Editing Miller County, Arkansas (section)

==Government==
[[File:Texarkana April 2016 090 (Miller County Courthouse).jpg|left|thumb|The [[Miller County Courthouse (Arkansas)|Miller County Courthouse]] in Texarkana has been the seat of county government since 1939.]]
{{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 Miller 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"
|+Miller County, Arkansas Elected countywide officials <ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Miller {{!}} Association of Arkansas Counties |url=https://www.arcounties.org/counties/miller/ |access-date=2025-04-28 |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
|Cathy Hardin Harrison
|Republican
|-style="background-color:#F48882;
|County Clerk
|Stephanie Harvin
|Republican
|-style="background-color:#F48882;
|Circuit Clerk
|Penny Kilcrease
|Republican
|-style="background-color:#F48882;
|Sheriff
|David Wayne Easley
|Republican
|-style="background-color:#F48882;
|Treasurer
|Teresa Reed
|Republican
|-style="background-color:#F48882;
|Collector
|Laura Bates
|Republican
|-style="background-color:#F48882;
|Assessor
|Joyce Dennington
|Republican
|-style="background-color:#F48882;
|Coroner
|Kelly Rowland
|Republican
|}
The composition of the Quorum Court following the 2024 elections is 11 Republicans.. Justices of the Peace (members) of the Quorum Court following the elections are:<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Quorum Court {{!}} Miller County |url=https://millercountyar.com/quorum-court/ |access-date=2025-04-28 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Miller County, Arkansas, elections, 2024 |url=https://ballotpedia.org/Miller_County,_Arkansas,_elections,_2024 |access-date=2025-04-28 |website=Ballotpedia |language=en}}</ref>

* District 1: Judy Wilson (R) of Texarkana
* District 2: John Adger Smith (R) of Texarkana
* District 3: Ethan Eppinete (R) of Texarkana
* District 4: Carl Standridge (R) of Texarkana
* District 5: Ernest Keck (R) of Texarkana
* District 6: Ernest Pender (R) of Texarkana
* District 7: Larry East (R) of Texarkana
* District 8: Charles Robbie Hines (R) of Texarkana
* District 9: Howdy Smith (R) of Texarkana
* District 10: Jimmy Cowart (R) of Fouke
* District 11: Rodney Watkins (R) of Fouke

Additionally, the townships of Miller 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=2025-04-28 |website=What is a Constable? |language=en}}</ref> The township constables as of the 2024 elections are:<ref name=":1" />

* District 1: Jerry Shipp (R)
* District 2: Jamie Finley (R)
* District 3: Rebecca Potter (R)
* District 4: Art Parris (R)
* District 5: Jeff Prichett (R)
* District 6: Glen Gross (R)
* District 7: Tabitha Smith (R)
* District 8: Cliff Harvin (R)
* District 9: Leonard McDowell (R)
* District 10: William Cornett (R)
* District 11: Faron Gladden (R)

===Politics===
Since the mid-20th century, Miller County has transitioned from reliably [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] to steady [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] in national, state and local elections. Miller County was part of the [[Solid South]], a period of Democratic hegemony which began after [[Reconstruction Era|Reconstruction]] following the [[American Civil War|Civil War]]. This resulted essentially in a [[one-party system]], in which a candidate's victory in Democratic primary elections was [[tantamount to election]] to the office itself. The Solid South [[Southern Democrats#Losing the South|started to dissolve]] following the [[Civil Rights Act of 1964|Civil Rights Act in 1964]], which is when Miller County's streak of supporting Democratic candidates ended. The county would support every Republican presidential candidate after 1964, with exceptions for fellow Southerners: [[Alabama]] [[List of Governors of Alabama|Governor]] [[George Wallace]] in [[1968 United States presidential election|1968]], [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]] [[List of Governors of Georgia|Governor]] [[Jimmy Carter]] in [[1976 United States presidential election|1976]], and fellow Arkansan [[Bill Clinton]] in [[1992 United States presidential election|1992]] and [[1996 United States presidential election|1996]]. Republican strength has been growing rapidly in Miller County, supporting [[George W. Bush|George Bush]] with 53 and 58 percent of the vote, supporting [[Barack Obama]]’s opponents with 66 and 69 percent of the vote, and supporting [[Donald Trump]] with 70.2 and 72.1 percent of the vote.<ref name="pol" >{{cite web |first= David |last= Leip |title= Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections |url= http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/ |access-date= December 5, 2016 }}</ref>

{{PresHead|place=Miller 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=February 20, 2021}}</ref>}}
<!-- PresRow should be {{PresRow|Year|Winning party|GOP vote #|Dem vote #|3rd party vote #|State}} -->
{{PresRow|2024|Republican|11,842|3,769|192|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|2020|Republican|11,920|4,245|364|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|2016|Republican|11,294|4,273|524|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|2012|Republican|10,622|4,518|189|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|2008|Republican|9,913|4,869|281|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|2004|Republican|8,448|6,139|91|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|2000|Republican|7,276|6,278|191|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1996|Democratic|4,874|6,469|1,163|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1992|Democratic|5,273|7,050|2,300|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1988|Republican|7,110|5,437|82|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1984|Republican|8,302|4,686|100|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1980|Republican|6,770|5,996|155|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1976|Democratic|4,679|6,648|22|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1972|Republican|8,355|2,855|0|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1968|American Independent|2,662|2,929|5,062|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1964|Democratic|4,253|5,190|49|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1960|Democratic|3,113|4,550|454|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1956|Democratic|4,307|5,402|278|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1952|Democratic|3,137|5,337|35|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1948|Democratic|488|2,850|1,241|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1944|Democratic|972|2,873|6|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1940|Democratic|563|3,019|17|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1936|Democratic|323|2,689|9|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1932|Democratic|322|3,876|35|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1928|Democratic|1,150|1,752|9|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1924|Democratic|397|1,460|440|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1920|Democratic|836|1,545|85|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1916|Democratic|402|1,418|0|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1912|Democratic|331|846|301|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1908|Democratic|722|1,035|85|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1904|Democratic|666|763|47|Arkansas}}
{{PresRow|1900|Democratic|759|855|55|Arkansas}}
{{PresFoot|1896|Democratic|565|1,073|11|Arkansas}}

