BENTONVILLE -- Discussion about a new courts building for Benton County is set to resume next month.
A meeting will be held June 7 to consider the initial results of a needs assessment of the county's circuit courts and related offices, said Joel Jones, justice of the peace and chairman of the Public Safety Committee.
What’s next
Benton County’s Public Safety Committee will discuss the county’s plans for a new courts facility when the committee meets at 6 p.m. June 7 in the Quorum Courtroom in the County Administration Building, 215 E. Central Ave. in Bentonville.
Source: Staff report
Jones expects the committee to make a recommendation the county proceed with the next phase of the study, which will include site evaluation and consideration of how the county's current and future needs can be accommodated in a new building or in combination of some new construction and the continued use of existing facilities.
The preliminary results look at population growth trends and the increasing number of court cases in Benton County to give a rough idea of how much space the county needs now, how much may be needed in 2030 and projects those trends out to 2090, Jones said. The initial report doesn't consider location or building design.
"The needs assessment tells us how big a building we need or how much space we need. Then we need to look at how big a spot do we need to put a building on and whether it will work in any given space we've got," Jones said.
Plans for a new courts building have been heavily discussed the past few years. A study completed in January 2014 identified three sites -- two downtown and one on county land on Southwest 14th Street near the jail and Road Department. County Judge Bob Clinard favors the Southwest 14th Street location.
The Public Safety Committee endorsed a downtown building project early in 2015 and the Finance Committee spent some time exploring financing options for a downtown building. Work on the proposal was delayed in September after the county's six circuit judges submitted a letter to Clinard and the Quorum Court opposing both downtown plans as inadequate.
The letter, citing concerns over security, access for the public and judicial system employees, parking and future expansion, prompted the decision to seek a consulting firm to help with the project. Perkowitz, Ruth & Cromwell, the consultants chosen, completed the initial needs assessment the Public Safety Committee will discuss June 7.
Clinard said he will support moving forward with the study only if the consultants consider all options, including locations outside downtown Bentonville.
"If someone asks 'Can we just limit it to downtown?' I'm going to say no," Clinard said. "We have to consider all of our options or it doesn't make sense. The size and cost will be entirely different downtown than it would be in an open space out by the Sheriff's Office. The parking and expansion issues will be entirely different in an open space than they will be in an urban setting. All these things are different when you're in a limited space."
Kurt Moore, justice of the peace, said the Quorum Court will make the final decision since that body controls the county's budget. The justices of the peace have voiced mixed opinions on location, on new construction versus the use of existing facilities and on financing for any expansion, said Moore, who doubts a decision will be made soon.
"It's been four years," he said "This is probably true of county governments everywhere, but it seems like what we do really, really well is kick the can down the road. This seems to be a case in point."
Moore thinks the justices of the peace might come to an agreement on the size and location of a new courts building, but could remain divided on funding. Previous estimates show costs of from $25 million to more than $30 million depending on the location and size of the project.
"The biggest sticking point is, and will continue to be, how to finance it," Moore said "You can make all the grandiose plans in the world, and if you don't have the money to pay for them it doesn't mean a thing. Several of the JPs have already said they wouldn't support any tax increase to fund a new building. We've got a considerable amount of money in reserves, but not enough to do this kind of project."
Barry Moehring, justice of the peace, is the Republican party candidate for county judge on the November election, facing Ronnie L. Smith, the Libertarian party candidate, and Jeff Broadston, a write-in candidate. Moehring doesn't think the county needs to rush into a decision to have a funding proposal for the the courts issue placed on the November ballot, as has been discussed. Moehring said without having seen the needs assessment he couldn't comment on any of the numbers or conclusions, but he wants to give county officials, including the next county judge, all the time they need to consider all of the information.
"I have said all along I'd much rather get it done right than get it done fast," Moehring said. "I think it's safe to say that a different administration is going to be responsible for moving forward on addressing our courts facility issue. At this point, it might make sense to wait for that new administration before we proceed in any significant way."
NW News on 05/29/2016