County JPs OK crisis unit money

Measure to be considered by full Quorum Court

FAYETTEVILLE — Washington County’s justices of the peace on Tuesday endorsed spending $250,000 on a county Crisis Stabilization Unit.

The Quorum Court’s Finance and Budget Committee approved sending it on to the full Quorum Court for discussion.

The county is making space available in the former juvenile detention center at 105 Mill Ave., just east of College Avenue, which housed the Department of Emergency Management for the past decade.

The state has set aside operating money for four crisis stabilization units, one each in Washington, Sebastian, Pulaski and Craighead counties. The units in Sebastian and Pulaski counties opened in 2018. The state money doesn’t cover construction costs.

Law enforcement officers will take people who have committed low-level crimes as a result of mental health crisis to the unit.

The Craighead County Quorum Court on Jan. 28 approved $700,000 to build that county’s unit, leaving Washington County as the last to have a plan.

According to Kathryn Griffin, justice reinvestment coordinator for Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s office, the state expects to have about $500,000 of the original $5 million set aside for the facilities remaining by the end of June. Another $1.4 million has been added to the original $5 million. Griffin said there’s no deadline for Washington County to complete work on its unit and operating money will be available.

County Attorney Brian Lester told the Jail/Law Enforcement/Courts Committee on Monday the county estimates the building can be renovated for about $250,000. Carl Gales, chief of staff to County Judge Joseph Wood, said renovation and construction could be done in two months and the facility could be open, after receiving state approval, in about

two months after the renovation is done. Lester said the center has about 7,600 square feet while the judge planned to use about 6,000 square feet of the Judicial Annex.

Sue Madison, justice of the peace for District 12, questioned the timing of the request for money, coming just one day after the justices of the peace had been told of the plan for the Crisis Stabilization Unit and after the Department of Emergency Management was moved.

Ann Harbison, justice of the peace for District 14 and committee chairman, said Wood has authority over buildings and she’s glad to see the project moving forward.

“The county judge has certain latitude on certain projects,” Harbison said. “He has the authority to run his business. He doesn’t have all the money he needs so he has asked us for this.”