The last quorum court meeting of the year, held Dec. 19, took on a different tone than other recent meetings. With nothing on the agenda regarding proposed wind turbines south of Green Forest, the Eastern District courtroom began with a smattering of empty seats. At previous meetings this fall, standees spilled into the hallway.
County Judge David Writer began the public comments period by pointing to the lengthy agenda. He asked to restrict public comments to items on the agenda, and that stipulation immediately created more room, as many spectators left. Several people who had planned to speak against the turbines stayed until the end of the meeting and voiced their displeasure with the judge’s decision.
Justice of the Peace John Howerton led a discussion about a proposed judicial building for the Eastern District. Last month, the JPs discussed the possibility of purchasing the old Walmart building on the western edge of Berryville, but that has since been purchased. Most JPs were already leaning toward building on land at the Detention Center, and that now becomes the primary option.
Howerton said the next step, letting the project out for bids, “comes with a significant cost.” The JPs have been setting money aside for the last five years into a fund for a new courtroom, and the $10,000 payment to the architects will come out of that fund. The process of putting the project out for bids will give the JPs an estimate on costs. JP Craig Hicks, a member of the committee working on the judicial facility, said he was excited about the possibility. He said recent bids for construction projects at local schools indicate that this project will be affordable.
In other business:
- Mike McKelvey, director of the Office of Emergency Management, delivered an overview of his job duties. He described five levels of action: preparedness, response, recovery, mitigation, and prevention. McKelvey also explained that the OEM does not work with building or fire codes, except for hazardous material. In response to a question about hazardous chemicals, McKelvey explained that agricultural chemicals do not fall under his purview. He also said the county’s new radio system is “this close” to completion, and will be operational as soon as frequencies are assigned.
- Howerton said he will bring up the topic of decommissioning wind turbines. Representatives of Scout Energy had pledged to post bonds after 20 years to remove turbines after they no longer are in service. Howerton will ask the company to post the bonds just seven years after operation begins. The landowners and the county will both be beneficiaries.
- The second and third readings of several ordinances were passed. Local matching funds were authorized for the Northwest Arkansas Economic Development District, which assists the county with grant applications. Clothing reimbursements were authorized for CCSO officers working in plain clothes. A $2,000 level was set for capitalizing purchases of county property.
- As the JPs approved the second and third readings of the budget ordinance, JP Jack Deaton described the process. He said putting the figures together early gave all the JPs time to study it thoroughly before adoption.
- A list of resolutions on the agenda looked intimidating, but the JPs moved though the items quickly. Resolutions confirmed the appointment of Jennifer Roney to the Board of Commissioners of the Eastern Carroll County Ambulance District. Leslie Echols was confirmed to the board of the Mundell Heights Subordinate Service District, and Richard Ott and Ted Meyer were confirmed to the Sylvan Shores SSD. Peggy Lodewyks and Linda Boyer were confirmed to the Berryville Public Library Board of Trustees, and Lodewyks was also confirmed to the board of the Carroll County Library Department. Vickie Brown was confirmed to the Green Forest Public Library Board, and Lucilla Garrett was confirmed to the Eureka Springs Library Board.
- A resolution authorized the county judge to accept a $50,000 Election Security Grant through the State Homeland Security Grant Program.
- Insurance funds for a damaged vehicle were forwarded to the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office.
- Funds were appropriated to update the iSOMS software for the CCSO. A third of the $60,000 total will come from the sheriff’s budget, and the remainder will come out of the jail tax. The software assists with the daily operation of the facility.
- Writer ended the meeting by reading a list of county property sold at auction. The sales brought in $143,000.