Miller County to start paying rent for use of building

Miller County has been spoiled by not paying rent for the county’s occupied portion of the former St. Michael Hospital building in Texarkana, Ark.

The county will start paying rent if the Quorum Court approves a rental agreement, said Miller County Judge Roy John McNatt. The justices of the peace will vote on the agreement during the March 15 meeting.

The proposal will require Miller County to pay about $25,000 annually.

“We’re spoiled. We haven’t been having to pay rent,” McNatt said.

Miller County used the building rent-free since 2000.

The agreement will be with the Arkansas Department of Corrections, the state agency that owns the building near downtown Texarkana, Ark.

The corrections department will pay the utilities, including the electricity, heating, cleaning the building and provide toilet paper.

A spokesperson with the Arkansas Community Corrections Department said the rental fee will cover the costs of the utilities.

“The rent is designed to cover the costs of the utilities. We ran afoul of the rules of the state,” said Dina Tyler, deputy director of the Arkansas Community Corrections Department.

“We have a great relationship with Miller County,” she said.

The amount of $25,000 is based on $6 per square foot and it will cover the costs, said Tyler. The rent is based on the space Miller County occupies in the building, McNatt said.

The money to make the yearly payment will come from the county’s general fund.