BENTONVILLE -- Benton County's justices of the peace deferred a decision Tuesday on appointing a new county assessor to serve out the remainder of the term of Glenn "Bear" Chaney, who has resigned to take a job with the state.
The County's Committee of the Whole discussed how to review the list of candidates for the position brought to Tuesday's committee meeting by Shirley Sandlin, justice of the peace for District 8. Sandlin, who served as county assessor for more than 20 years, was asked by the rest of the Quorum Court to review applications and make a recommendation.
Other business
Benton County’s Committee of the Whole on Tuesday recommended:
Reappointment of Michael Caudill to the county’s 911 administrative board.
Spending $70,000 that was budgeted but not spent in 2014 to complete work on the county jail security system.
Spending $200,000 for removal of microbial growth from the sheriff’s office building.
Spending $5,000 in county matching funds for the Benton County Conservation District.
Spending $4,500 in grant money for the county’s adult drug court.
Transferring $1.3 million in unspent funds from the county’s 2014 budget to the 2015 budget.
Transferring $74,029 within the sheriff’s office budget to cover expenses from 2014.
Transferring $2 million from the county’s general fund to the capital projects fund.
Source: Staff report
Two of the candidates for the position -- Linda Hambrick and Mary Lou Slinkard -- were at Tuesday's meeting and several justices of the peace said they wanted to be sure all of the interested applicants were aware they could speak to the Quorum Court. Sandlin said she would contact the other candidates and extend an invitation to attend the March 19 meeting when the justices of the peace will make their decision.
Hambrick has worked in the assessor's office for more than 25 years and is Chaney's administrative assistant. Sandlin said she and Chaney both agreed Hambrick was the best choice to serve the rest of his term.
Hambrick, who has worked in all areas of the office, said she has worked closely with Chaney to formulate the policies and programs he has begun and will follow through with them if chosen to serve as assessor.
Slinkard, who served as county clerk for 28 years and who just completed three terms in the state House of Representatives, said she still has a desire to serve the county. Slinkard said, if selected, she would serve as a leader and guide to the employees of the office and work to educate the public about the property assessment process.
Chaney announced last week he was resigning to accept an appointment from Gov. Asa Hutchinson to serve as director of the Assessment Coordination Department in Little Rock. The department works with the 75 county assessors to help them follow the assessment guidelines adopted by the state. Tuesday was Chaney's last day as Benton County's assessor.
State law requires quorum courts fill vacancies in county offices. The committee forwarded to the Quorum Court the resolution declaring a vacancy in the office of county assessor, the first step in the process of appointing someone to replace Chaney. A resolution naming Chaney's replacement also will be sent on to the Quorum Court. The person named to serve the rest of Chaney's term will not be eligible to run for that office in the next election.
The justices of the peace also heard from Bentonville District Judge Ray Bunch about problems his court is experiencing because of the crowded conditions at the county jail. Bunch said his court can no longer sentence misdemeanor offenders to jail time. Bunch said misdemeanor offenders are turned away from the jail after being given a court date.
"They are all released on citation, regardless of the bond amount," he said. "A lot of times they are leaving before the police officer leaves."
Bunch asked the justices of the peace to look for ways to provide space for misdemeanor offenders, pointing out that the county had a space dedicated to misdemeanor offenders and work-release inmates several years ago but that space was turned to other uses. He said the situation at the jail has become common knowledge among defendants in his courtroom, leaving him with no deterrent.
"Sending someone to jail just doesn't mean anything today," he said.
NW News on 03/11/2015