Extortion in Arkansas Part 15 Trash Tax - 2/11/2020 Special Meeting - Secure Arkansas

Extortion in Arkansas Part 15 Trash Tax – 2/11/2020 Special Meeting

February 10, 2020 Action Alerts, Featured, Taxes

HEADS UP!!

Special Meeting Called For Ozark Mountain Solid Waste District (OMSWD): 10:00 am TUESDAY, February 11, 2020 in City Council chambers, 2nd floor, HARRISON CITY HALL, 115 N. Spring St, Harrison, Boone County Arkansas.

PLEASE ATTEND this special meeting, if at all possible! OMSWD’s 2019 Bank Statements are listed and linked further down in this alert.

Just a reminder/refresher for our readers: Residents and businesses in Baxter, Boone, Carroll, Marion, Newton, and Searcy Counties have paid an ILLEGAL TRASH TAX/”FEE” on their property tax statement due to mysterious and unconstitutional occurrences regarding the NABORS Landfill debacle in Baxter County! Bypassing the people’s informed consent, the whopping amount to be paid back to the bondholders is MILLIONS of DOLLARS!…and of course ADEQ is involved! Looks like ADEQ and the courts came up with this sweetheart deal, at the expense of the people! (Bondholders are mentioned in Part 13.)

In our opinion, THIS IS EXTORTION! – which means a practice of something by force or threat! This is a house of cards that needs to fall! Government corruption constantly plagues the public. (We’ve included links to our previous 14 articles about this trash “fee” at the bottom of our alert.)

The dubious Pulaski Circuit Court-appointed receiver, Geoffrey Treece of Little Rock, is to appear before the Ozark Mountain Solid Waste District (OMSWD) board.

Keep in mind: Treece is the court-appointed receiver defending the bondholders of OMSWD in lawsuits filed regarding the $18 trash tax fee.

Secure Arkansas has concerns about the players in this whole corrupt scenario, especially Melinda Caldwell, the Ozark Mountain Solid Waste District Executive Director of Operations, and her company, Via Recyclables. We suspect that Caldwell and the $18 trash tax/”fee” fiasco will be discussed at the meeting tomorrow.

Looks like Melinda Caldwell will discover that she can no longer go to board members with secret information… and it also looks like she was appointed by Circuit Judge Fox via Geoffrey Treece to manage the district. What a shady pair that works together! Reminder: it appears that Judge Fox is one of the top greedy bondholders in this catastrophe that has illegally burdened the taxpayers of 6 counties in Arkansas.

Circuit Judge Timothy Fox has reported on his 2015 and 2016 Statement of Financial Interest of investments greater than $12,500 in the Bank of the Ozarks. The Statement of Financial Interest that is on file with the Arkansas Secretary of State by the polical office holder only has two boxes to check. The first box is more than $1,000 financial interest, and the second box is for more than $12,500 financial interest. What we do not know is how much more than $12,500 that Judge Timothy Fox has invested in the Bank of the Ozarks .(Note: The Bank of the Ozarks is the Trustee for the bondholders. Also, on July 16, 2018 the Bank of the Ozarks name was changed to Bank OZK… What was up with this name change? Could it be that they are trying to distance themselves from ramifications of the pending lawsuits and who knows what else?)

Here are some excerpts from the Harrison Daily Times article from January 31, 2020 entitled, Confrontational exchange at solid waste board meeting:

When minutes from the December meeting were presented for board members to review, Marion County Judge John Massey said there was discussion not included in the minutes.

For instance, he said board members were informed that some funds are restricted and can’t be used, but there are other moneys that should be included in a budget. Board members discussed district director Melinda Caldwell’s contract and the fact that there hasn’t been an update of the contract for several years, not to mention her role in interaction with the board and the connection between the board and receiver.

After the OMSWD staff was let go, Caldwell was appointed manager for the district. When asked who appointed her, she said she was appointed “through Pulaski County Circuit Judge Tim Fox’s acceptance of the receiver’s report to the court”.

There are MANY questions that need to be answered, so stay tuned!

