Baxter County Judge Mickey Pendergrass
The Freedom of Information Act dispute between a blogger and Baxter County Judge Mickey Pendergrass has been resolved.
Little Rock attorney Matt Campbell, who blogs as the Blue Hog Report, filed a FOIA complaint against Pendergrass on June 4 after the two disagreed over how several FOIA requests submitted to the county earlier that week should proceed. That complaint was scheduled to be heard in Baxter County Circuit Court Friday morning, but was canceled Wednesday afternoon.
Court records show that both Pendergrass and Campbell asked the court to dismiss the case Tuesday. Speaking Thursday afternoon, Pendergrass said the two parties reached an agreement over the amount of time required to process the requests, and that copies of the documents had been sent to Campbell.
Baxter County Judge Mickey Pendergrass Recent court filings indicate that some of the documents at the center of a Freedom of Information Act dispute between a
The Baxter County Quorum Court will meet for its June meeting Tuesday night. The meeting is scheduled for 6 in the second-floor courtroom of the county courthouse.
Some of the items on the agenda include the second reading of an ordinance adopting revisions and additions to the Baxter County personnel policy manual and the first reading of an ordinance allowing TWAL, Inc., to apply for a private club permit from the state’s Alcoholic Beverage Control Division.
The Quorum Court is also scheduled to consider a resolution authorizing Baxter County Judge Mickey Pendergrass to purchase a portable closed circuit crushing plant for $715,000. The resolution would also authorize the judge to sign a 12-month loan of $315,000 with Arvest to help cover the purchase of the machinery.
Meeting in a partially reconfigured courtroom Tuesday evening, the Baxter County Quorum Court quickly addressed its light agenda.
At the conclusion of the meeting, Baxter County Judge Mickey Pendergrass told the members he had measured the square footage of the courtroom and determined the number of people who could attend the session to meet the Arkansas Department of Health’s recently enforced pandemic guidelines.
While the members of the court have been spread out for several months to allow for social distancing, on Tuesday evening, the audience section of the courtroom had been marked off to meet the guidelines.
Judge Pendergrass said he had been advised state officials did not have a sufficient amount of time to review submitted plans for the state’s almost 500 cities plus its 75 counties. So, he said he conducted his own calculations under the state formula and submitted the numbers and has heard nothing further.
The Baxter County Quorum Court is looking at a light agenda Tuesday evening for its regular monthly session at 6.In addition to a regular monthly housekeeping ordinance and a second one to appropriate an additional $2,700 to Baxter Regional Medical Center from a federal COVID-19 block grant, the court will consider four resolutions.
Three of the resolutions will be to consider an appointment and five reappointments from Baxter County Judge Mickey Pendergrass to boards. The other one would authorize Judge Pendergrass to apply for a grant on behalf of the Clarkridge Volunteer Fire Protection District to purchase a used pumper truck.