Arkansas conservation districts focus of two expected bills

The Arkansas Association of Conservation Districts is seeking to reverse a portion of a law passed last year that changed how members are appointed to county roles.

Debbie Moreland, director of AACD, said the proposed legislation would “clean up” Act 690 of 2023, which lawmakers pitched as a way for residents to have more local control regarding their conservation district leadership.

According to the proposed legislation, which Moreland provided to the Advocate, the power of appointing two conservation district members would return to the state.

Conservation districts are made up of five members who implement practices to protect public lands and promote residents’ health and safety. Members are up for election every three years, and only residents who own land in the county are eligible to vote.

The law changed a decades-long process in which residents had elected three directors of the county’s conservation district and the state Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Commission appointed the remaining two via a local recommendation.

Now, Act 690 gives the impression of a “closed loop,” Moreland said.

Instead of having oversight from the state agency, the 2023 law shifted the power to the district’s three elected directors, she said.

“The way they have it right now, the three [who] are elected appoint the two appointed ones, and the two appointed ones certify the three elected,” Moreland said Thursday during a legislative committee meeting that was held during the annual Arkansas Farm Bureau convention in Hot Springs.

Moreland told the Advocate prior to Thursday’s meeting that there was little communication between lawmakers and AACD about what is now Act 690. While she said the law only created an unintended consequence, Moreland noted it likely would have been addressed had there been an open line of communication.

Under the 2023 law, conservation districts are also responsible for paying all expenses of the election for three of its directors, supervising the election and publishing the results with the Secretary of State.

The proposed legislation would eliminate the supervision role. 

Sen. Blake Johnson, R-Corning, and Rep. DeAnn Vaught, R-Horatio, sponsored the 2023 legislation. Calls to Johnson and Vaught were unanswered Thursday.

Expected funding request

Conservation districts are funded annually with about $2.6 million from the state Department of Agriculture’s budget. More than $1 million of that goes directly toward water quality projects, and the remaining balance is divided among all 75 conservation districts.

It comes out to about $12,000 each, which Moreland said is not enough to “even survive.”

Though not yet drafted, Moreland said she plans to request about $1.4 million in one-time funding that she said will help hire more-experienced employees. Under the expected proposal, each county would also receive an additional $10,000 for their conservation district.

“Our biggest problem is we get people that are really qualified, [and] as soon as they get a better job, they quit,” Moreland said. “Then we have to start all over in the district, and that’s really time consuming. Some of our practices are a little more complicated.”

In addition to the funding the state provides, conservation districts also receive federal funding from the federal National Resource Conservation Service. In 2023, approximately $165 million was distributed among the state’s conservation districts.

The federal funding hinges on having established conservation districts, Moreland said.

What individual conservation districts manage to outsource beyond the state funds varies depending on management and opportunities based on the natural resources in the county. While federal funds are a good source, members may seek other avenues related to their environment.

After Moreland’s presentation Thursday, Agriculture Secretary Wes Ward said he would not comment on any proposed legislation at this phase in the process.

Ward confirmed conservation districts were “pretty solidly funded” in the department’s budget.

“I know that question has come up — that there were rumors that there would be cuts in funding, and we have never seen that,” Ward said. “We’ve worked pretty closely with conservation districts on a broad range of issues. … There’s no effort that we’re aware of to cut their funding.”

The expected legislation regarding conservation districts has not yet been filed.