County Clerk Connie Doss described maintenance work in her office, including new flooring in the vaults, at last week’s committee meetings. JP Jack Deaton said the county facilities’ committee needs to report to the full court on recent repairs to the Eastern District courthouse, and should also outline other work still needing completion.
At the Western District courthouse, the upper level needs immediate attention. The repairs have gone out for bid, with an expected cost in the neighborhood of $60,000. The actual bids may be available by the July 15 quorum court meeting. No grants could be found to pay for the project, which is considered routine maintenance.
On the subject of the Eureka Springs courthouse, Doss said her office would no longer be able to send out notices mentioning that early voters can find a location compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act at the Berryville courthouse. She said she is negotiating with St. Elizabeth’s, the usual polling place in Eureka Springs, to also hold early voting. Doss said the Community Center would be another possibility, but the county would face a large cost to notify voters of a change in polling places.
The JPs also briefly discussed several other topics that will soon come before the full quorum court. These issues included:
- The Road Department will ask for an additional employee this year.
- The recently updated handbook for county employees will need to be amended to include the direct deposit policy. Current county employees can choose to continue receiving a paper check, but new employees will accept direct deposit as a condition of employment. All county employees will continue to receive paper checks for the remainder of 2019.
- The county had been approached last month with an offer to enter into a partnership with Washington County to place people with mental health issues in a more appropriate environment than the detention center. The issue will come up on the quorum court agenda again, and the Berryville Police Department will reportedly not participate.