There was an editorial opinion titled “How we see it” in the paper dated Sunday, Nov. 17, concerning Benton County Sherift Kelley Cradduck and the Quorum Court dealing with the department’s overtime expense being $300,000 over budget. I have a difterent viewpoint. I personally attended both the initial meeting when the issue of a $300,000 over-budget expense became apparent to the Finance Committee and the Finance Committee meeting when Sherift Cradduck presented his case. I have contacted the newspaper and have spoken with the editor on three dift erent occasions asking if the article would be amended/rescinded and the editor as of this date has not made a decision, so I decided to express my thoughts/observations.

In the initial Finance Committee meeting, I was as shocked as Chairman Tom Allen and the other members of the Finance Committee to learn that the sherift ’s offce had spent $300,000 more than budgeted.

The committee was also shocked to learn about this so late in the year.

Upon further discussion, however, County Comptroller Sara Daniels stated that maybe she had not made the point clear in previous meetings that the sherift’s overtime expense was over budget. Even Chairman Allen stated that maybe he had not paid enough attention, also.

The comptroller stated the overtime had been reported on every monthly finance report. The Finance Committee that evening made the request for Sherift Cradduck to come to the Quorum Court to present informationregarding the overtime expense.

When Sherift Cradduck made his presentation, he may have been a little more forceful than necessary.

Regardless, he made a very impressive case supporting why the overtime was over budget. I am a very fi scal conservative citizen of Benton County. I was completely satisfi ed with how the money was spent and, in my opinion, so was the Quorum Court. If one were to completely analyze the overtime, a major portion will be reimbursed by the state and or the U.S. governments, so the amount over budget really is considerably less that the $300,000 reported.

Then when one considered the number of arrests, drug busts, on going investigations, etc., one would have to conclude the sherift ’s off ce is doing an outstanding job ofprotecting the citizens of the county and is spending the county’s money wisely.

The sherift did not object to coming before the Quorum Court. He was upset he heard about being requested to appear in the paper instead of a phone call. The sherift said he would gladly come anytime the Quorum Court would like his presence. In fact, the sherift, in my opinion, liked coming to the Quorum Court so he could report the outstanding job his department is doing for the county. One of the most telling comments was when Sherift Cradduck stated “I challenged my offcers at the beginning of the year regarding what the Department could accomplish, and I am happy to report that they have exceeded my expectations.”

MIKE CLIFFORD

Bentonville

Opinion, Pages 5 on 12/20/2013