BENTONVILLE -- Benton County's justices of the peace Thursday recommended hiring six jailers to staff a jail expansion project underway.
The Finance Committee endorsed hiring the six this year so they can be hired and trained before the expansion opens in January. Capt. Lynn Hahn told the panel the Sheriff's Office will ask for another six in the 2017 budget as the space being built requires 12 jailers to be fully staffed. The Sheriff's Office said there's money in the 2016 budget to cover the costs for the six being hired this year.
What’s next
Benton County officials will resume discussion of the proposed courts building when the Quorum Court’s Committee of the Whole meets at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the Quorum Courtroom at the County Administration Building, 215 E. Central Ave. in Bentonville.
Source: Staff report
Joel Jones, justice of the peace for District 7, estimated the cost of paying for 12 jailers at $530,000 for a full year.
The committee also endorsed a request to add a mechanic/welder position for the Road Department and a support specialist position for the Information Technology Department and to change a part-time janitor position to a full-time position. All three will be paid for from money in the 2016 budget for the remainder of the year.
The justices of the peace were discussing a proposal to continue gathering information on a new courts building at press time.
Plans for a courts building have a been heavily discussed the past few years. A study in January 2014 identified three sites -- two downtown and one on county land on Southwest 14th Street near the jail and Road Department.
County Judge Bob Clinard favors the Southwest 14th Street location, citing the greater ease of construction in an open space, minimal disruption of courts and other downtown activities during construction plus room for parking and expansion if needed. The Public Safety Committee endorsed a downtown project early in 2015, and the Finance Committee spent some time exploring financing options for a downtown building.
Work on the proposal was delayed in September after six circuit judges sent a letter to Clinard and the Quorum Court opposing both downtown plans as inadequate. The letter -- citing concerns over security, access for the public and judicial system employees, parking and expansion -- prompted the decision to seek a consulting firm to help with the project.
Perkowitz, Ruth & Cromwell, the consultants chosen, presented initial findings to the Public Safety Committee on June 7. That committee passed the issue on to the Finance Committee for a decision on whether to continue the study as proposed for $119,500. Phase II of the study would apply the information from the phase I needs assessment to specific sites and building designs.
Joel Jones said the phase II will provide the justices of the peace with additional information.
"They do the building massing and the cost modeling and give that to us," Jones said.
The committee also heard a brief presentation from Bo Bittle with Stephens, Inc., on funding options that would rely on normal revenue and not require voter approval. Bittle indicated the county can expect growth in its property tax revenue since 2016 is a reappraisal year.
Tom Allen, committee chairman, said the Quorum Court will need to be aware of the need to reserve any increase in revenue to pay for a bond issue if that option is chosen.
"We tend to always use some of that growth money for our other needs," Allen said.
NW News on 07/08/2016