(A) Purpose. The purpose of this section is to establish the Jackson County Beaver Eradication Program to control the beaver population in the county. The control of the beaver population is necessary to prevent flooding of dammed up creeks, ditches and other waterways, which, in turn, causes thousands of dollars in damage annually to the county's road, bridges and drainage system. The Beaver Eradication Program is necessary to qualify for reimbursements from the state.
(B) Background.
(1) The county has always had problems with beavers building dams in creeks and spillways causing flooding. This problem in the past has generally confined to the bottom lands of the county where the area is sparsely populated and used mainly for agriculture purposes. However, in recent years, the beaver population has spread to other parts of the county.
(2) The damage caused by beavers includes stopping up tiles, building dams against the piling of bridges along with building dams in the creek channels and major drainage ditches. This work by the beavers causes severe flooding in the areas surrounding the dammed up areas. In addition, the backed up waters often flood roadways and side ditches which soften the roadbed. The pressure and weight created by flood waters backed up against the bridge pilings causes the bridge structure to be weakened. This damage deteriorated the quality and safety of the county's road systems and increases dramatically the county's road budget in maintaining these damaged areas. In addition, the dammed up waters contribute to the mosquito and other disease problems.
(3) The county is not the only sector affected by this problem. The private sector has seen many of the same problems that affect the county. The beavers have caused spillways on farmlands to be plugged, thereby causing flooding in farm fields and the destruction of the farm crop. Spillways on farm ponds have been dammed up also, causing the ponds to overflow the levees which, in turn, causes the pond levees to weaken and sometimes break.
(C) State reimbursement.
(1) Act 630 was enacted by the Arkansas 79th General Assembly, Regular Session, 1993 and became effective on July 1, 1993. The Act is entitled “An Act to Make an Appropriation for Reimbursements to Counties Which Have an Established Beaver Eradication Program for the Department of Finance and Administration - Disbursing Officer for the Biennial Period Ending June 30, 1995; and For Other Purposes."
(2) Act 630 provides that up to $150,000 may be appropriated by the Department of Finance and Administration for each fiscal year of the biennial period ending June 30, 1995.
(3) The Act provides that “each county which establishes a County Beaver Eradication Program shall be eligible to receive state reimbursements from monies appropriated in Section 1 of this Act, up to five dollars ($5.00) per beaver carcass.”
(D) Program.
(1) It is hereby established by the Quorum Court, the Beaver Eradication Program, and administered by the Jackson County Conservation District beginning July 1, 1994.
(2) The County Judge is authorized by the Quorum Court to establish the procedures by which beaver carcasses or parts thereof necessary to receive state reimbursements are delivered to the county. Such procedures will also include a set time or times and place or places that hunters and trappers can turn the beavers into the county. The Judge will also institute accounting procedures to keep track of the beavers turned in, the issuance of receipts and the method by which individuals will be reimbursed for the beavers that are turned in.
(3) The County Treasurer is hereby authorized to pay to the Soil Conservation District all sums paid to the county by the state pursuant to Act 630 and this section. The Treasurers authorization is continuing and shall not require further orders of this count.
(4) The amount that the county will pay individuals for the beavers under the Eradication Program will be set by the Quorum Court by resolution at any regular meeting. The Quorum Court may change the reimbursement as necessary depending on the response to the program and the funds available from the county and the amount that will be available from the state and other sources as reimbursement.
(5) The Quorum Court may limit the amount paid per beaver to the amount that the state and other sources will reimburse the county. Such reimbursement is expected to be $5 per beaver. However, if the amount is less than $5 or even zero reimbursement, the Quorum Court can choose that amount. The Quorum Court may elect to pay an additional amount for the beaver pelts beyond the state reimbursement amount, with such funds being paid out of county funds, or funds from other sources.
(E) Program contingency.
(1) The active operation of the Beaver Eradication Program will be contingent upon the appropriation of funding by the state and the availability of reimbursements to the county. Therefore, if state money is not appropriated for this project, the county will not have to pay for any beavers, unless the Quorum Court elects otherwise.
(2) If funds are appropriated for this project by the state, the Beaver Eradication Program will commence operating. Once any appropriated state reimbursement funds are exhausted, the Quorum Court may suspend its Beaver Eradication Program until such time that additional state funding is available.
(3) In the event that the state program is not funded, the Beaver Eradication Program will remain in place and inactive until such times monies are available from the state. When funds are available for the county, this will be placed into active operation until the funds are exhausted.
(Ord. 1994-4, passed 6-13-94)