The Quorum Court meeting Monday evening ended in a long discussion about the possibility of buying the old AP&L building on the east side of Berryville.
County Clerk Connie Doss has had problems finding sites for early voting, and storage of voting machines presents problems for her office. She contacted the owner of the building and thought the price and the potential would solve problems for her office and the county.
She asked County Judge Ronda Griffin for a Letter of Intent. In an interview before the meeting, Griffin said she checked with attorneys from the Association of Arkansas Counties to make sure the letter was non-binding. It gave the county 30 days from Sept. 9 to buy the property. During that interview, Griffin said she was not in favor of the purchase but agreed to the Letter of Intent to give justices of the peace an opportunity to discuss it.
The JPs did not have a vote before them since the final decision would rest with the county judge. Griffin asked each JP for an opinion, and discussion wandered from present needs to future hopes and past failures to address problems with facilities.
Most agreed that the price was good, working out to $73 per square foot, compared to $250 to $300 for new construction. Some JPs suggested other uses, including using it for circuit court. Most agreed that the county needs more space, noting a surge in population.
A variety of questions arose, including whether the county can afford the purchase. Doss said the county can use funds from the American Rescue Plan Act. As a practical matter, the county clerk has a complicated chain through the county treasurer and the judge on every payment the county makes. The county owns the building which currently houses the Berryville Library, and that property may be available within two or three years, if plans to build a new library bear fruit.
The county judge ordinarily does not offer opinions in quorum court unless a JP requests it. When Griffin was asked her opinion, she explained that she did not like the idea right from the start. She said people like having all the county offices together. She said she toured the facility with an open mind, and could see that it would work well for the county clerk, to provide a place for voting and storage of voting equipment.
Griffin is serving out the last year of the term of former County Judge Sam Barr, and said her interim status makes her reluctant to commit to this expenditure. “You guys appointed me to keep the boat steady until a new judge is elected,” she said. “I’m not comfortable handing off a three-quarter million dollar investment to the new judge.” She also said that she had asked a contractor for an estimate for the cosmetic remodeling the building would need, and he suggested a price of $130,000.
Griffin told JPs that under the terms of the Letter of Intent, “you still have a few days to convince me.”
In other business:
- JPs passed an ordinance to establish an annual Person of the Year Award. The ordinance establishes a process for nomination and selection. The first selection was announced as Suellen Fry. She had been asked to attend the meeting to talk about her work with the Community Emergency Response Team, and she was surprised by the honor. Fry received a standing ovation from the JPs and the relatively large audience. JP Jack Deaton summed up the reasoning behind the award. “I’ve worked with her close to forty years, and she has always been energetic and unselfish,” he said, noting that Fry had been named Instructor of the Year for the state. JP Larry Swofford said Fry has received very little recognition for her contributions over the years.
Earlier in the evening, Fry had reported on her efforts to update the standard operating procedures for the CERT team. She asked JPs to review the policies, since the court had approved the initial SOPs.
- Deaton said the budget committee had met the previous week and found ways to pay for a “pretty good deal on a grader.” He said committee meetings for the 2023 budget will begin on Oct. 7.
- Interim Collector Vicki Hopper said she has been grateful for the presence of security at the Courthouse Annex. At least twice this month, an irate person became a problem and had to be escorted out by a security officer.
- Bill Nichols, with Arkansas Energy Performance Contracting, spoke about tools available for paying for energy upgrades. He described a financing mechanism by which local governments could improve the energy efficiency of buildings without any upfront capital. Nichols explained that the program sets up a plan to pay off the cost of a project with a portion of the energy savings, spread over time. JP Harrie Farrow sponsored the agenda item and asked the other JPs to review Nichols’s handouts. She said she will propose at a future meeting how the county could benefit from this program. `
- A resolution acknowledged the resignation of Connie Deaton from the Western Carroll County Ambulance District. The resolution mentioned “her years of service to the citizens of Carroll County.” Karen Crawford will fill the remainder of her term, which ends June 30, 2024.
- The circuit court received a Juvenile Officer Grant from the Administrative Office of the Courts in April. Monday night, the JPs allocated $7,500 of the $45,000 total to pay costs associated with the grant.
- An ordinance added part-time positions in the Berryville and Eureka Springs libraries. Hicks said the new positions will not cost the county any more money. Existing positions were divided up, but the quorum court must still approve any new hire.
- The quorum court began meeting at Southern Heights Baptist Church during Covid restrictions, but some JPs have suggested moving back to the courthouse or finding another location. Deaton said the Senior Center was ruled out because of the acoustics.