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include a letter of support from the county judge or the Quorum Court, as required by rules governing the process.

On June 27, the commission voted unanimously to award the Pope County casino license to CNE after scoring its application 651 points out of a possible 700.

“This unfortunate round of litigation from a rejected operator only stands to further delay the economic benefits and jobs associated with the state’s fourth casino license approved by voters in 2018,” said Bart Calhoun, legal counsel for Cherokee Nation Entertainment, in an email Thursday. “We will continue to evaluate and defend Cherokee Nation Entertainment’s position as the casino license holder and as Pope County’s operator of choice.”

“I would like to say I’m surprised, but in all reality this litigation was fully anticipated,” Pope County Judge Ben Cross said in an email Thursday. “The plaintiff’s assertion in this filing that I, or members of the quorum court, were somehow coerced into exclusively supporting Cherokee Nation Entertainment, is not only factually false, it is a fundamentally flawed allegation in respect to how Amendment 100 afforded local control.

“I have always stated the local support provision of Amendment 100 is designed to allow Pope County to have a say in who we are partnered with for decades to come. The plaintiff’s complaint implies that every potential casino operator who came to town should have received a letter or resolution of support, thereby relinquishing our right of local control to a state commission governing body,… none of whom reside in Pope County.

“I am confident that while this case will undoubtedly have to traverse all the way through to the appellate process, we will successfully overcome this frivolous attempt to thwart Pope County’s economic realization and job creation opportunities.”

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Arkansas ends fiscal year with $698 million surplus

LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas has ended its fiscal year with a $698.4 million surplus.

The Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration said the state's net available revenue for the fiscal year that ended on Sunday totaled $6.9 billion. The state's individual income-tax collections came in below the previous year's numbers and above forecast, while corporate income-tax collections were below last year and below forecast.

Sales-tax collections came in above last year's numbers but below forecast.

Arkansas has reported its four highest surpluses over the past four years. The state last year reported a $1.1 billion surplus, its second highest ever, and its highest surplus, $1.6 billion, in 2022.

The surplus figures come weeks after Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed legislation cutting income and property taxes in a special session.

The cuts are the third time the Republican governor has signed income-tax cuts into law since taking office last year.

Lawmakers have cited the state's surpluses in the push for further tax cuts in recent years, while advocacy groups have urged the Legislature to put money toward other needs.

Under the latest tax-cut measure, $290 million of the state's surplus will be set aside for the state's reserves in case of an economic downturn. Department of Finance and Administration Secretary Jim Hudson said that will bring the state's reserves to nearly $3 billion.