be at least 10 to 12 parts or more to this continuing saga before it is completed…
Stay tuned!
IN CLOSING, we are asking the Newton County Quorum Court to show mercy on the public and to vote your convictions against this evil trash tax/”service fee”. From what we understand, around 72% of the residents in that area live BELOW poverty level.
Remember: eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.
As always, you can find our email articles posted on our website: SecureArkansas.com. The Search box is a handy tool. For more information about a topic (such as FLUORIDE), just type it into the Search box on our website, and click Enter!
Securing the blessings of liberty,
Secure Arkansas
securetherepublic.com/arkansas
info@securetherepublic.com