Baxter County Sheriff proposes way to fund jail expansion
Baxter County Sheriff John Montgomery offered a possible solution Friday to funding an expansion of the county jail. His presentation was made to a large crowd in the courtroom in the Baxter County Courthouse. Sheriff Montgomery proposes a one cent, eight-month sales tax and a one-quarter cent annual sales tax. He says the jail has been operating at or near capacity for several years and came to the Building and Grounds Committee earlier to address the issue. The committee recommended he and Baxter County Judge Mickey Pendergrass meet with architects to determine the feasibility and cost to expand.
In Friday’s meeting, a presentation was given by the SouthBuild Team of architects, who have studied the jail’s location since Tuesday and come up with an expansion design and budget for the overall cost to the tune of just over $4.1 million.
Montgomery says the jail is 15 years old and no longer the “new jail” and it is in desperate need of expansion due to overcrowding and safety concerns.
He says the architectural plans date back to 2002 and the present jail has undergone a lot of maintenance. The previous design of the jail has not allowed staff to maximize bed space due to the need to separate males from females, sex offenders, and aggressive inmates. The jail opened in 2004 with a capacity of 33 beds. The current jail has 101.
According to Montgomery, in 2005 the average daily inmate count was 36. In 2014 it jumped to 87, in 2015 it was 97, in 2016 the inmate average was 285 and this year the average is 92. He says, according to experts, a county should consider expansion when a jail operates at 80 percent capacity or above for a period of two years.
Montgomery also mentions in 2015 inmates waiting in the county jail to go to the state prison numbered approximately 28 percent. In 2017 the number waiting for a prison bed has decreased to 13 percent, yet the average daily inmate count remains the same. Montgomery suggests the reason the percentage is lower is due to prisons releasing inmates early. He says the higher average inmate totals at the county jail show the problem is local.
Montgomerey says this issue has caused some inmates to be set free early and forced prosecuting attorneys to make plea bargains they may not necessarily make if the jail wasn’t overcrowded.
Jail staff identified the amount of beds needed and determined 12 two person cells with 24 beds would make those who need to be isolated easier to accomplish. Above those beds, on the next floor, two dorm rooms would house another 24 beds for 309 state inmates and minimum security inmates. A new lobby area would also decrease current safety concerns of inmates traveling the nurses station.
Montgomery says the plans will have to be approved by the Quorum Court as well as the proposale to place the sales tax increase before voters. The suggestion is for the Quorum Court to put the tax up for a vote by special election to Baxter County residents. If approved a one cent sales tax would begin March 1st, 2018 and end October 31st. Those traveling to the area would help pay for the construction of the jail. According to Baxter County Treasurer Jenay Mize that would generate approximately $4.4 million in income. Leftover funds would be set aside for the county. Those municipalities who house their prisoners in the Baxter County Jail would no longer have to pay.
After the one cent sales tax sunsets, a quarter cent annual sales tax would immediately begin, if approved by voters, to run the new facility with a projected revenue of approximately $1.6 million. Projected cost to run the facility is $1.4 million. The current budget for the jail during 2017 is approximately $1.1 million.
Both Montgomery and Pendergrass plan to have meetings throughout the county to present the proposal and gather feedback from the public.
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Mountain Home Chamber has new location
The Mountain Home Chamber of Commerce will be moving to a new temporary office location in Georgetown Square. The decision came Friday during a meeting of the Chamber Board of Directors. The Board voted unanimously to move the office to Georgetown Square #59 with the assistance of office space by local businessmen Bob Wedgeworth and Jack Gregory.
Because of structural issues and other immediate needs of renovation of the current Chamber building, the move was made sooner than expected. Although this move is temporary, Chamber leaders, staff and volunteers are currently exploring all permanent location options.
Earlier KTLO, Classic Hits and The Boot reported the Mountain Home Chamber of Commerce office is closed temporarily and is searching for a new location as the board and its director wrestle with identifying its future home.
President and chief executive officer Jeff Pipkin says while the Chamber’s current location has infrastructure issues, the temporary closure was forced upon them with an infestation of skunks. Pipkin said out of a concern to both visitors and the employees, the decision was made to temporarily close the office.
Following Friday’s meeting, Board President Scott Copeland says all community residents are encouraged to stop by and visit the new location in Georgetown Square. He says with the busy tourism season in full swing, the Chamber is ready to assist all visitors and potential retirees with sharing the message of “our incredible community.” A groundswell of activity is underway to ensure those new to the area are able to find the new office location.
For more information, contact Pipkin at the same number the Chamber has been using, 870-425-5111.
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Buzzard Roost Cutoff to be expanded to 3 lanes
A road in Mountain Home will go through some major changes over the next year. An intergovernmental agreement was signed Tuesday by Baxter County Judge Mickey Pendergrass and Mountain Home Mayor Joe Dillard to expand Buzzard Roost Cutoff from two lanes to three.
Buzzard Roost Cutoff is a narrow road stretching over a mile connecting Highway 62B to Buzzard Roost Road (Highway 178) on the east side of Mountain Home. It’s estimated the road averages 1,400 vehicles per day with its close proximity to Walmart and other businesses.
Pendergrass says this is a project the county and city have attempted to begin for nearly a two-year period.
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In addition to widening the road, its drainage issues are also expected to be repaired. Mountain Home Street Department crews will do the construction work, and the project will cost nearly $1,020,000 to be split evenly between the county and the city. Outgoing Mountain Home Street Superintendent Amon Tilley says Buzzard Roost Cutoff should turn into a good quality street that shouldn’t have a pothole for at least the next 20 years.
Pendergrass adds the major concern will be the flow of traffic during the construction process, but it should be worth it in the end.
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The project will get underway in June and should be completed in approximately a year.
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Justice of the Peace Totty resigns
The Baxter County Quorum Court is now operating with a vacancy. Justice of the Peace Erric Totty has notified Judge Mickey Pendergrass of his resignation from the Quorum Court citing having moved from District Three which he has represented since January.
Judge Pendergrass says according to state law, when a JP moves out of his or her district, the vacancy occurs automatically. He says the next step is for Governor Asa Hutchinson to fill the vacancy.
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The term ends in December 2018. Judge Pendergrass says depending on how quickly the Governor acts, the replacement could have as much as 18 months to serve.
Judge Pendergrass says anyone interested in being considered to fill the vacancy, is asked to contact the Baxter County Judges Office. They must reside in District 3.
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The individual appointed by the Governor to fill the unexpired term is not eligible to run for that seat in the next election.
The last vacancy on the quorum court occurred under similar circumstances when the District 5 seat was vacated about three years ago.
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Yellville-Summit retracts Shrable’s contract
The Yellville-Summit School District is once again in search of another high school football coach. Exactly one month after hiring Brett Shrable to lead the Panthers, the Yellville-Summit School Board voted unanimously during a special meeting Thursday evening to retract his contract.
The Harrison Daily Times reports the vote came after a 22-minute executive session. Last weekend, the newspaper reported on the omission of previous employment from Shrable’s job application. He had left his time as the head coach at Newport for a nearly four-month period last year until he was terminated by their school board by a vote of 6-1. The Yellville-Summit School Board didn’t have access to this information because Shrable did not list Newport on his previous employment.
The Harrison Daily Times learned Friday another school district received an incomplete application from Shrable. The Springfield School District in Illinois accepted Shrable’s job application for the head coaching position at Lanphier High School in February, and board was ready to vote on hiring him in March. However, Shrable pulled his name from consideration. The application proved to be nearly identical to the one given to Yellville-Summit and did not include his time at Newport.
Yellville-Summit will begin another search for its head football coach.
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