What is a County Collector?

by Kristin Higgins - February 17, 2026

There are a lot of jobs on the ballot that people might not know what they do. Today we highlight the job of a county tax collector.

County Collector in Arkansas

This tax-collecting role might appear on your ballot under the “Collector” heading.

Depending on your county, the collector role might be combined with the sheriff or treasurer position. The county collector is one of nine executives in county government established by the Arkansas Constitution.

Term in Office: A constitutional amendment approved by voters in 2016 changed the term of a county collector from two years to four years. The pay for the job varies depending on the population of the county, and is set by the Quorum Court.

The Association of Arkansas Counties reported salaries ranging from about $21,040 to $150,884 in their 2024 county government salary survey. Counties that reported a low salary were for part-time positions where the person is also paid for another role in county government.

Eligibility Requirements:

  • United States citizen
  • At least 18 years old
  • Registered to vote in their county
  • No fraud or felony convictions

Job Duties:

Over their four-year term, a county tax collector is responsible for:

  • Sending out tax bills to all property owners in the county
  • Collecting tax payments owed to county, city, school, improvement districts
  • Turning over the tax payments to the county treasurer every month
  • Preparing a list every year of people who haven’t paid their taxes to publish in the newspaper
  • In counties where there is a combined sheriff-collector position, the office also collects court fines

Additional Reading

Arkansas County Collectors 2022 Procedures Manual - Association of Arkansas Counties

Sign Up for "Introduction to County Government in Arkansas" Course

Want to know more about how county government operates in Arkansas? Sign up at https://learn.uada.edu/ for a free account to register for our new County Government in Arkansas course to learn about the roles and responsibilities of county offices and how local government is funded.