Benton County studies relief use
Jail expansion tops to-do list
BENTONVILLE — The Benton County American Rescue Plan Committee delved into recommendations for American Rescue Plan funding Thursday night.
The county will receive $54 million from the federal government as part of the American Rescue Plan. In August, county officials requested organizations apply for economic recovery assistance as part of the American Rescue Plan, according to a county news release.
The county has paid and committed just under $16.98 million in rescue plan money, county comptroller Brenda Peacock said.
The county received 57 applications for assistance. There were $89 million in requests from outside organizations and for county infrastructure.
The committee scored the requests with a County Jail expansion/courthouse project ranked highest. Using a score of 0 to 5, the jail project had a cumulative score of 4.64. The request is for $10 million to cover lost revenue.
Using a possible framework for funding at the start of the meeting, County Judge Barry Moehring suggested using another $10 million from rescue plan money and $10 million from reserves for a total of $30 million for the jail/courthouse project. Other funding buckets were current expenditures and commitments and unobligated funds.
Some of the rescue plan funding would be used to bolster mental health services at the jail, Moehring said.
In March, a criminal justice committee said it wanted voters to consider a measure to expand the jail in the November general election.
The committee discussed funding for those who scored 3.0 and above, which included 18 requests.
Justice of the Peace Brian Armas said the requests were easy to rank based on the parameters the committee was given.
“The jail was a part of it,” he said. “All of the county needs seem to be high up there in the rankings. It was a long process, but it was not a difficult process.”
Justice of the Peace Joel Jones made a motion to move six county-related items that were in the top 18 to the next Quorum Court meeting for approval. The $10 million for the jail/courthouse project that topped the list is being held in special fund because it is part of lost revenue and was not part of the motion.
The remaining items in the top 18 will be moved to the next American Rescue Plan committee meeting. A date has not been set for that meeting. Requests that fell below the line are not out of the running and also will be considered.
Approved applicants will sign agreements with the county, submit reporting documentation and submit expenditure details for any funds awarded. All awarded money must be encumbered by Dec. 1, 2024, and spent by Dec. 21, 2026. Any funds not used by the organizations will need to be returned to county, according to the release.