In [[United States Congress|Congress]], Arkansas has been represented by two Republican senators ([[John Boozman]] and [[Tom Cotton]]) since January 3, 2015, ending a long history of Democratic hegemony. In the [[United States House of Representatives|House of Representatives]], Miller County is within the [[Arkansas's 4th congressional district|Arkansas 4th district]], which contains [[Southwest Arkansas]], the [[Arkansas River Valley]], and a few [[Ozark]] counties. The Arkansas 4th has been represented by [[Bruce Westerman]] since [[United States House of Representatives elections in Arkansas, 2014#District 4|2014]].

In the [[Arkansas Senate]], Miller County is within the 11th District. The district also contains Little River and Lafayette counties, and parts of [[Hempstead County, Arkansas|Hempstead]] and [[Sevier County, Arkansas|Sevier]] counties. The 11th has been represented by [[Jimmy Hickey Jr.]] (R) of Texarkana since 2013. In the [[Arkansas House of Representatives]], Miller County contains two Districts. The 1st District is almost [[coterminal]] with Texarkana, with the rest of the county within the 2nd District. The 2nd District also covers most of Lafayette County and parts of [[Columbia County, Arkansas|Columbia County]], including [[Magnolia, Arkansas|Magnolia]]. The Texarkana district has been represented by [[Carol Dalby]] (R) since 2016, with the 2nd District represented by [[Lane Jean]] (R) since 2012.<ref>{{ cite map |author= [[Arkansas Economic Development Institute]] |title= Arkansas District Finder |publisher= [[University of Arkansas at Little Rock]] |location= Little Rock |scale= Various |url=https://argis.ualr.edu/DistrictFinder/index.html |access-date= February 23, 2019 }}</ref>

Miller County has produced some successful politicians, including three longtime members of the U.S. House of Representatives: [[Mike Ross (politician)|Mike Ross]] represented the Arkansas 4th from 2001 to 2013, [[Walter E. Rogers]] represented the [[Texas's 18th congressional district|Texas's 18th]] from 1951 to 1967, and [[Max Sandlin]] represented the [[Texas's 1st congressional district|Texas 1st]] from 1997 to 2005. [[William F. Kirby]] served as [[Arkansas Attorney General]] from 1907 to 1909, [[Arkansas Supreme Court]] Associate Justice from 1910 to 1916 and 1926 to 1934, and represented Arkansas in the [[List of United States Senators from Arkansas|U.S. Senate]] from 1916 to 1921.

===Taxation===
{{See also|Taxation in the United States}}
[[Property tax]] is assessed by the Miller 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 Randolph County Collector between the first business day of March of each year through October 15 without penalty. The Miller 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.

Due to Miller County's proximity to Texas, which has no state personal [[income tax]], special taxation exemptions apply to residents with permanent addresses within the city limits of Texarkana. The [[Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration]] (DFA) requires taxpayers to submit the ''Texarkana Employee's Withholding Exemption Certificate'' with their Arkansas tax return.<ref>{{cite web |title= Texarkana Employee's Withholding Exemption Certificate |url= https://www.dfa.arkansas.gov/images/uploads/incomeTaxOffice/AR4EC(TX).pdf |publisher= Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration |location= Little Rock |access-date= January 4, 2018 }}</ref> Taxpayers are exempt from Arkansas income tax, and residents of Texarkana, Texas are exempt from Arkansas income tax from any income earned within the city limits of Texarkana, Arkansas.<ref>{{cite web |title= Texarkana Withholding Exemption Rules |publisher= Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration |location= Little Rock |url= https://www.dfa.arkansas.gov/images/uploads/incomeTaxOffice/texarkana%20exemption%20letter.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180105011954/https://www.dfa.arkansas.gov/images/uploads/incomeTaxOffice/texarkana%20exemption%20letter.pdf |archive-date=January 5, 2018 |url-status=live |access-date= January 4, 2018 }}</ref>

Sales and use taxes in Arkansas are voter approved and collected by the DFA.
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 19, 2016 }}</ref> Miller County has an additional sales and use tax of 1.25%, which has been in effect since October 1, 2012. Within Miller County, the City of Texarkana has an additional 2.5% sales and use tax since January 1, 2008, and the towns of Fouke and Garland having an additional 1.0% sales and use tax, each since the early 1980s<ref>{{cite web |title= List of Cities and Counties with Local Sales and Use Tax |date= October–December 2016 |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= January 4, 2018 }}</ref> The [[Arkansas State Treasurer]] disburses tax revenue to counties/cities in accordance with tax rules.