For the third time in four months, a proposal to find a new home for the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office will be discussed Tuesday by committees of the Jefferson County Quorum Court.
The Quorum Court meets at 5:30 p.m. in the quorum courtroom at the Jefferson County Courthouse.
On the agenda is a proposed appropriation ordinance that calls for spending $1,677,000 to build a new building adjacent to the adult detention center on East Second Avenue.
In a letter attached to the proposed legislation from County Judge Mike Holcomb to members of the county’s legislative body, Holcomb stated that after consulting with members of the Quorum Court and the Sheriff’s Office, “I believe new construction of a Sheriff’s Department building immediately adjacent to the jail is our best course of action.
“It will provide us with an ideal, long-term solution, both financially and operationally,” Holcomb stated in the letter.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
The issue first came up in November 2011 when Sheriff Gerald Robinson proposed a two-story facility that would have cost about $3.1 million to construct and furnish. At that meeting, several justices of the peace, including Dr. Herman Ginger, chairman of the Public Safety/Emergency Services Committee, expressed concern about the cost and asked Holcomb to explore other options for relocating the department, particularly the Criminal Investigation and Patrol divisions, which are currently located in two buildings in the 100 block of Main Street.
At the January meeting, architects Richard Taylor and A.W. Nelson of the Nelson Architectural Firm presented information about an existing building owned by Nelson that is for sale. That building is at 200 E. 11th Ave., adjacent to the Pine Bluff Civic Center complex, but members of the county’s legislative body made no decision on the proposal at that meeting.
In a letter from Robinson, also attached to the proposed legislation, Robinson stated that he understood the $3.1 million cost was an issue with some members of the Quorum Court and, “We are prepared to make provisions that would cut costs considerably.
“We are asking for a total appropriation of 2.5 million dollars,” Robinson stated, “starting with 1.7 million to get the building started.”
Robinson stated that the $2.5 million would allow the proposed two-story building to be completely constructed and enable the department to move not only the Criminal Investigation and Patrol divisions, but also the Technical Services and Warrants and Civil divisions and other sheriff’s department personnel.
“No other funds will be sought beyond the 2.5 million appropriation,” Robinson stated in the letter. “The Sheriff’s Office will acquire other monies through our forfeitures and private donations to complete the second level.”
Additionally, Robinson stated that the department would not buy new furniture or equipment for the facility but would transfer the existing furniture and equipment to the new building as a way to further cut costs.
Exercise equipment for a proposed room on the second floor of the new facility would also not be purchased, Robinson stated, but rather would be acquired through private donations and employee gifts.
“The exercise room will also be available to all county employees, giving them a convenient, safe, secure environment to use,” Robinson stated in the letter.
Using the County Road Department to construct the parking lots and using labor from the Sheriff’s Office Clean Team supervised by maintenance personnel to do the landscaping would also cut costs, Robinson stated.
The proposed appropriation ordinance calls for transferring $100,000 from the proceeds of the sale of the former county jail, $150,000 from Mortgage Revenue Bonds, $25,000 from the Jefferson County Escrow Fund, $133,000 from the Jail Operation Fund, $1,006,000 from the Detention Facilities Reserve Fund and $263,000 from the Detention Facilities Maintenance and Operation Fund into a new account called the “Jefferson County Construction Fund.”