The meeting, which began at 4:30 p.m., can be viewed in its entirety on a video taken by SWARK.Today just below this story.
After the opening prayer and the pledge of allegiance, there being no old business, County Judge Jerry Crane called for a consideration of Ordinance 2024-10, “An Appropriation Ordinance for a Juvenile Drug Court.” On the agenda, it was noted that the county has received the funds.
County Clerk Karen Smith read the ordinance, which appropriates $7,500 to the Juvenile Drug Court, with $500 going to general supplies and $7,000 to contract labor. The ordinance received a unanimous vote in favor.
After this, JP Ed Darling, who heads the quorum court’s budget committee said, in follow-up to last month’s discussion of paying Veterans Service Officer Donna Rosenbaum for full-time hours, “It will cost us less than $12,000 to increase her hours for the remainder of the budget. We have ample funds in quorum court miscellaneous. I think we make a transfer to the appropriate [budget] categories to cover her hours and Social Security and all that.”
No vote was taken. The justices indicated they would wait to see the ordinance before voting.
Judge Crane asked if there were any questions from the justices about the grant the county received for roof work on the previously used courthouse. JP Steve Atchley said a committee of JPs will be needed to oversee the work.
In answer to a question from JP Cherry Stewart about how the project will unfold, Atchley asked Hope-Hempstead County Economic Development Executive Director Anna Powell to speak.
“The way it'll work is [the work on the courthouse] will come in cycles every year, and then the committee will decide what to recommend to submit for, along with the [Arkansas] Department of Heritage. But most likely it'll be windows. Like you said, Miss Cherry, would be the logical next step and abatement,” Powell said.
JP Atchley said the county will submit for another grant in September, and another in January “and that one is to abate.” Stewart said, “I just want to know how they’re going to kill the black mold.”
“I think that this probably would be a five-year step,” Atchley said.
JP Jessie Henry asked if everything was moved out of the old courthouse. Sheriff James Singleton said evidence is still being stored there and need to be moved. Judge Crane said the furniture would be auctioned off.
JP Atchley then spoke of problems with the air conditioning system in the current courthouse which he reported at least one day was causing it to be too warm on the third floor for employees to work there. The system on the third floor had been installed as a plenum system, he said, to save money because installing it to cool adequately would have required the more expensive installation of duct work. Plenum systems are based on the use of an air supply box and an air intake box. But the rooms on the third floor are too large for this kind of system to work effectively, Atchley said.
He brought up the possibility of the county filing a lawsuit against the company that installed and maintains the system. Judge Crane said that currently the county is having the company send technicians to make fixes and will try to rely on these before filing suit.
The meeting adjourned at 4:45 p.m.