Audit finds pay for off-duty deputies at library a violation

HOT SPRINGS — The $6,208 paid to three Garland County jail deputies to provide off-duty security at the Garland County Library violated the Ethics for County Government Officers and Employees statute, state auditors said.

The finding came from the Arkansas Legislative Audit’s 2020 audit of the county.

”They found fault with off-duty deputies working at the library and the manner they were paid,” County Judge Darryl Mahoney told the Quorum Court earlier this month. “That’s being corrected. The only thing they found fault with was the fact that detention center deputies worked at the library while they were off duty.

“They said we would have to have an ordinance to allow that. As of now, they’re no longer working there, and that’s kind of sad because that was extra income for them.”

The statute prohibits county employees or officers from receiving “property, money or other valuable thing” from a county contract or transaction unless the Quorum Court adopts an ordinance stipulating it’s in the county’s best interest.

The ordinance authorizes the county to purchase “goods, services, commodities or real property” from county employees or officers. Ordinances adopted in July allow the county to do business with companies affiliated with Justices of the Peace John Horner, R-District 5, Ronald Hunter, R-District 11, and Jeremy Brown, R-District 12.

Horner is one of the owner/operators of C.J. Horner Co., Inc., a building supply products and services company. Hunter is the owner/ operator of Ron Hunter Construction Co. Brown works for Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield, the county’s health insurance provider.

The ordinances prohibit the JPs from voting on any action items that accrue to the benefit of their companies.

Mahoney told the Quorum Court an ordinance authorizing off-duty deputies to provide security services at the library could be forthcoming.

“Right now they don’t need anybody over there,” he said. “It’s a good avenue for them to be able to work off duty. They’re working so much overtime right now at the detention center that I don’t know if you could get any takers who want to work over there.”

The Quorum Court appropriated funds earlier this month to build a fence separating the library and county health unit from a wooded area where homeless people have been living. Mahoney told the Quorum Court people living at the camp were harassing library and health unit employees.

“They actually followed some employees to their cars,” he said. “We’re putting fencing across the back to make it more secure. It’s an unfortunate situation. We can’t have our employees leaving there and our patients leaving there in fear something’s going to happen to them. This is something we’re going to do to try to at least slow it down.”