Pulaski County Judge Barry Hyde called for the immediate resignation of County Treasurer Debra Buckner at a news conference on Friday over concerns she brought up about the county’s budget earlier this month.
Buckner, an elected official, sent an email to county officials and others in early April that stated the county’s general fund was in poor financial standing. In the email, she said the treasurer’s office may not be able to make payroll for county employees unless action was taken. This prompted an emergency meeting on April 6 where the county quorum court allocated over $40 million in funds from the county emergency fund to the county general fund.
“The funds were there for payroll. Her actions were inappropriate and irresponsible. Our employees depend on a timely and reliable pay, and elected officials have a duty to protect them not create unnecessary fear and uncertainty. ” Hyde said, during a news conference on Friday.
“Public trust is not optional in these roles. It is essential, and it must be earned and maintained through competence, responsibility and sound judgement. In this case, that standard has not been met.”
Buckner called the call for her to resign “laughable.”
“They have admitted to computer errors. They have admitted what they did when it comes to carryover expenses and not accounting for the money. They have admitted when we sat down with them that everything we showed them was accurate. Interesting, now, that there’s no responsibility being taken by the chief financial officer (Hyde) and the county comptroller (Michael “Hutch” Hutchens),” said Buckner.
“We are eager for a forensic audit, legislative audit or any audit,” Buckner said.
The general fund, a pot of money that is used to cover county costs that do not have other dedicated funds, including expenses for the Pulaski County sheriff’s office, was at negative $9.3 million at the end of March. At the end of 2025, the fund was more than $5 million dollars in the negative.
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Amir Mahmoud
Amir Mahmoud is a general assignment and transportation beat reporter at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. He has worked at the newspaper since 2022, starting as a copy editor and designer before becoming a full-time reporter in March 2024. The Little Rock native attended the University of Miami, where he worked for its student newspaper, The Miami Hurricane.
