BENTONVILLE -- Benton County officials say they expect to make a decision on a plan for a new courts building at a special meeting Sept. 17.
The Finance Committee agreed to the timetable for the meeting Thursday at the committee's regular monthly meeting. The special meeting will be held at 6 p.m. in the Quorum Courtroom in the County Administration Building, 215 E. Central Ave.
Rural Ambulance Service
Benton County officials agreed Thursday to pay $466,000 to Mercy Health Systems for rural ambulance service to the southeastern corner of the county. Springdale has provided ambulance service but city officials plan to stop Dec. 31. County officials say Mercy plans to be in place to provide service Jan. 1, 2016.
Source: Staff report
Tom Allen of District 4 and chairman of the committee, said he wants a special meeting with no other agenda items so the discussion can focus on the court's building.
Barry Moehring of District 15 asked Allen what decision he hoped to reach at the special meeting.
"We'll have a more detail review of the plans on the two options," Allen said. "The judge presented them to us in about 10 minutes at the Quorum Court meeting. The Finance Committee will have to decide whether we want to finance something. We'll decide if we want to debate it, make a recommendation to send to the Committee of the Whole or do nothing. Then, probably at the next meeting, we'll decide how do we finance it? With a sales tax or a property tax? If we wrap it up quickly that night, we could discuss it then."
Allen also said the justice of the peace will have to weigh other expected expenses and use of the county's reserve as part of the funding proposal. He suggested the county could take up to $10 million from reserve to pay part of the court building costs. Brenda Guenther, comptroller, said the county has about $21 million in reserve. Of that, the county is required by to maintain a reserve equal to 10 percent of the operating budget, which amounts to about $7 million for 2015. That leaves about $14 million in available reserve.
County Judge Bob Clinard presented his recommendations for a building to house circuit courts and related offices to the Quorum Court on Aug. 27. Clinard presented a plan for a building on county property on Southwest 14th Street near the Road Department and jail. He also presented a budget for a building on Second Street in downtown Bentonville. The justices of the peace have said they want to keep the courts and other offices downtown.
Clinard said the net cost at the Southwest 14th Street site would be about $26.7 million. Total costs of $29.3 million would be partially offset by selling the old Post Office at 201 NE Second St, the assessor's annex at 221 S. Main St. and the Development Building at 905 NW Eighth St. Clinard projected the sales would net $2.6 million.
Clinard's plan for a downtown building calls for a "self-contained justice facility" at the corner of Second and B streets. He said he will not consider a plan tying a new building to the old post office, as has been proposed by downtown business interests and the Walton Family Foundation. Clinard said his downtown plan will house six courtrooms and all related offices in a five-level building. He said dedicated parking is limited to 270 spaces and construction will cause "noticeable disruption to the court process."
The cost of the downtown plan is $36.2 million, Clinard said. That would be reduced by the sale of the three buildings to $33.6 million. Clinard said money offered by the Walton Family Foundation could reduce the cost another $4.9 million if the foundation accepts his plan. That would bring the cost down to $28.7 million.
NW News on 09/04/2015