At a recent board meeting, the Ozark Mountain Solid Waste District elected new officers: Boone County Justice of the Peace (JP), Fred Woehl, an appointed designee for Boone County Judge Robert Hathaway, is now the newly elected Chair for the Ozark Mountain Solid Waste District (OMSWD), which means that Baxter County Judge Mickey Pendergrass is no longer the Chair for OMSWD.

A few days ago, Secure Arkansas sent in several FOIA requests to Ozark Mountain Solid Waste District; shown below is one of those requests, and linked below that are the bank statements we received back. (Some of the paperwork we requested was currently in Legislative Audit, but here is what we have.)

The following FOIA request is being directed to Ozark Mountain Solid Waste District (OMSWD).

Per the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act 93 of 1967, I am requesting the following information that is listed below

Provide a copy of each Ozark Mountain Solid Waste District solid waste hauler’s completed permit application form received from each hauler.

Provide a copy of each the Waste Tire Center Collection Form – Specialty Tires filled out for the year 2019

Provide a copy of each Specialty Tire Receipt Forms filled out for the year 2019

Provide a copy each completed Tire Dealer Manifest form (Form TAP-11) for 2019

Provide a copy of the latest OMSWD Financial Statement for 2019.

Provide a copy of all OMSWD board minutes showing the exodus of Carroll County from OMSWD.

Provide a copy of the documents listing all grant moneys received for 2019.

Provide a copy of the documents that budgets the grant money coming in for 2019.

Provide a copy of the documents listing all expenditures paid out for 2019.

Provide a copy of the documents paying the receivership court ordered legal fees from the beginning up through the end of 2019.

Provide a copy of the documents that list the amount of the money maintained by OMSWD that is tied up in the courts.

A copy of all documents listing the total amounts of all investments of OMSWD.

Provide a copy of the agenda for the 12/20/2019 Quarterly Meeting.

Provide a copy of the minutes for the 12/20/2019 Quarterly Meeting.

Here is what Secure Arkansas received from OMSWD:

*Secure Arkansas didn’t receive a bank statement for March 2019.

So, just how much money DOES the Ozark Mountain Solid Waste District have in the bank???

Matt Bishop, an excellent attorney for those suing to get this illegal trash tax/”fee” stopped, is asking that question, also.

As always: FOLLOW THE MONEY.

How many people do you know who make almost $300 per hour? Apparently, Court-Appointed Receiver Geoffrey Treece does! Check out this document from Quattlebaum, Grooms, and Tull (the large Little Rock law firm which employsTreece). This $25,000+ that he was paid in 2018 is to be paid by the people of the 6-county affected area through the money from the trash tax/” fee”! That amount was ONLY for his fees and expenses through June 2018, and this is just a drop in the bucket compared to the almost-half-a-million dollars he was paid… and the MILLIONS of dollars that the bondholders will be receiving! Read more about that here.

Again, Treece will be appearing before the OMSWD at the meeting tomorrow morning, February 11, 2020 at 10:00 am at Harrison City Hall.

For your convenience, we have listed the past 14 articles below for those interested in further history regarding the travesty of the trash tax/”service fee.”

Part 1 – Tax Increase – Trash Tax for 6 Counties in Northern Ark.
Part 2 – Tax Increase
Part 3 – Tax Increase & ACTION ITEM!
Part 4 – Tax Increase & Landfill “Fee” Protest Meeting 3/17/18
Part 5 – Tax Increase & Berryville and Mtn Home March Meetings (2018)
Part 6 – *Tax Increase and 4/2/18 Newton County Quorum Court Mtg (Treece was paid almost half a million dollars!!)
Part 7 – Tax Increase – Constitutional Resolution Required to Support Exclusive Original Jurisdiction Against $18 Trash Tax/Service Fee
Part 8 – Tax Increase & Info on GIF Funds
Part 9 – Tax Increase – Special OMSWD Mtg 7/2/18 in Harrison, Ark. & ACTION ITEM
Part 10 – Tax Increase & NABORS Landfill Bond Default Hearing 8/28/18 in Berryville, Ark
Part 11 – Tax Increase – Circuit Judge Fox is in the Hen House – Conflict of Interest w/Bank OZK
Part 12 – Possible Bondholders
Part 13 – Carroll County Court Hearing: $18 Trash Tax Final Hearing
Part 14 – Upcoming Carroll County Court Hearing on 11/26/19