FAYETTEVILLE -- Washington County officials will open bids on a $20 million jail expansion Friday despite a petition drive aiming to block funding for the project.
After winter weather closed the County Courthouse on Jan. 25, which would have been the final day for bids on the project to be delivered, county officials decided to rebid the project to avoid any potential legal challenges.
The bid package was reposted Jan. 30, and bids are now scheduled to be opened at 9 a.m. Friday in the courthouse.
Opponents of the jail expansion in a movement spearheaded by the Arkansas Justice Reform Coalition said they were also hampered by the recent winter weather, but they continue to gather signatures on petitions aimed at blocking funding for the project.
Lou Reed Sharp is chairman of the Washington County Democratic Party, which has agreed to help with the petition drive. Sharp said she's hearing support for the petition drive and is surprised the county is going ahead with the project right after a larger jail project failed at the polls.
Voters in November rejected a $100 million jail expansion project that would have been paid for by a temporary increase in the county's sales tax. Voters also rejected a $28 million expansion for the county's Juvenile Justice Center. Nearly 59% of voters rejected the jail plan, while 54% said no to the juvenile justice system proposal on Nov. 8, according to official results.
"So many people are surprised that the county is still going forward with the jail expansion," Sharp said. "They thought they voted it down in November. I have heard some saying that people voted against the tax, but not the jail. You can spin that any way you want to I suppose, but it was, in fact, voted down. This is another opportunity for the citizens to make their voices heard."
County Judge Patrick Deakins said he plans to proceed with the project.
"I see this as a very critical need for the county and I feel obligated to do everything I can do to make it succeed," Deakins said Thursday.
Deakins said he believes voters opposed the measure on the November ballot because it included a tax increase.
Sarah Moore, the coalition's executive director, said the petition drive is "in flux" after two recent winter storms. She said she couldn't estimate how many signatures have been gathered.
"A lot of people are still out with petitions," Moore said. "The weather has delayed us. Nobody has been able to get out and about."
Moore said the petition effort will continue with regular events on Saturdays at St. Paul's Church in Fayetteville and at the Fayetteville Farmers Market and at other public events.
County Clerk Becky Lewallen said Arkansas law allows for referendum elections if petitioners can gather signatures of registered voters that total more than 15% of the number of votes cast for circuit clerk in the most recent general election. In the 2022 general election, Lewallen said, there were 52,613 votes cast for circuit clerk, so petitioners would need at least 7,892 valid signatures.
Lewallen said state law says the petitions must be filed with her office within 60 days of the date of passage and publication of the ordinances, which were published Dec. 23. The deadline to submit the petitions to the county clerk's office is Feb. 21.
The petitions call for a vote on the ordinances in the November 2024 general election, but David Couch, an attorney working with the petition effort, said state law would allow an earlier vote. Deakins said Thursday that, if the petitions are certified, he will likely ask for a special election to resolve the issue.
Jennifer Price, the county's elections director, said there are three possible dates for special elections in 2023. She said for a May 9 election, the county would need to call for the special election by Feb. 28. To have a vote Aug. 8, the county would need to call for a special election by May 30. For a Nov. 14 vote, the county would need to call for a special election by Sept. 5.
American Rescue Plan Act
Washington County has received more than $46 million in American Rescue Plan Act money in the last two years. The American Rescue Plan provides $350 billion in federal money for eligible state, local, territorial and tribal governments nationwide to offset the impact of the covid-19 pandemic, according to information from the Treasury Department. Washington County is proposing to use about $20 million of the money to expand the county jail to better deal with covid health issues. Opponents of the jail expansion are gathering signatures on petitions to force a vote that could block the spending plans, saying federal guidelines don’t permit that use.
Source: Washington County