Saline County to consider fire department funding, budget amendments, and floodplain duties Nov. 16

See the full agenda for Oct 19 and minutes for previous meeting below the article. 👇

The Saline County Quorum Court will hold its regular monthly meeting on Monday, Nov. 16, 2026, to vote on key county ordinances and resolutions, including the allocation of Act 833 emergency funds for 20 area fire departments, an emergency floodplain management restructuring, and budget amendments totaling more than $210,000.

The meeting is scheduled to begin at 6:00 p.m. in Courtroom #3 at the Saline County Courthouse in Benton. Residents are welcome. Read more below.

Public comment will be permitted for items on the agenda, with opportunities for residents to provide input individually on each measure prior to final action by the justices of the peace. The court will also review and approve minutes from its Oct. 19 meeting.

Under reports and proclamations, the Quorum Court will issue a special proclamation honoring the state champion Harmony Grove Cardinals baseball team for their title-winning season.

Exhibit A: Flood Damage Prevention Code Emergency Ordinance

Sponsored by Justice of the Peace CJ Engel (District 9), the court will consider an emergency ordinance amending the county’s Flood Damage Prevention Code.

Due to the pending retirement of the current county floodplain coordinator, the measure transfers administrative duties and enforcement from the Assessor’s Office Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Administrator to the Saline County Public Works and Grant Director, effective Jan. 1, 2027.

Exhibit B: Act 833 Fire Department Funding Distribution

Sponsored by Justice of the Peace Rick Bellinger (District 6), the court will take up a resolution adopting recommendations from the Saline County Intergovernmental Cooperation Council to distribute state Act 833 funds to local municipal and rural fire departments.

The council met on Oct. 13 at the OEM/911 Communications Center and approved a point-based allocation system. The proposed breakdown across 20 departments is:

5.5555% each: Bauxite, Benton, Bryant, Collegeville, Crow’s Station, East End, Haskell, Lake Norrell, Northeast, Paron, Salem, Sardis, Shannon Hills, Shaw, Traskwood, and Turtle Creek
4.1669%: Alexander
2.7780% each: Hot Springs Village and Lonsdale
1.3891%: West Pulaski

All participating fire departments maintain mutual aid agreements within the county, and must submit state-required paperwork to qualify for the distributions.

Exhibit C: 2026 Budget Amendments and Fund Transfers

Sponsored by Justice of the Peace CJ Engel (District 9) and previously recommended by the Saline County Finance Committee on Nov. 2, the court will consider an appropriation ordinance amending the 2026 county budget:

Road Department Machinery ($151,371): Appropriates $151,371 received from an insurance settlement directly into capital outlay for Road Department machinery and equipment within the County Road Fund.

Assessor Department Transfers ($59,000): Authorizes internal transfers within the County General Fund among the Tax Assessor, Tax Assessor Bryant, and Assessor GIS department lines to cover maintenance and service contracts as well as machinery and equipment needs.

• Saline County Events List •.

• Get MySaline’s free newsletter •