County Judge's Office

Welcome from County Judge Darryl Mahoney

Garland County, in the heart of the Ouachita Mountains, is a special place to both the residents who make their homes here and also to the thousands of people who choose to visit the many county attractions each year.  Garland County and its county seat, Hot Springs, share a rich and colorful history. Due to the scenic beauty of the area and the 47 natural hot springs along the base of Hot Springs Mountain, President Andrew Jackson in 1832, set aside land for the enjoyment of future generations and designated Hot Springs the first Federal Reservation. This designation made Hot Springs National Park America’s first area nationwide to be set aside for protection by the federal government and the only national park within a city.  Garland County itself was formed in 1873 and named for Augustus H. Garland, Governor of Arkansas, U.S. Senator, and President Grover Cleveland’s Attorney General.  The county and Hot Springs were historically a favorite vacation destination for both the famous and the somewhat infamous.
 Garland County offers many rich and varied assets and attractions for residents and visitors alike.  Our economy is diverse with strong support from tourism, health care, retirement location industries, and manufacturing.  The county’s natural beauty, scenic lakes including Lake Ouachita, the state’s largest manmade lake, and a host of recreational, cultural, and historical activities makes Hot Springs and Garland County a popular destination.
 Whether you are looking for a place to call home or a relaxing, enjoyable vacation area, we invite you to come and see firsthand the attractions that Garland County offers.  This is a wonderful place to live, work, raise families, and play.  Please know that a cordial invitation always awaits you.  As Garland County Judge, I take pride in the uniqueness of the County, its residents, and its many attractions.  Thank you for visiting the Garland County website and please feel free to contact me or my office staff for comments, information, or questions. County Judge wearing dark blue jacket and glasses

Darryl Mahoney
Garland County Judge


Special Projects

GC $54 Million Road Bond (GC Sales & Use Tax Bond 2016)

  • Project approved June 2016 by voters with 5/8 cent sales tax bond for county-wide road improvement projects.
  • Project is broken down in two (2) main areas:
    • MLK Extension of from Jct 70 W to Jct Highway 5 and 7 involves GC $30M cost share with Arkansas Highway Transportation Department
    • Remaining $24M will be used to fund major road infrastructure projects across the county per the “Inter-Local Agreement.”
    • “Inter-Local Agreement” for GC projects includes: Garland County, City of Hot Springs, City of Mountain Pine, City of Fountain Lake and Town of Lonsdale.
  • B&F Engineering, Inc. has been retained (Contract December 14, 2016) as Project Manager to help coordinate all requested efforts on this project.

GC Communications System

  • $5,580,000 Contract March 24, 2017, with Motorola Solutions, Inc.
  • Install new systems for migrating to the statewide interoperable 700-800 MHz AWIN (Arkansas Wireless Information Network) radio system.
  • Involves purchase of two (2) new mountain sites from Weyerhaeuser (Pearcy Mountain and Blowout Mountain)
  • Includes three (3) new towers: 300 feet on Pearcy Mountain; 100 feet on Ouachita Pinnacle Mountain; and 100 feet at our new 911 Call Center.
  • Motorola will make infrastructure upgrades on a total of seven (7) tower sites.
  • All work should be complete and tested by the end of the first quarter of 2018.

GC 911 Emergency Call Center

  • French Architects, PA Contract December 12, 2016.
  • $619,575 Contract February 23, 2017, with Moser Construction, LLC.
  • Convert existing GC Jail for new five (5) workstation “State of the Art” 911 Call Center that can be expanded to ten (10) workstations.
  • AT&T Contract April 10, 2017, to provide the infrastructure for the new 911 Call Center.
  • Completion is expected by YE 2017, and operation by the end of first quarter 2018.

GC Animal Services

  • Help evaluate current sharing services with the City of Hot Springs.
  • Contract July 28, 2017, with Cromwell Architects Engineers for Phase I Schematic Design.
  • GC and CHS are working to continue sharing services.

GC Court House Fire Protection System

  • Contract September 18, 2017 with Taylor/Kempkes, Architects for engineering services.
  • Provide new sprinkler system for Garland County Court House.

Helpful Resources

All road issues, please contact Tony Breshears at 501-767-9174. All Environmental Services issues contact Billy Sawyer 501-622-3658

Helpful Documents

  1. Duties of the County Judge (PDF)