In January, Suzie Bell spoke to the quorum court about the lack of affordable housing. Monday evening, she returned to say the housing situation has continued to deteriorate and asked the quorum court to spend part of the funds received under the American Rescue Plan to help address the situation.
Bell initially focused on Eureka Springs but said the housing shortage has spread through the entire county. With people moving into the area and paying ever-higher prices for houses, the cost to buy or rent a house has left an increasing number of people unable to afford housing.
Bell said people have ended up homeless, sometimes through no fault of their own. She described a single mother with a young child who had to move when the house she rented was sold. She was unable to find another place she could afford. Bell further explained that this is not just a social problem, but an economic problem as well. Eureka Springs depends on workers to staff restaurants and motels, and those workers need a place to live.
Dr. Dan Bell took over at the microphone to explain the strategy he would recommend to use ARP funds. He said some money would be used to finish ECHO Village, and then a motel could be retrofitted as apartments. A new apartment building would also be a possibility.
Bell said the county can allocate funds to a nonprofit organization, and the money spent would make a difference in many lives. Justices of the peace agreed with the need for housing, but generally questioned whether county government could address the problem.
Chris Cochran, the new administrator of the Carroll County Health Unit, introduced herself and gave an update on the department. She described a major remodeling project and explained some of the department’s functions. Environmental health specialists have been busy with food service inspections and septic system permits. Covid vaccines and testing are still available, and at-home test kits mean that people wishing to be tested do not have to leave their vehicles. Covid cases remain low in Carroll County, but other parts of the state have seen rising numbers of cases. The JPs asked about ways to let the public know what services are available at the Health Unit.
In other business:
- Suellyn Frye spoke about the Community Emergency Response Team, a program that began in 2002. The main focus of CERT is to help people in the community work together after a disaster. “We educate the public about how to protect themselves, how to be safe, and how to be better organized in a disaster,” she said. Frye described the training sessions which were suspended by the Covid crisis. She hopes to offer another training session in the fall. Frye also described Neighborhood Watch programs under CERT.
- Melissa Curtis represented the Special Operations Rescue Team, and outlined some activities and responsibilities of the group.
- Leroy Gorrell and Kate Ambach Wood were approved as board members for the Eureka Springs Carnegie Library.
* The county has received a $45,000 grant for a Juvenile Officer, and the JPs had to create a new fund to track spending of that money.
- JPs approved a total of $19,000 for work on the Western District Courthouse. The funds will pay for replacing an interior wall on the second floor, as well as replacing an air-conditioning unit and adding ceiling fans.
- The county had joined the Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan, a requirement by the Federal Emergency Management Agency before applying for future funding. The plan, created with the assistance of the Northwest Arkansas Economic Development District, helped to unite county agencies with local jurisdictions. JPs authorized a payment of $25,000 toward the program, although more than $18,000 of that money will come back to the county.
- The quorum court has had some problems with receipts for travel and meal reimbursements. Monday night, the JPs adopted a new policy, under which employees will pay for their own meals and receive reimbursement at the county rate.