Crawford County approves new jail clerk positions

Roger Atwell, justice of the peace for Crawford County’s District 13 and chairman of county Personnel Committee, asks a question during the committee’s meeting Monday.

(NWA Democrat-Gazette/Thomas Saccente)
Roger Atwell, justice of the peace for Crawford County’s District 13 and chairman of county Personnel Committee, asks a question during the committee’s meeting Monday. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Thomas Saccente)

VAN BUREN --The Crawford County jail will get some needed assistance in the form of new civilian positions that were created and funded Monday.

The Quorum Court approved appropriating $51,165 in county sales tax money to fund three new full-time jail clerk positions for the Sheriff's Office at its regular meeting. The county personnel and budget committee's both approved this same request from Sheriff Jimmy Damante at their respective meetings that same night, which would fund the positions for the rest of this year.

Damante said hiring civilians to fill these roles will allow him to take many responsibilities off his deputies. No civilians currently work in the Sheriff's Office, although some have expressed interest in working at the jail, according to Damante.

The jail clerks will be responsible for preparing and maintaining records on everybody arrested in the county, according to a job description for the position included in the meeting packet.

Their responsibilities will include booking people at the jail; checking for warrants on inmates before release; furnishing accurate information about past and present inmates to the general public, attorneys, courts and other law enforcement agencies; monitoring court and release dates for inmates; answering phone calls; and serving protection orders, among other duties.

The money the Quorum Court approved Monday includes money for salaries, Social Security matching, retirement, health insurance and unemployment compensation.

Capt. Mike Dawa with the Sheriff's Office said it would cost the county $144,392 to fund the three positions for an entire year.

The Quorum Court also approved appropriating $596,046 from the county's American Rescue Plan fund toward building a new emergency communication center. The county American Rescue Plan fund and budget committees had approved the allocation, which came at County Judge Dennis Gilstrap's request, on Monday before the full Quorum Court meeting.

The Quorum Court approved using more than $1.03 million in American Rescue Plan money for the new center March 21.

Gilstrap said the need for the additional $596,046 was the result of the lowest bid coming above an estimate the county had for the construction project.

The Quorum Court approved a resolution accepting the low bid for the project as well. The bid came from A4 Services LLC, according to the resolution.


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