BENTONVILLE -- Benton County officials on Tuesday endorsed a site on Northeast Second Street in downtown Bentonville as the location for a courts building.
The Committee of the Whole approved building a facility for the circuit courts and related offices on the Second Street location. The justices of the peace voted 11-2 in favor, which will now go to the Quorum Court for approval.
What’s next
The Benton County Quorum Court will meet at 6 p.m. March 30 in the Quorum Courtroom in the County Adminstration Building, 215 E. Central Ave., in Bentonville.
Source: Benton County
Officials have discussed plans for a building to house circuit courts and related offices for several years. The six circuit courts are spread among four locations. Three are housed in the courthouse built in 1928. Other sites include two other buildings in the downtown Bentonville area and at the Juvenile Justice facility on Melissa Drive.
A study in 2014 identified three sites: two downtown and one on Southwest 14th Street near the jail.
A second study last year by consultants Perkowitz, Ruth, Cromwell and Dewberry presented six building options, with two options on Southwest 14th Street, one for property behind the courthouse and three options for property on Northeast Second Street, just off the downtown square.
The proposal was approved, 11-2, with justices of the peace Bob Bland, from District 11, and Brent Meyers, from District 14, voting against it. Justices of the peace Shirley Sandlin and Adriane Carr were absent. Meyers said he was disappointed the county hadn't seen any research data on the economic impact of building the facility on 14th Street while similar information had been gathered for the downtown area. Meyers said once the Quorum Court reaches a decision on the location he will support it.
Tom Allen, justice of the peace for District 4, said typically doesn't hear from constituents but he has been contacted by a number of Rogers residents who support the downtown location.
During the discussion of the resolution Glenn Jones, chairman of the Benton County Historical Preservation Commission, told the justices of the peace he's concerned the downtown location threatens the old Post Office Building on the corner of Northeast Second and A streets. That building now houses Circuit Judge Brad Karren's court and at least one design option presented to the county shows a new courts building on that site after the Post Office building has been demolished.
"As chairman of the Historical Preservation Commission I would be derelict in my duty if I did not tell you we are 100 percent against this," Jones said.
County Judge Barry Moehring said the proposal addresses the location for a new courts building, but doesn't address the future of the Post Office building.
"The resolution is specific to the site, not the design," Moehring said.
Also Tuesday, the justices of the peace recommended approval of the 2015 audit report from the state's Legislative Audit.
The report states Connie Guild , former senior accounting specialist, was the custodian of the travel fund. According to the report, $1,106,569 in disbursements from the fund were "undocumented and/or posted to the general ledger but not the travel log during the period from Jan. 1, 2007, through Sept. 7, 2016." Guild was fired Sept. 7, according to the audit. She began working for the county in 2000. The report also indicated Guild "appears to have charged $30,037 in credit card purchases without an apparent business purpose during the period Oct. 7, 2015, through Sept. 5, 2016."
The matter is under investigation by the Internal Revenue Service and the FBI. Those agencies have said their policies bar them from confirming or denying any investigation. Prosecutor Nathan Smith has said the federal agencies did the investigation and will handle any prosecution, and he sees no need to file state charges.
The Quorum Court will have approval of the audit its March 30 agenda.
NW News on 03/15/2017