FAYETTEVILLE — The Quorum Court decided Thursday to pay for three positions — two juvenile officers and a counselor at about $137,000 total. The move means Washington County high- to moderate-risk teens will have a night center that will house multiple services in one spot.
"This means we are going to have services for at-risk kids and getting them hooked up to the community," said Stacey A. Zimmerman, Washington County juvenile court judge.
Other items
The Quorum Court approved 2017 budgets for the prosecuting attorney, Sheriff’s Office and detention center during a special-called budget meeting Thursday. The budget for the Washington County Detention Center alone will go up from about $13.5 million budgeted this year to roughly $14.5 million next year, documents show. The sheriff’s requests included three dispatchers, seven detention center employees, a vehicle each for the center and Sheriff’s Office and a building.
Source: Staff report
Fast fact
The Washington County Quorum Court is in the middle of budgeting for the 2017 year. The county has a proposed budget of about $65 million for 2017 and is projected to have about $61 million in new revenue.
Source: Staff report
Ten teens will be in programs at the new Evening Reporting Center housed at The Jones Center, Zimmerman said. The Jones Center plans to provide free rent and utilities for all of 2017, said Mike Gilbert, chief operating officer.
The new center saves the county money by keeping children out of the juvenile detention center, said Justice of the Peace Robert Dennis, a Republican representing the area southwest of Fayetteville that includes Farmington.
The center specifically targets high to moderate at-risk youths, Zimmerman said. Participants are closely monitored, given transportation, provided counseling and mentoring, given community service opportunities and tutoring and able to meet with probation officers under one roof, officials said.
The center will help children who often struggle with issues like poverty, lack of transportation, drug use, homelessness and pregnancy, officials said.
Teen Action & Support Center, a nonprofit organization, plans to provide programs, said Madi Hutson, executive director. Hutson's group offers six to eight service projects per week during the school year in Benton County, Hutson said. Teens who go through the program often start their own community projects and work over their mandated hours, she said.
Ninety percent of teens in the program graduate on time, Hutson said. The program has successfully kept children out of jails, she said.
Washington County needs that kind of program, Gilbert said. Children need guided to success, he said.
"They need somebody close to home to love on them," Gilbert said.
Springdale has a growing gang problem that must be addressed, Zimmerman said.
"We've had an increase in the number of violent crimes in the Springdale area -- specifically gang-related that seems to be on the rise," she said. "I believe if we don't do something soon, that this situation will be so out of control that we won't be able to stem the tide."
The number of delinquency, youth referrals in Springdale has climbed by 41 percent between 2013 and 2015, according to numbers released Thursday. That number in Fayetteville went up 14 percent for the same time period in comparison.
A large section of children are at decision crossroads, Zimmerman said. The center will focus on the kids about to be kicked out of school, she said.
Washington County stands to become a model when the program works, Gilbert said. The entire project is multi-agency approach, he said. For example, University of Arkansas master's degree students plan to monitor the program, Gilbert said. The state Division of Youth Services plans to give $10,000 for furniture and computers for the children.
The Quorum Court was right to give money to help children succeed, said Justice of the Peace Lisa Ecke, a Republican who represents south-southeastern Springdale. The measure formally pass when the court passes the county's 2017 budget this year.
"I really believe we need to invest in people's lives," Ecke said.
NW News on 10/14/2016