BENTONVILLE -- As Benton County officials work to provide more space for the circuit courts in a new courts building, other office space problems also need attention.
"There's definitely a lot of things moving all at once," County Judge Barry Moehring said Friday. "We don't quite have the sequence of that yet."
Voting machines
Benton County’s justices of the peace will consider an ordinance authorizing the purchase of new voting equipment at the Oct. 26 Quorum Court meeting. County officials have said space needed to house new equipment will exceed the room available at the current office of the Election Commission and they are looking for a solution to the space issue.
Source: Staff report
Moehring told the justices of the peace at a recent meeting construction of the building could prompt the demolition of a part of the old jail, which now houses the Maintenance Department, the Coroner's Office and provides space for the Board of Equalization. The board meets for several months every summer and fall.
The county also has been told the owner of the building on East Central Avenue, just off the downtown square, that houses Circuit Judge Doug Schrantz' courtroom and offices wants the space vacated next year, Moehring said. Additionally, the county has committed to buying new election equipment and will need to find room to store the equipment.
The election equipment space likely will need to be addressed first, then a new location for Schrantz' court and the remaining moves can be sorted out as the courts building project dictates, Moehring said.
Joel Jones, justice of the peace and chairman of the Public Safety Committee, suggested storage space for the election equipment could be separate from the election offices if necessary.
"The question is do they need to have all the machines, other than twice a year every other year?" Jones asked "It's the same discussion we have about parking downtown. Do we plan for average load or peak load and then what do we build for?"
Kim Dennison, the county's election coordinator, said the work needed to prepare the voting machines for elections is such that it makes the most sense to have all of the equipment and the Election Commission offices in one location. Moehring said he supports that idea.
"They need to be kept in a secure location, but one where we can have access to them any time we need to," Dennison said. "Every one of those machines has to be tested before they go out for any election. Am I going to have room to test them where they're stored or am I going to have to test them somewhere else, haul them over here to test and then haul them back? The logistics behind that is a nightmare."
Schrantz has been told to prepare to move sometime between March and October next year. With the plans for a new courthouse, any move next year would be to temporary quarters, but Schrantz said he's been told that before.
"Two years is what they told us when we moved in here," Schrantz said of his current location. "We'll have been here nine years in December."
Schrantz said any move will cause some disruption, and he wants to get a schedule set as soon as possible to minimize that.
"I've been told they think they can break down all the woodwork and furnishings here and relocate them over a weekend. It's not particularly wonderful, but I guess it's doable. I've got no plans, no layout at this time," Schrantz said.
Tom Allen, justice of the peace and chairman of the Finance Committee, said he wants the county to consider leasing space for short-term needs, not buying or building.
"My first question is will any of this be temporary and, if so, how much of it?" Allen said. "There's pros and cons to both sides. When you own it, you fix it. It's all yours. When you rent or lease you have a landlord but they're responsible for maintenance. I think there's a balance that makes sense."
Shirley Sandlin, justice of the peace and former county assessor, said moving county offices is nothing new, but the times and economic conditions have changed.
"I've been in four different locations myself when I was with the Assessor's Office," Sandlin said. Sandlin said the office moved from the historic courthouse to the old Post Office building and then to another building in the downtown area before moving into the then-new County Administration Building.
Sandlin said the space now used by Schrantz' courtroom was expected to be temporary. She also remembers the Coroner's Office was located in Rogers before moving to Bentonville. The biggest difference between the times those past moves were made and the present is the booming downtown Bentonville economy, she said.
"There's not an abundance of office space in downtown Bentonville right now," Sandlin said "That was not an issue years ago. I don't know if we'll be able to find the space we need in the downtown area now."
NW News on 10/16/2017