BENTONVILLE -- Benton County's justices of the peace agreed Monday they are close to having a complete picture of the county's 2017 budget revenue and expenses.
The county's Budget Committee reviewed proposed budgets for the county's Road Department and Election Commission, both of which featured large requests for new equipment. Budgets for County Collector and County Assessor, with smaller requests, were also on the agenda. The panel also reviewed the Road Department's capital equipment requests and the bridge projects that are expected to be included in next year's budget.
What’s next
Benton County’s justices of the peace will continue work on the county’s 2017 budget when the Personnel Committee meets at 6 p.m. Tuesday. The county’s Finance Committee and Budget Committee will meet on Nov. 3. All of the committee meetings will be in the Quorum Courtroom in the County Administration Building, 215 E. Central Ave. in Bentonville.
Source: Staff report
"When we get done tonight we should be done with all the departments we've asked to come before us," Tom Allen, justice of the peace for District 4 and committee chairman, said during Monday's meeting. "The others have budgets that are flat or have decreases. We're still waiting on personnel but we should have that at the next Finance Committee meeting on Nov. 3."
The justices of the peace agreed Monday they want to add at least two additional requests for new employees -- a county engineer and a communications position -- to the list of positions being considered by the Personnel Committee. Allen said the Quorum Court needs to recognize the coming change in administration, with a new county judge taking office Jan. 1. Barry Moehring, the Republican Party candidate, faces Libertarian Party candidate Ronnie L. Smith and Jeff Broadston, a write-in candidate, in the Nov. 8 general election. Moehring, currently justice of the peace for District 15, defeated incumbent Bob Clinard in the March primary contest for the Republican Party nomination.
Pat Adams, justice of the peace for District 6, said he's been lobbying for a county engineer for the last four years. Adams said he believes having an engineer on staff will reduce the county's costs, particularly in the Road Department, but said other departments could also make use of an engineer.
"They would focus on the Road Department but there are other things they could be used for." Adams said.
Adams cautioned that a qualified engineer would command a substantial salary.
"We're not going to get a good, qualified engineer for what we pay the county judge," he said.
Other justices of the peace suggested the county could hire an engineer on a part-time basis, at least to begin with, while the benefits and the cost were weighed.
"We could contract for engineering services for a year of two then see what the return is," Joel Jones, justice of the peace for District 7, said.
Jones said he also favors a communications position and said he encountered some "pushback" when discussing it in the past. He said the Quorum Court could create and authorize a position, then leave it up to the county judge to hire someone or not.
Moehring said he favors both of the new positions.
"If in fact I'm fortunate enough to still be with the county, I'm a strong advocate for both of these positions," he said. "We're a fast-growing county, the second-largest in the state. I've spoken with judges in several other counties who've told me a county engineer is the best hire they've ever made. And since the day I got here I've been an advocate of the communications position. This is not a press person. It's someone who will interact with people in a variety of ways. They'll set the tone and help us communicate with people in the county."
Shirley Sandlin, justice of the peace for District 8 and chairman of the Personnel Committee, said typically an elected official or department head develops detailed information on a new position in advance of presenting it for consideration, but she will bring the proposal for the two additional positions to the panel when it meets Tuesday night.
Allen said the Quorum Court can take the lead on adding the two new positions into the county's 2017 budget He said he wanted the Quorum Court to at least have "a place holder" line item for the positions in the 2017 budget.
"We know this is something that's desired by one of the candidates," he said with a nod toward Moehring. "If we as a Quorum Court want to create those positions we can do that. It's up to us."
NW News on 10/25/2016