COUNTY plans to expand Quorum Court quarters.

BENTONVILLE — Covid-19 has complicated the way county government meets, but an easier way is in the works.

The Finance Committee on Tuesday night heard about a plan to expand the Quorum Courtroom. The estimated cost is $100,000, but County Judge Barry Moehring said the final cost could be less. Money would come from general fund reserve, he said.

The committee agreed to move the request to the Quorum Court’s July 30 meeting, comptroller Brenda Guenther said.

“The current public health emergency has certainly caused us to think and act in different ways, and how we conduct meetings is no exception,” Moehring wrote in an email to the justices of the peace.

When the emergency hit, the county initially canceled some meetings, then went to virtual meetings and now meets in person in Benton County Circuit Judge Robin Green’s courtroom on the third floor on the courthouse.

“I think we agree that, while that arrangement has been adequate as a temporary measure, it is not a great medium or even longterm solution for our current public health predicament,” Moehring said.

An alternative to Green’s courtroom is to expand the Quorum Courtroom on the third floor of the County Administration Building, Moehring said. Expansion would involve eliminating the east wall and adding about 800 square feet of space to make the room roughly 2,000 square feet, Moehring said. Green’s courtroom is about 1,700 square feet.

“If it continues to be necessary, this will provide enough space for social distancing during our meetings,” Moehring wrote.

Improved video and audio conferencing as well as livestreaming capability will be part of the expansion, Moehring said.

The county also could use the expanded room for early voting if the plan is acted upon quickly, he said. The County Clerk’s Office on the second floor of the administration building is an early voting polling center.

Moehring said Wednesday the goal is to have the room ready for early voting.

County Clerk Betsy Harrell likes the idea.

“Early voting upstairs will allow us more room to space out the voting machines and conduct early voting without the interruption of the regular office functions — phones ringing, people coming in for marriage licenses and our other services,” Harrell said.

“We can utilize poll workers for early voting, and our regular staff can answer questions and work on processing absentee ballots while early voting is going on upstairs.”

Bryan Beeson, facilities administrator, said the expansion could be ready by the end of September if the project is approved soon. County jail inmates will do the demolition work, and other work can be done by county staff, Beeson said. Work like carpeting and painting will be outsourced, he said.

The pews in the Quorum Courtroom would be removed and replaced by individual chairs to allow social distancing, Beeson said.

The room also would be flexible enough to accommodate large-scale training needs, group meetings and town halls, Moehring said.

The county also will spend $3.1 million for an expansion of the courthouse.

A new courtroom is needed for Christine Horwart, who was elected in March and will be the county’s seventh circuit judge. She takes office Jan. 1.

The Arkansas Legislature added the judgeship to assist with the increasing caseload.