mf
FAYETTEVILLE -- Washington County's unfilled animal control position will be taken by a civilian after a Thursday vote by the Quorum Court.
The 14 justices of the peace present were unanimous in their support of the proposal, which converts one of two animal control officers to a civilian instead of a Sheriff's Office deputy. Eva Madison of Fayetteville, who opposed the plan in recent weeks, didn't attend the monthly meeting.
Animal control handles vicious animal complaints, strays and animal cruelty investigations.
Sheriff Tim Helder said the change would make it easier to fill the second position, which has sat empty for months. Deputies often have more traditional law enforcement careers in mind and are reluctant to work in animal control for more than a couple of years.
In previous committee meetings, Madison said the move signaled a troubling drop in the county's animal control abilities. The new civilian won't have arrest powers, she noted, but could be involved in animal cruelty cases, which are felonies.
Other justices of the peace said local towns have assigned civilians to the job without problems.
"I feel like it'll solve some of the turnover problem in that position," said Butch Pond, whose district stretches from Goshen south.
Much of the rest of the meeting focused on roads and transportation.
Ozark Regional Transit has run a new line from West Fork through Greenland to the metro area since June 2, spokesman Jeff Hatley told the court. About 160 passengers so far have ridden it, a number Hatley called "very promising."
"These are all brand-new riders -- they're just figuring it out," he said. Ridership is up on all routes, he added.
The system is run with local and federal money.
Work also continues on repairing several bridges throughout the county, a centerpiece of County Judge Marilyn Edwards' term. Crews are still surveying Woolsey Bridge, a crossing near West Fork that's almost 90 years old, Edwards said. Survey and design work are complete, meanwhile, on the Stonewall Bridge just west of Prairie Grove.
"We're getting there," Edwards said.
Finally, the court voted to let the Road Department seek a $13,800 grant from the Boston Mountain Solid Waste District for a clean-burning oil furnace.
NW News on 07/18/2014