Pending action by the Baxter County Quorum Court Tuesday, voters could soon be headed to the polls three times in less than 30 days. The quorum court is being asked to approve two ordinances calling for a special election on October 10 for levying sales and use taxes for expansion and operation of the county jail. On Thursday the Mountain Home City Council approved a request for a special election on September 12 for funding for the police and fire departments. Approval by the quorum court would set the stage for voters having two options to consider to address public safety needs. Sandwiched between the two potential special referendums is the annual school board election on September 19.
With little fanfare, the Mountain Home City Council gave its approval to an ordinance calling for a levy of a 3/8 percent sales and use tax that would benefit the city’s fire and police departments. The first public announcement that planning was underway for the endeavor came on Wednesday with notification that the proposal would be considered later that day by the Public Safety Committee.
In contrast, Baxter County Sheriff John Montgomery says the planning to address jail overcrowding has been transparent and includes the creation of a “very specific business plan, with detailed input from a county jail architect expert, to show our citizens how these jail expansion and operations tax dollars will be spent.”
Montgomery says his department has been presenting its business plan to interested citizen groups and are soliciting all organizations that would like to hear the facts of the business plan. The presentations including a public unveiling in the courthouse in early June.
With quorum court approval, voters would consider levying a countywide one cent sales and use tax for eight months beginning March 1, 2018. Net proceeds from the tax would be used to expand the Baxter County Detention Center, as well as furnish and equip the new portion, and provide for the operation and maintenance of the jail. The court is also being asked to approve a second ordinance asking voters to consider levying a countywide one-quarter cent sales and use tax beginning November 1, 2018, following the expiration of the one cent sales and use tax. The one-quarter cent tax would be ongoing.
Montgomery says while he had heard unofficially the city might be moving toward a special election, he was surprised to learn the details Thursday.
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Sheriff Montgomery says his team after many late-night sessions saw no other option but to ask help from the citizens. In April, he says the quorum court was approached, and the decision was made to expand and fund the operation of the Baxter County Jail via a special election.
Montgomery says the action of the city council does not change his plans to address the jail overcrowding issue.
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Montgomery says as the area’s population grows, so does the number of criminals, putting tremendous pressure on the county jail and the staff. With a finite number of beds, he says they have been forced at times to release inmates in order to free up additional beds in the jail; a problem that continues to worsen.
He says he is incensed that his department is forced to make decisions on who is released early or criminals receiving ridiculously soft sentences simply because they do not have adequate space in their facility. He says the message being sent to repeat offenders is, dont worry; you probably wont have to serve your full sentence — especially if some other criminal is viewed as a higher risk. They dont have enough beds to hold all of us. Just play the odds that you will get out early.
Montgomery says he supports all law enforcement and fire protection for the county and knows firsthand how difficult it is to manage operations with limited funding.
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