PRESCOTT – While former members of the Nevada County Quorum Court had misgivings about the county’s ability to operate a new county jail, those fears have proven to be in vain.
Robert Missey, jail administrator with the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office, said the jail is doing well. He told the Nevada County Quorum Court, at its January meeting Tuesday, the jail has closed out 2019. The NCSO took 263 reports, made 139 arrests, 83 drug relates, and worked 40 cases with the Eighth Judicial District North Task Force. As of Tuesday, he said there were 74 inmates being housed in the jail, 18 of them local.
For housing inmates from other counties, the jail brought in $611,061.75, and with the quarter-cent sales tax, this brought the amount to $877,409.06. Bills paid by the jail totaled $291,014.08. However, he reminded the court December’s bills are still outstanding, and there other bills paid through the Nevada County Treasurer’s Office, but there are also payments due from Prescott and Little River County.
Overall, the jail housed 1,411 inmates in 2019, 767 male and 644 female, releasing 1,285. The average daily population of the jail was 75.5, and the average length of stay was 12.6 days.
Missey pointed out the jail houses more from other counties than it does from the state, and the state is slower to pay its bill, usually taking three or four months. Most locals, he added, wind up getting a court date and released on their own.
He added, the county could make more money with the jail, if it had more space for inmates.
Glenda Stewart was on hand at the meeting to voice her complaints. Her first complaint was about the meeting date and times and agenda not being posted. She told the court she would have been at the December meeting had she known to speak her mind about the bonus the court gave itself.
Nevada County Clerk Julie Oliver said getting this done was her responsibility and she did it while there was a local paper, but hasn’t since a new newspaper started up. The meetings, she said, are held on the same day every month – the second Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.
Jamie Hillery, executive director of the Prescott-Nevada County Chamber of Commerce, said this information is posted on PrescottAR.com.
Stewart went to her next complaint – the bonuses. She pointed out the county reported it was broke for 11 months of the year, but gave itself a Christmas bonus. She asked where the money came from.
Nevada County Judge Mark Glass said the money came from each department.
Stewart said the JPs are paid $275 a month and giving themselves a bonus is a conflict of interest.
JP Pat Grimes said the county’s employees deserve raises, but the bonuses help keep them working with the county instead of going somewhere else they could make more money.
Stewart said she doesn’t think the JPs deserve a bonus. Cummings disagreed saying he thought they deserved more.
JP Bob Cummings said the bulk of the taxes come in during October, adding he thought the JPs deserve a bonus. Stewart disagreed and suggested looking at term limits for the court to get some new opinions.
JP Chris Fore said anyone can run for JP, but no one tends to, which is why the same people stay on the court term after term.
The topic changed with JP Kenneth Bailey saying 85 percent of the county is commercially owned and these businesses are exempt from paying 2.8 of the county’s millage rate. If the county could collect this millage, he said, it wouldn’t have financial problems, but the companies claim the ground won’t hold the eco-system and have friends in Little Rock.
Cummings reminded the court there used to be a solid waste committee made up of the county judge, Prescott mayor, a JP and member of the city council. He suggested this committee be brought back.
Oliver said the Solid Waste Management Board is still in effect. Grimes was placed on the panel for the court. The city will have to select its representative.
There was also talk of forming a jail committee to keep information flowing between the city and county, but no decision was made on it.
Glass was asked about the bridge at Cold Run Creek. He said the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department’s right-of-way coordinator got hold of the last landowner on one side of the road, giving him the easement papers. The county, he said, will have to impose eminent domain on owners on the other side of the road. Once the process gets started, he said, it shouldn’t take long.
There was discussion about a part-time employee being hired in the collector’s office without going through the court. Two thousand dollars was budgeted for this position. The question was raised as to what happens when these funds run out.
Fore asked if others in the courthouse weren’t cross trained so they could help out when things were slow in their office but busy elsewhere.
William Hillery talked about the deplorable conditions of trash bins throughout the county, saying they keep the county from attracting business and industry because they’re nasty looking.