Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
County JPs OK money for crisis unit
Unanimous vote paves way for renovation, construction
FAYETTEVILLE — Washington County’s justices of the peace on Thursday approved spending $250,000 on a planned crisis stabilization unit.
The Quorum Court unanimously approved spending the money on renovation and construction for the crisis unit.
“The money will be used to renovate that CSU,” Ann Harbison, justice of the peace for District 14, said Thursday. “I am so glad that we’re almost there.”
The county is making space available in the former juvenile detention center at 105 Mill Ave., which has housed the Department of Emergency Management for the past decade.
The state has set aside money to operate four crisis stabilization units, in
Sebastian, Pulaski, Craighead and Washington counties. The counties have to provide the money to construct or renovate the buildings. The units in Sebastian and Pulaski counties opened in 2018. The Craighead County Quorum Court approved spending about $700,000 on that county’s building last month.
Law enforcement officers will take people who have committed low-level crimes as a result of mental health crisis to the unit instead of the Washington County Detention Center.
Kathryn Griffin, justice reinvestment coordinator for Gov. Asa Hutchinson said last week 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 $2.4 million has been added to the original $5 million
Several justices of the peace toured the proposed site before Thursday’s Quorum Court meeting Dwight Gonzales, the county’s buildings and grounds director, County Judge Joseph Wood and Carl Gales, Wood’s chief of staff, were at the building to explain how it will be renovated and serve as the crisis stabilization unit. Much of the building remains in its original configuration as a juvenile detention center, so there are offices for the staff, restrooms, showers and bedrooms for those taken there. The facility also has a kitchen, a day room area and an outdoor area for recreation or breaks.
The facility will have beds for 16 people, and serve a four-county area, including Washington, Benton, Madison and Carroll counties, Gales said. State and federal regulations limit the time anyone can stay in the facility to three days, Gales told the justices of the peace. By the end of that time those taken to the crisis stabilization unit will either return home or enter into a long-term care arrangement. The Washington County unit will be operated by staff from Ozark Guidance.
Also at Thursday’s meeting, the justices of the peace delayed accepting $82,701 in federal money for the Sheriff’s Office after some justices of the peace and residents asked if the money was tied to participation in the federal 287g program, under which local law enforcement agencies identify possible undocumented immigrants who are then subject to investigation and possible action by federal immigration authorities. Representatives of the Sheriff’s Office said the grant program pre-dates the 287g law and isn’t tied to the county holding any number of inmates or holding them for any set length of time.
The justices of the peace voted to approve the grant money, 9-6. Brian Lester, county attorney, said approving an appropriation ordinance on its first reading requires a super majority, or 10 affirmative votes. It will be on the agenda for the Quorum Court’s March meeting for a second reading.
The justices of the peace approved restoring $232,000 to the budget for vehicles for the Detention Center. Eva Madison, justice of the peace for District 9, said the request was made to the Budget Committee last year and approved but the money was somehow left out of the final budget.
“We discussed this in committee and added it to the budget,” Madison said. “We need to live up to our word and the commitment we gave to our law enforcement officers.”