Bill to separate sheriff and tax collector heads to governor's desk

A bill to separate the sheriff and the tax collector in Poinsett County has been sent to the Governor’s office. On Wednesday, Jan. 29, the bill passed in both the Senate and House chambers.

By: Jake Tester
KAIT

Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed into law Thursday an act separating the sheriff and tax collector offices in Poinsett County.

HB1050 passed the State Senate and House Wednesday before heading to the governor’s office.

The county now becomes the 51st in the state where the two offices are separate.

There are still 25 counties in Arkansas where the sheriff and the tax collector are combined.

“People are moving in the direction of separating those two offices so that the sheriff is not burdened with trying to collect the taxes and can focus on what his job or her job is, and that’s public safety,” said Representative Dwight Tosh, the bill’s lead sponsor.

Poinsett County Sheriff Kevin Molder said the bill would allow for someone who can be entirely focused on being a tax collector.

“Tax collectors have more complex issues to deal with,” Molder said. “Both offices are totally opposite and require different types of training and different types of education.”

Read more here.