The Sept. 15 quorum court meeting shared some things in common with the previous meeting. On Aug. 18, a large crowd gathered in the Berryville courthouse, and many of them took a three-minute opportunity to voice their concerns over an agenda item allowing the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office to accept money from United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The ordinance fell one vote short of passage.
Last week, a similar crowd delivered a variety of objections to enter into any partnership with ICE. This time, the ordinance passed with only one vote in opposition. In August, the seven votes in favor would have been enough for passage, but the ordinance included an emergency clause, requiring eight votes.
As he did in August, Sheriff Daniel Klatt explained that the ordinance would not place the CCSO in collusion with ICE. It would only allow the cash-strapped department to receive money for carrying out services which they already must perform. In response to a question, Klatt said refusing the money would lead to more ICE presence in the county.
The sheriff emphasized that no CCSO staff would carry out ICE-style raids. The department’s only responsibility would be filling out the same arrest forms they currently handle. JP Jerry King said he voted against the fund in August, but he changed his vote after learning more about the arrangement.
A lengthy public comments period brought forth a variety of viewpoints. Many of those perspectives focused on ICE’s controversial mission across the country, with speakers tossing out terms like “gestapo” to describe that agency. Arturo Calvillo gave the discussion a personal perspective. Gesturing around the roomful of mostly white faces, he said, “I can almost guarantee they won’t come and get any of your families, but I can’t guarantee they won’t come after mine.”
Despite the negative comments about ICE, others in the audience stressed their confidence in Klatt and his department, and the JPs agreed.
In other business:
- An ordinance enacted revisions to county code, a routine procedure which counties are required to follow every five years to keep their code books up to date.
- In May, JPs heard from a woman who had been attacked by dogs while bicycling. In the following months, others came forward to ask for help with the problem. King has been working on an ordinance to bolster a 2021 ordinance that fell short of enforcement. As cyclist LeRoy Diener explained to the quorum court in July, “The ordinance doesn’t have teeth, but the dogs do.”
The ordinance passed on its first reading. King said he will introduce some amendments to the ordinance at the second and third readings. He wants to add a definition of vicious animals.
- In his comments at the end of the meeting, County Judge David Writer said the annual legislative audit showed no significant findings. “This is a testament to how our elected officials are working,” he said.
- A committee to review large industrial projects has met twice. JP Jack Deaton said committee meetings will not include public comments, since no decisions are made at those meetings. During the public comments portion of this meeting, Jim Wallace recommended public workshops, since this committee’s mission may lead to a county planning board.