Committees meet to discuss county issues
Posted on Wednesday, July 9, 2008
BENTONVILLE - Benton County's Finance Committee and Committee of 13 met Tuesday afternoon at the Benton County Administration Building, where the groups discussed county personnel requests, the county's budget to date and building a new juvenile detention center.
"After six months, with minor adjustments upward and minor adjustments downward, we are still on track with our initial projections," Comptroller Richard McComas said.
Those initial projections show Benton County on track to have $ 7. 8 million in its reserve accounts by the end of 2008, $ 4. 2 million to $ 4. 5 million of which is mandated by state law to stay in reserve for the county.
"Right now we are going to hit the mill and pretty easily," McComas said, noting that a great deal of the county's revenue comes from property taxes, figures from which will not be known until October or November.
Plans for building and funding a new juvenile detention center for Benton County were also discussed in Tuesday's meetings.
"I do feel that this facility is of particular importance to everyone in the county," Justice Beverly Williams said, stating her desire to present a partnership with Bentonville and Rogers city mayors to help fund the center.
The Finance Committee voted unanimously to forward plans to begin developing a site analysis and master plan for the juvenile detention center to the Committee of 13. Once there, the Committee of 13 voted to allow County Judge Gary Black to enter into negotiations with Johnson Troillett Architecture, P. A., and Crossland Construction to begin developing a plan for the project.
Benton County Sheriff Keith Ferguson presented the committee with a bid from Gary W. Jackson of Hight-Jackson Associates to complete the juvenile detention center as primary architect for an estimated cost of $ 55, 000. The Committee of 13 voted unanimously to place the sheriff's choice of Jackson on the agenda for the Benton County Quorum Court, scheduled to meet July 24.
The Committee of 13 also moved that the county's request to hire a telecommunicator for Central Communications, a jail transport deputy and an investigator to keep track of the county's sex offenders be forwarded to the Quorum Court as well.
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