Committees of the Jefferson County Quorum Court will discuss a county-wide telephone and internet system when they meet at 5:30 p.m. today in the Quorum Courtroom.
A legal notice signed by Jefferson County Judge Henry “Hank” Wilkins IV is asking for bids on internet service at three locations: the county courthouse at 101 W. Barraque St., the adult detention center and the juvenile detention center, both located in the 300 block of East Second Avenue.
According to the notice, the county wants a phone system that is cloud based, with 250 phones and 10 conference phones.
A cloud phone system means that data is stored in a secure server that can be reached over the internet. A cloud phone system replaces traditional land lines and is usually hosted by a third party provider. Instead of an answering machine tape, phone bills and lots of wiring, a cloud phone system is stored digitally, according to cloud-based phone operator Grasshopper in Needham, Massachusetts. Cloud-based phone systems are also typically cheaper to operate than traditional land lines.
The deadline for submitting bids to the judge’s office is noon on Wednesday, with the bids being opened and read aloud at that time.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
The legal notice also provides that Wilkins has the right to reject any or all bids. The Building and Grounds Committee will also discuss financing options for the new system.
Also on the agenda will be a discussion of delegates to the Arkansas Association of Quorum Courts.
In January, the county’s legislative body elected delegates to both the Arkansas Association of Counties and National Association of Counties annual meetings but did not select a delegate to the Association of Quorum Courts.
At several meetings this year, Wilkins has mentioned that he wants construction on the new sheriff’s office building, located adjacent to the adult detention center, finished. The Public Safety and Emergency Services Committee is slated to discuss that issue today, along with financing options for the work.
Ground was broken on the John Lloyd “Pete” Harrison Sheriff’s building in 2012, and since then, the department’s Criminal Investigation and Internal Affairs Division have moved into the two-story building, which is largely unfinished.
The plan was to construct the building in stages as funding became available, with the Patrol and Criminal Investigation divisions set to move in first.
The Criminal Investigation Division made the move in 2015 after a portion of the roof in their former location in the 100 block of Main Street collapsed. The Patrol Division, which was also located in the 100 block of Main Street, is still there, moving from one part of the building into space that was formerly occupied by the circuit judge at-large, a position that no longer exists.
In 2012, the cost for the building was projected to be $3.3 million.
In other business, Justice of the Peace Ted Harden is sponsoring a resolution based on a recommendation from the National Association of Counties dealing with an initiative to reduce the number of people in jails who suffer mental illness.
Called the “Stepping Up Initiative”, the resolution says the initiative is “about creating a long-term national movement — not a moment in time — to raise awareness of the factors contributing to the over-representation of people with mental illnesses in jails, then using practices and strategies that work to drive those numbers down.”