Twenty-five individuals have been named to the new Arkansas Levee Task Force. Earlier today, Gov. Asa Hutchison released the names of the officials who will serve on the task force.
Composed of state and local leaders, as well as members of the legislature, the task force will be charged with studying the conditions and preparedness of the state’s levees.
Hutchinson created the task force by executive order. The order, Executive Order 19-10, created an “investigative and advisory body of the Governor.”
Under the terms of the executive order, the task force will “study and analyze” the levee system, as well as determine requirements for funding the “construction, repair and maintenance” of the levee system. The task force will also examine the monitoring and reporting systems for levee maintenance and evaluate current laws regarding the levees.
The task force must also submit a report to the governor by December 31, 2019. The report is expected to be centered around its findings and recommendations for “improved monitoring and maintenance.”
According to the governor’s proclamation, the task force will be composed of the Arkansas Commissioner of State Lands; the Secretary of the Department of Public Safety; the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture; the Director of the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission; the Director of the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management; the State Geographic Information Coordinator; the Director of the Arkansas Waterways Commission; one county judge; one county clerk; one municipal elected official; :additional citizens, as the Governor deems necessary, with knowledge of the engineering, construction, funding or oversight of levees; and “additional citizens, as the Governor deems necessary, to represent flood-impacted areas of Arkansas.”
The following individuals have been selected to the Arkansas Levee Task Force:
- Jami Cook – Chair
Secretary, Department of Public Safety
- Tommy Land
Arkansas Land Commissioner
- Wes Ward
Secretary, Department of Agriculture
- Larry Walther
Secretary, Department of Finance and Administration
- Bruce Holland
Director, Arkansas Natural Resources Commission
- A.J. Gary
Director, Arkansas Department of Emergency Management
- Deidre Smith
Director, Arkansas Waterways Commission
- Shelby Johnson
Director, Geographic Information Office
- Senator Jason Rapert
Senate Appointment
- Senator Gary Stubblefield
Senate Appointment
- Representative Mary Bentley
House Appointment
- Representative David Hillman
House Appointment
- County Judge Mark Thone
Yell County
- County Judge Jeff Phillips
Jackson County
- County Judge Mack Ball
Chicot County
- County Clerk Pam Ennis
Pope County
- Mayor Jimmy Witt
Dardanelle – Yell County
- Mayor Shirley Washington
Pine Bluff – Jefferson County
- Rob Rash
St. Francis Levee Board
- Mike Lowe
Representing Miller County
- Tim Ralston
Representing Pope and Conway Counties
- Marty Shell
Representing Sebastian and Crawford Counties
- Evan Teague
Engineer, Farm Bureau
- Tommy Bond
Engineer, Pulaski County
- Hal Kemp
Attorney, Pulaski County
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