QUORUM COMMITTEES OK JUVENILE BUDGET

By Ray King/OF THE COMMERCIAL STAFF

A proposed six-month budget for the juvenile detention center that calls for spending $830,015, more than half of that for salaries and benefits for employees, was recommended for approval by two committees of Jefferson County’s legislative body Tuesday.

Both the public safety/emergency services and finance committees of the Jefferson County Quorum Court approved the proposal, which also included spending $90,000 for food, clothing and medicine, and $36,000 for utilities.

In November, a proposed 12-month budget for the center was sent back to be reworked.

Also recommended for approval was the expenditure of $100,000 to continue construction of the new district court building that will be adjacent to the current adult jail.

Those funds will come from money the county received from the sale of the old jail on West 7th Avenue to the Arkansas Department of Correction.

Another appropriation ordinance that calls for spending up to $15,000 to buy a new vehicle for the Jefferson County Coroner’s Office was also recommended for approval.

Coroner-elect Chad Kelley asked for the new vehicle, telling County Judge Mike Holcomb the 1997 Ford F-150 that is currently being used by the office has 143,000 miles, burns oil, is leaking transmission fluid, and has been in two accidents.

Also recommended for approval were a number of appropriation ordinances that are funded by grant money, including $211,018 from the Jefferson County Public Health Fund for the County Health Department and $6,424.85 for West Nile Virus Eradication program.

A $75,544.68 from the Victims of Crime Fund to cover a nine-month budget for the Victim Witness Division of the prosecutor’s office was also recommended for approval, beginning Jan. 1, 2009 and continuing through Sept. 3, 2009, to align with the procedures of the grant.

At the same time, the justices of the peace recommended approval of a $38,398 grant for the same office, that would cover expenses from Oct. 1 through Dec. 31. Most of the grant funds are used to pay salaries and benefits for the rape crisis coordinator and three domestic violence coordinators.

Also recommended for approval was a $17,500 from the Weed and Seed program to pay overtime for sheriff’s deputies to work in the Central Park Weed and Seed area next year.

The deputies will be paid $25 per hour to conduct extra patrols and concentrate on drug- and weapons- related activities.

All of the proposed ordinances will be considered when the full Quorum Court meets Monday at 5:30 p.m.