Editing Stone County, Arkansas (section)

==Government==
[[File:Stone County Courthouse 001.jpg|right|thumb|The Stone County Courthouse has been the seat of county government since 1922.]]
{{see also|County government in Arkansas}}
The county government is a constitutional body granted specific powers by the [[Constitution of Arkansas]] and the [[Arkansas Code]]. The quorum court is the legislative branch of the county government and controls all spending and revenue collection. Representatives are called ''justices of the peace'' and are elected from county districts every even-numbered year. The number of districts in a county vary from nine to fifteen, and district boundaries are drawn by the county election commission. The Stone County Quorum Court has nine members.<ref name="arcounties">{{ cite web |title= Stone County |url= https://www.arcounties.org/counties/stone/ |publisher= Association of Arkansas Counties |access-date= September 25, 2018 }}</ref> Presiding over quorum court meetings is the ''county judge'', who serves as the [[chief operating officer]] of the county. The county judge is elected at-large and does not vote in quorum court business, although capable of vetoing quorum court decisions.<ref>{{ Cite encyclopedia |title= Quorum Courts |url= http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?search=1&entryID=6348 |encyclopedia= [[Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture]] |publisher= [[Butler Center for Arkansas Studies]] at the [[Central Arkansas Library System]] |date= March 24, 2014 |last= Teske |first= Steven |access-date= January 23, 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{ Cite encyclopedia |title= Office of County Judge |url= http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=5720 |encyclopedia= [[Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture]] |publisher= Butler Center for Arkansas Studies at the Central Arkansas Library System |date= August 28, 2015 |last= Goss |first= Kay C. |access-date= January 23, 2016 }}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|+Stone County, Arkansas Elected countywide officials<ref>{{Cite web |title=Stone {{!}} Association of Arkansas Counties |url=https://www.arcounties.org/counties/stone/ |access-date=2025-04-13 |website=www.arcounties.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=County Offices |url=https://www.stonecountyar.gov/county-offices |access-date=2025-04-13 |website=www.stonecountyar.gov |language=en}}</ref><ref>https://www.arcounties.org/site/assets/files/6033/november_races.pdf</ref>
!Position
!Officeholder
!Party
|-style="background-color:#999999;
|County Judge
|Stacey Avey
|Independent
|-style="background-color:#999999;
|County/Circuit Clerk
|Angie Hudspeth-Wade
|Independent
|-style="background-color:#F48882;
|Sheriff
|Brandon Long
|Republican
|-style="background-color:#F48882;
|Treasurer
|Kayla Meeker
|Republican
|-style="background-color:#F48882;
|Collector
|Karen Hodges
|Republican
|-style="background-color:#92C5DE;
|Assessor
|Heather Stevens
|Democratic
|-style="background-color:#F48882;
|Coroner
|Joseph A. Blake
|Republican
|-
|Surveyor
|William "Randy" Berry
|(Unknown)
|}
The composition of the Quorum Court following the 2024 elections is 9 Republicans. Justices of the Peace (members) of the Quorum Court following the elections are:<ref>{{Cite web |title=Justices of the Peace |url=https://www.stonecountyar.gov/justices-of-the-peace |access-date=2025-04-13 |website=www.stonecountyar.gov |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Stone County, Arkansas, elections, 2024 |url=https://ballotpedia.org/Stone_County,_Arkansas,_elections,_2024 |access-date=2025-04-13 |website=Ballotpedia |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Election Night Reporting |url=https://results.enr.clarityelections.com/AR/Stone/119936/web.317647/#/summary?v=332349/ |access-date=2025-04-13 |website=results.enr.clarityelections.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Election Night Reporting |url=https://results.enr.clarityelections.com/AR/Stone/122572/web.345435/#/summary?v=355336/ |access-date=2025-04-13 |website=results.enr.clarityelections.com |language=en}}</ref>

* District 1: Jim Bullard (R)
* District 2: Travis Trammell (R)
* District 3: Billy Wayne Mitchell (R)
* District 4: Jason Kocher (R)
* District 5: Ronald Clark (R)
* District 6: Mark Davis (R)
* District 7: Michael W. Vickers (R)
* District 8: Neal Harness (R)
* District 9: Eddie Cowell (R)

Additionally, the townships of Stone County are entitled to elect their own respective constables, as set forth by the [[Constitution of Arkansas]]. Constables are largely of historical significance as they were used to keep the peace in rural areas when travel was more difficult.<ref>{{Cite web |title=What is a Constable? |url=https://www.uaex.uada.edu/business-communities/ced-blog/posts/2022/may/what-is-a-constable.aspx |access-date=2025-04-13 |website=What is a Constable? |language=en}}</ref> The township constables as of the 2024 elections are:<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />

* District 1: Travis Shepherd (R)
* District 2: Chip Doss (R)
* District 3: Tom Falci (R)
* District 4: John P. Walsh (R)
* District 5: Michael Tharp (R)
* District 6: Justin Meeks (R)
* District 7: Bob Cook (R)
* District 8: Lisa Freshler Murphy (R)
* District 9: Keenan Glenn (R)

===Taxation===
{{See also|Taxation in the United States}}
[[Property tax]] is assessed by the Stone County Assessor annually based upon the fair market value of the property and determining which tax rate, commonly called a ''millage'' in Arkansas, will apply. The rate depends upon the property's location with respect to city limits, school district, and special [[tax increment financing]] (TIF) districts. This tax is collected by the Stone County Collector between the first business day of March of each year through October 15 without penalty. The Stone County Treasurer disburses tax revenues to various government agencies, such as cities, county road departments, fire departments, libraries, and police departments in accordance with the budget set by the quorum court.

Sales and use taxes in Arkansas are voter approved and collected by the [[Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration]].
Arkansas's statewide [[sales tax|sales]] and [[use tax]] has been 6.5% since July 1, 2013.<ref>{{ cite web |title= State Tax Rates |url=https://www.dfa.arkansas.gov/excise-tax/sales-and-use-tax/state-tax-rates/ |publisher= Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration |access-date= December 29, 2018 }}</ref> Stone County has an additional sales and use tax of 1%, which has been in effect since May 1, 1987. Within Stone County, the City of Mountain View has had an additional 2% sales and use tax since September 1, 2005.<ref>{{ cite web |title= List of Cities and Counties with Local Sales and Use Tax |date= October–December 2018 |url= https://www.dfa.arkansas.gov/images/uploads/exciseTaxOffice/cityCountyTaxTable.pdf |publisher= Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration |access-date= December 29, 2018 }}</ref> The [[Arkansas State Treasurer]] disburses state tax revenue to counties/cities in accordance with tax rules.