§ 19-5-602 — County Aid Fund

(a) There is established on the books of the Treasurer of State, the Auditor of State, and the Chief Fiscal Officer of the State a fund to be known as the "County Aid Fund". (b) The County Aid Fund shall consist of: (1) The general revenues as may be provided by the Revenue Stabilization Law, § 19-5-101 et seq., to the County Aid Fund; (2) Such special revenues derived from highway user imposts, known as highway revenues, as may be provided by the Arkansas Highway Revenue Distribution Law, § 27-70-201 et seq.; (3) Those special revenues as set out in § 19-6-301(74) and (117) and thirty-four percent (34%) of those special revenues as specified in § 19-6-301(20) of the Revenue Classification Law, § 19-6-101 et seq.; and (4) Twenty-five percent (25%) of all severance taxes other than those imposed upon saw timber and timber products as set out in § 19-6-301(18) of the Revenue Classification Law, § 19-6-101 et seq. (c) All of the general revenues and special revenues shall be distributed within ten (10) days after the close of each calendar month to the respective counties as follows: (1) (A) The general revenues made available to the County Aid Fund by the Revenue Stabilization Law, § 19-5-101 et seq., shall be distributed with seventy-five percent (75%) divided equally among the seventy-five (75) counties of this state and twenty-five percent (25%) distributed on the basis of population according to the most recent federal decennial or special census, with each county to receive the proportion that its population bears to the total population of the state. (B) The moneys so received by the county treasurer shall be credited to the county general fund to be used for general county purposes, unless otherwise appropriated by the quorum court; (2) The special revenues distributed to the respective counties shall be distributed as may be authorized by law; (3) All moneys received by the respective counties under this section shall be revenues of the year in which received by them and shall not be revenues of the year in which such moneys were collected and paid into the State Treasury; and (4) (A) In the event the Workers' Compensation Commission has paid claims from the Miscellaneous Revolving Fund on account of any county employee covered under workers' compensation, this amount is to be deducted from county general revenue turnback funds as provided by §§ 14-26-103 and 14-60-103 . (B) Such moneys so deducted are to be transferred to the Miscellaneous Revolving Fund, there to be used as provided by law. (d) (1) It shall be unlawful for the Treasurer of State to distribute any general revenues to any county in this state or any special revenues to any county in this state that has expended funds belonging to such county for the payments of annual membership dues to, or for the purchase of services rendered by, the Association of Arkansas Counties or to any other league or association of counties in this state unless the books, affairs, and records of such Association of Arkansas Counties or other league or association of counties in this state receiving moneys from the counties has been audited by Arkansas Legislative Audit or consent for such audit by Arkansas Legislative Audit has been given by such league or association. (2) Arkansas Legislative Audit may audit the books of the Association of Arkansas Counties or any other league or association of counties in this state upon request of the Association of Arkansas Counties or other league or association of counties by the appropriate official of the league or association. (e) Any appropriation provided by the General Assembly for aid to counties may be supplemented, if necessary, by a transfer from an appropriation provided for unanticipated special revenues.

Legislative History

Amended by Act 2023, No. 62,§ 10, eff. 7/1/2023. Acts 1973, No. 750, § 7; 1985, No. 888, § 4; A.S.A. 1947, § 13-523; Acts 1989, No. 629, § 8; 1991, No. 1135, § 6; 1995, No. 1163, § 15; 1997, No. 1248, § 12; 1999, No. 891, § 1; 2005, No. 2282, § 6; 2005, No. 2316, § 6. Act 2023, No. 62purported to amend § 19-5602 and the amendment has been made to this section to reflect the apparent intent of the legislature.