Committee Tables Police Changes

— Internal budget revisions took the place of a possible partnership with Benton County during a Little Flock Police Committee meeting Tuesday night.

At A Glance

Rogers City Council

What Passed:

-Authorizing a $20,000 contract with Region Insurance for brokerage fees.

-Appropriating $155,703 from the general fund reserves for additional compensation for city employees. Each employee, part-time and full-time, will get a $300 Christmas bonus before taxes.

-Appropriating $7,000 for repairs to the Rogers Activity Center.

-Authorizing a $194,884 contract for signal improvement at Rife Medical Lane and Promenade Boulevard. Mercy Hospital will pay $64,961 and the city will pay $129,922.

-Authorizing a $6,000 contract with Dr. Brad Johnson for services as medical director for the Rogers Fire Department.

-Adopting portions of the 2011 Arkansas Energy Code.

-Accepting the final plat of Pinnacle Heights.

-Accepting the final plat of Avignon Court Townhomes.

Source: Staff Report

Mayor Buddy Blue had hoped to discuss a cost-saving interlocal arrangement with the Benton County Sheriff’s Office during the meeting. Discussion is premature, Blue said because of the transition between sheriff administrations and because the budget has already been set for 2013.

The committee tabled any discussion on the idea after a short meeting.

“We don’t have enough facts to talk about a fact-finding mission,” said Jackie Chesnutt, police committee chairman.

The city’s general fund for 2013 is forecast at $778,485 and the police portion of that budget is $414,355, according to city officials. Road money is dedicated to road projects and the fire department is partially supported by fire dues.

The city must make changes, committee members said. City expenses are increasing, partially because of an increase in ambulance service charges from the city of Rogers. The contracted ambulance services have a phased-in increase. Fees will go from $17,281 in 2012 to $26,844 in 2013 and $53,687 in 2014.

“If nobody gets sick we still pay,” Chesnutt said.

“If we don’t pay we don’t have ambulance service,” Blue said.

For the next year Blue said he would work on budget revisions with Police Chief Jesse Martinez.

“We’re going to look real hard so 2014 looks better,” Blue said.

If they can’t find the cuts they need the two would talk with the county what kind of partnerships are available and bring back a recommendation to the committee, Blue said.

Call volume is going up, Martinez said. To date Little Flock police have had 829 calls that resulted in a written report or a warrant served, Martinez said Tuesday. In 2011 they had a total of 739 incidents. The Police Department is staffed by six full-time officers and seven part-time officers.

A hometown police department the best option, he said.

“We know that the citizens come first,” Martinez told the committee.

Bella Vista

Benton County worked with local departments before. Prior to its 2007 incorporation Bella Vista police were actually a division of the Benton County Sheriff’s Office, said Ken Farmer, Bella Vista Police Chief.

Technically officers were guards from the property owners association deputized by the sheriff’s department. The department was funded by the property owner’s association. Citation money went into the county general fund. Some cars were purchased for the Bella Vista officers, but they were returned when the department was formed, Farmer said.

“I don’t know that we ever had any kind of formal agreement with the sheriff,” he said.

Tontitown

An interlocal agreement between Tontitown and the Washington County Sheriff’s Office will end next year.

An increase in manpower and operating costs since 2005, led Sheriff Tim Helder to propose ending the agreement, according to news reports. The agreement provided six full-time deputies as a police force for the city. In 2012 the city had a $376,592 budget for police protection. The Washington County Quorum Court dissolved the agreement in September.

Representatives from Tontitown and the Washington County Sheriff’s Department did not return calls seeking comment before press time.

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