Editing Hot Spring County, Arkansas (section)

==Government==
{{see also|Government of Arkansas|County judge|Quorum Court}}
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 Hot Spring County Quorum Court has eleven members. 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"
|+Hot Spring County, Arkansas Elected countywide officials<ref>{{Cite web |title=Home |url=https://hotspringcounty.org/ |access-date=2025-04-26 |website=Hot Spring County Arkansas |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Hot Spring {{!}} Association of Arkansas Counties |url=https://www.arcounties.org/counties/hot-spring/ |access-date=2025-04-26 |website=www.arcounties.org}}</ref><ref>https://www.arcounties.org/site/assets/files/6033/november_races.pdf</ref>
!Position
!Officeholder
!Party
|-style="background-color:#F48882;
|County Judge
|Dennis Thornton
|Republican
|-style="background-color:#F48882;
|County Clerk
|Patty Griggs
|Republican
|-style="background-color:#F48882;
|Circuit Clerk
|Teresa Pilcher
|Republican
|-
|Sheriff
|Richard Tolleson
|(Unknown)
|-style="background-color:#F48882;
|Treasurer
|Glorie Thornton
|Republican
|-style="background-color:#F48882;
|Collector
|Sheri Oden
|Republican
|-style="background-color:#F48882;
|Assessor
|Blake Riggan
|Republican
|-style="background-color:#F48882;
|Coroner
|Jason Chenault
|Republican
|}
The composition of the Quorum Court following the 2024 elections is 10 Republicans and 1 Democrat. Justices of the Peace (members) of the Quorum Court following the elections are:<ref>{{Cite web |title=Justices of the Peace |url=https://hotspringcounty.org/justices-of-the-peace/ |access-date=2025-04-26 |website=Hot Spring County Arkansas |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Hot Spring County, Arkansas, elections, 2024 |url=https://ballotpedia.org/Hot_Spring_County,_Arkansas,_elections,_2024 |access-date=2025-04-26 |website=Ballotpedia |language=en}}</ref>

* District 1: James Bryant (D)
* District 2: Brian Coston (R)
* District 3: Ralph V. Williams (R)
* District 4: Darrin Hardy (R)
* District 5: Mike Scarbrough (R)
* District 6: Don Hilyard (R)
* District 7: Jennifer Corley (R) (''position now Vacant'')
* District 8: Tony Shnaekel (R)
* District 9: Jimmy R. Rogers (R)
* District 10: Wylie Whitley (R)
* District 11: Jay Sheets (R)

Additionally, the townships of Hot Spring 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=2025-04-26 |website=What is a Constable? |language=en}}</ref> The township constables as of the 2024 elections are:<ref name=":0" />

* Big Creek: Jimmy Finley (R)
* Butterfield: Steve Cook (R)
* Harrison: Martin R. DeVore (R)
* Magnet: Mark Woodfield (R)
* Midway: Scott Whitehead (R)
* Prairie: Ron Brown (R)
* Saline: Waylon Corley (R)

===Politics===
Hot Spring County is represented in the [[Arkansas State Senate]] by [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] [[Alan Clark (Arkansas politician)|Alan Clark]], a Hot Springs businessman. In the [[Arkansas House of Representatives]], it is represented by a Republican as well, [[Laurie Rushing]], a [[real estate broker]] from Hot Springs.

Until 2004, Hot Spring County was a typical "[[Solid South]]" [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] county in presidential elections. There were, however, 3 exceptions. [[Republican Party (United States)|Republicans]] [[Herbert Hoover]] and [[Richard Nixon]] won the county in 1928 and 1972, respectively, while [[American Independent Party|American Independent]] candidate [[George Wallace]] won the county in 1968. In 2004, Republican candidate [[George W. Bush]] won the county by just 59 votes. However, since 2008, the county has given over 60 percent of its vote to the Republican candidate.

{{PresHead|place=Hot Spring County, Arkansas|source=<ref name="DL">{{cite web|title=Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections|url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/|access-date=November 18, 2016}}</ref>}}
<!-- PresRow should be {{PresRow|Year|Winning party|GOP vote #|Dem vote #|3rd party vote #|State}} -->
{{PresRow|2024|Republican|9,226|2,818|239|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|2020|Republican|9,202|3,082|273|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|2016|Republican|8,172|3,149|623|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|2012|Republican|7,097|3,830|333|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|2008|Republican|7,209|4,288|458|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|2004|Republican|5,960|5,901|204|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|2000|Democratic|5,042|5,527|412|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1996|Democratic|2,864|6,002|1,289|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1992|Democratic|3,036|6,308|1,272|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1988|Democratic|4,181|5,090|134|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1984|Democratic|5,629|5,836|81|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1980|Democratic|3,561|6,897|359|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1976|Democratic|2,187|7,809|0|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1972|Republican|5,378|2,872|83|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1968|American Independent|1,780|2,137|4,139|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1964|Democratic|2,911|4,543|68|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1960|Democratic|1,732|3,454|668|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1956|Democratic|2,923|3,525|54|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1952|Democratic|1,842|3,474|15|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1948|Democratic|555|1,932|277|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1944|Democratic|853|1,646|11|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1940|Democratic|482|1,730|5|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1936|Democratic|444|1,581|8|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1932|Democratic|237|2,542|27|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1928|Republican|1,126|999|5|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1924|Democratic|392|793|155|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1920|Democratic|910|1,061|53|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1916|Democratic|645|1,429|0|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1912|Democratic|248|668|289|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1908|Democratic|686|833|47|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1904|Democratic|537|605|33|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1900|Democratic|423|763|12|Arkansas}}
{{PresFoot|1896|Democratic|292|1,331|21|Arkansas}}

===Taxation===
{{See also|Taxation in the United States}}
[[Property tax]] is assessed by the Hot Spring 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 Hot Spring County Collector between the first business day of March of each year through October 15 without penalty. The Hot Spring 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= http://www.dfa.arkansas.gov/offices/exciseTax/salesanduse/Pages/StateTaxRates.aspx |publisher= Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration |access-date= December 20, 2017 |archive-date= December 23, 2016 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20161223132933/http://www.dfa.arkansas.gov/offices/exciseTax/salesanduse/Pages/StateTaxRates.aspx |url-status= dead }}</ref> Hot Spring County has an additional sales and use tax of 1.50%, which has been in effect since January 1, 2009. Within Hot Spring County, the City of Malvern has had an additional 1% sales and use tax since January 1, 2009, City of Rockport an additional 2% since January 1, 2012, and the Town of Perla an additional 1% sales and use tax since January 1, 1984.<ref>{{ cite web |title= List of Cities and Counties with Local Sales and Use Tax |date= October–December 2017 |url= http://www.dfa.arkansas.gov/offices/exciseTax/salesanduse/Documents/cityCountyTaxTable.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091219070244/http://www.dfa.arkansas.gov/offices/exciseTax/salesanduse/Documents/cityCountyTaxTable.pdf |archive-date=December 19, 2009 |url-status=live |publisher= Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration |access-date= December 20, 2017 }}</ref> The [[Arkansas State Treasurer]] disburses tax revenue to counties and cities in accordance with tax rules.