TEXARKANA — Miller County can’t pay $1.5 million for repairs to upgrade the county jail, and the Quorum Court discussed Monday night whether to ask voters to refinance bonds used to construct and operate the jail.
“We’ve been kidding ourselves. The county can’t spend $1.5 million to repair the jail. It’s not happening,” said Finance Committee Chairman Ernest Pender, justice of the peace for District 6.
The original bond was $8.6 million, and voters approved a 0.25 percent sales tax Nov.15, 2001, to build and operate the jail. The payoff was scheduled for November 2026.
Pender said the county is ahead on paying off the debt,now scheduled for payoff in 2014. But Miller County Clerk Ann Nicholas said the county would have to refinance the bond with two ballot issues - funding and operation.
“I don’t mean to beat a dead horse, but I think if we hired a company to operate the jail and make the repairs, it would have been paid off in three years. But it became a political issue and now it’s a dead issue,” Pender said.
Prisoners have extensively damaged the jail, but Sheriff Ron Stovall has been working on the problem in the year since he took office.
After the discussion, actionwas put off for further review of the costs and for consideration of whether a special election should be held.
In other business, the Quorum Court approved the 2010 budget with anticipated revenue of $5.4 million.
The justices of the peace approved a retention incentive for full- and part-time employees instead of a pay raise.
The Quorum Court approved a $500 payment for each full-time county employee and a $100 payment for each part-time county employee. Justices of the Peace will also get the $100 incentive pay.
Front Section, Pages 10 on 12/23/2009