County to explain tax plan

Town halls take message to voters on courthouse financing proposal

BENTONVILLE — Benton County has started to craft its message to voters County Judge Barry Moehring will spell out in a series of town halls early next year.

A special election for a one-eighth-cent sales tax increase will be March 12 for a proposed $30 million courthouse. The tax would be for 54 months if approved, according to county documents.

The county has approved a building design and site on Second Street in downtown Bentonville.

Five town halls are scheduled to discuss the issue. The first will be Feb. 4 at the Gravette Civic Center. The start times haven’t been set. Moehring also plans to speak to civic groups.

“Two or more people — I consider that a group, and I will talk with them,” Moehring said with a laugh.

He told the Quorum Court on Dec. 20 he hoped to have 10 to 12 town halls in February. He wants to have the discussions as close to election day as possible so the plan stays fresh on voters’ minds.

Gravette Mayor Kurt Maddox said a new courthouse hasn’t come up when he talks with residents.

“It’s not on a lot of people’s radar,” he said. “I am sure it will be as we get closer to February.”

Robert Ritschel of Bella Vista has kept up with the courthouse situation through newspaper stories.

“I’ve read the arguments for it. It’s absolutely needed,” he said.

Ritschel was called for jury duty in 2014 and wasn’t impressed with the surroundings in the current courthouse.

“It was cramped,” he said. Ritschel called the main courthouse on the downtown square, built in 1928, “dated.”

Town halls will play the biggest role to get the county’s message out. Social media also will be put into play. Moehring used town halls to meet residents when he took office in 2017, and later to discuss ambulance service in the county.

Moehring said he will explain the problem with the courthouse, how the proposed new building addresses those problems and what effect a one-eighth-cent sales tax would have on residents.

The one-eighth-cent would equal $1.25 on every $1,000 in sales, Moehring said.

“We want a good, crisp, concise presentation that spells it all out in plain English,” he said.

County officials aren’t aware of any organized opposition, said Channing Barker, director of communications. Some residents voiced concern before the Quorum Court approved the third and final reading for the special election at its Nov. 27 meeting.

Michael Kalagias of Rogers attended many Quorum Court meetings to ask the justices of the peace to consider cheaper options.

“We don’t need as extravagant a building as they are planning,” he said in November. “They want to make some big, grand statement that the taxpayers will pay for.”

Outgoing Justice of the Peace Bob Bland is against a special election, but he supports the sales tax. He said the vote should have been held during the general election Nov. 6.

“It’s never a good idea to hold a special election,” Bland said. “Those who were for a special election think it would pass, and I am OK with it passing. It’s been a long time coming.”

The plan meets all the needs spelled out in hours and hours of debate and discussion over the years, Moehring said. It will consolidate the courts, add an element of safety and make it more convenient for those who go to court, he said.

Most of the circuit court judges are spread among buildings close to the downtown square and the Juvenile Judicial Center near the county jail. Judges Robin Green, John Scott and Xollie Duncan are in the main courthouse. Judge Brad Karren is across the street in the annex building, and Judge Doug Schrantz is in a building on Main Street. Judge Tom Smith is at the Juvenile Center.

“I think there is a preconceived notion that we have adequate facilities and we are doing an adequate job,” Moehring said. “We are making do under the circumstances, but it’s going to be a problem as we continue to grow. The current facilities we have are inadequate.”