JP Coger's Washington County Newsletter 2/1/26 - 🔎 Fairness • Accountability • Stewardship • Kindness
- Beth Coger
- Feb 1
- 5 min read
🏛️ Transparency Corner: Public Records
📌 Washington County’s 2023 Federal Audit Report. Apparently this audit was completed last summer, but the Quorum Court (at least this JP) did not receive a copy. It may have been posted on the county website, but it has not been seen or discussed in a public meeting.
This federal report sheds some light on the 2023 Audit Report with reference to problems in the county’s reporting of ARPA spending. (See Note 7: P. 16)
🗳️ ELECTIONS & DEMOCRACY - DEMOCRACY WORKS BEST WHEN WE ALL PARTICIPATE.
🔴 IMPORTANT DEADLINE--Monday, February 2, 2026 — is the last day to register to vote in the March 3, 2026 Election.
🔵 EARLY VOTING INFORMATION 🗓 Early Voting Begins: Tuesday, February 17, 2026 🗓 Last Day to Early Vote: Monday, March 2, 2026
⚪ CHECK YOUR VOTER REGISTRATION & SAMPLE BALLOT 🔗 https://www.voterview.ar-nova.org/VoterView
📅 Week of: February 2, 2026 📍 Washington County, Arkansas
🟠 County Services Committee
Monday, February 2, 2026 — 6:00 PM 📍 Quorum Court Room, Washington County Courthouse 280 N. College Avenue, Fayetteville, Arkansas
Livestream/Meeting Link: https://www.youtube.com/user/washcoar
What to Expect:
▫️Juvenile Detention Report - Chris Tinsley.
▫️Sheriff’s Report - Jay Cantrell.
Information not in Sheriff’s Report:
Recommended Capacity: 568
Population 2/1/26: 740
Average Age of Detainees: 37 (1/9/26)
Average # Prior Bookings 7 (1/9/26)
Highest # Prior Bookings 84 (1/9/26)
How many people are sleeping on the floor?
▫️Report on Community Alternative Program (CAP) and Community Rebuilding Initiative (CRI) for 12/1/25 - 1/1/26 - Nick Robbins & Returning Home
Ordinance Adopting Creation of The Industrial Development Authority. This Ordinance is a result of the passage of the “Industrial Development Authorities Expansion Act” (A.C.A. 14-189-101, et seq.). This was Senate Bill 361 passed in April of 2025.
What Is the Industrial Expansion Act?
Arkansas’s Industrial Expansion Act authorizes cities and counties to create Industrial Development Authorities (IDAs)—public entities designed to help attract, finance, and support industrial and economic development projects.
This proposal may have merit, but it warrants careful and deliberate consideration. I hope we do not advance it through three readings in a single meeting. Before creating an entity with this level of authority, we should seek meaningful public input and solicit perspectives from local subject-matter experts. Other counties, including Benton County and Madison County, have taken the time to hold public meetings and ongoing discussions, and I believe a similarly thoughtful process would best serve our community.
If you have questions, insights, or information to share, I welcome hearing from you. Your perspectives help inform these decisions, and I value your thoughts as we consider creating an entity with so much power.
🟠 WC Election Commission
Thursday, 2/5/26, 9:00 AM, 2721 S. Brink Drive, Fayetteville, Arkansas
Meeting ID: 829 1862 8949 Passcode: 076787
Meetings are live-streamed on the County Election Commission’s YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpX-GrzfCvEF0PszfEr6V3Q
🏘️ LAND USE & ZONING WATCH
📅 Thursday, 2/12/26, immediately following the 5:00 PM Planning Board meeting:
📍 Project / Location: Special Quorum Court Meeting - Appeal of O’Brien Ready Mix Facility CUP, 16234 W Hwy 62, Prairie Grove, AR 72753. Two parcels +/- 7.42 acres.
💰 FOLLOW THE MONEY
🟧 MAJOR CONTRACT — FACILITY RENOVATION (Old Jail Building)
💵 Contract 2026-41 Washington County & Paragon Architecture Amount: $1,500,000.00
Project Location: 📍 100 N. College Avenue (Renovation & CRI #25-960)
⚠️ Why This Matters: Arkansas Code Annotated § 14-20-106 provides that:
"No county court or county agent may make any contract on behalf of the county unless an appropriation has been previously made for that purpose..."
I sent this email to County Judge Deakins and County Attorney Lester on Monday of last week.
To date, 2/1/26, no response. In that email, which also includes a request for public records, I ask for:
Under what appropriation authority was Contract No. 2026-41 executed;
How the execution of this contract complies with Ark. Code Ann. § 14-20-106 in the absence of an explicit Quorum Court appropriation;
Whether the Quorum Court will be provided the opportunity to review and discuss this contract and its implications in a public meeting.
Copies of any and all documentation, memorandums, emails, text messages, and communications of any kind that relate or pertain in any way to the funding source or appropriation relied upon.
📜 Contract 2026-40 Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) contract with DRB Consulting to conduct a PREA facility audit at the Washington County Detention Center. The facility audit is scheduled for February 23, 24, 26, & 26, 2026 Rate: $9,350.00
🟨 CONTRACT AMENDMENTS — COST INCREASES - JAIL EXPANSION
📜 Contract 2026-45 Washington County & Nabholz / Wil-Shar, Inc. • Original: $615,055.00 • New Total: $631,297.00 Increase: $16,242.00 (2.64%)
📜 Contract 2026-46-47 Washington County & Nabholz / Ark Wrecking Co. (OK) • Original: $98,410.00 • New Total: $156,648.50 ⬆ Increase: $58,238.50 (59.2%)
📜 Contract 2026-44 Washington County & Nabholz / Comfort Systems USA • Original: $986,748.00 • New Total: $1,137,593.00 ⬆ Increase: $150,845.00 (15.29%)
📜Contract 2026-47 Washington County & Nabholz / Walker Masonry • Original: $1,032,600.00 • New Total: $1,047,161.16 ⬆ Increase: $14,561.16 (1.41%)
_______________________________________________________________
🚔 CRIMINAL JUSTICE & DETENTION SNAPSHOT
📍 Detention Center Data
Incarcerated as of 1/31/26: 740 (Dangerously high!)
Homeless or Unsheltered: 86 = 12% of total
Here is a link to a Google Sheet where you can sort data and get lots of important information.
More information on people incarcerated in our jail: Detainee Summary and Inmate Population Analysis
Here’s the link to the Detailed Charge Report: https://www.washingtoncountyar.gov/government/departments-f-z/sheriff/detention-information/detainee-charge-report
You can check the “Calls for Service” board here.
Here’s a list in alphabetical order to search for people.
➡️ The Criminal Justice Assessment Study of 2020 (“CJAS”) found that our pretrial jail population (including FTAs) was the main driver of our jail overcrowding. Washington County’s current jail population of 722 incarcerated individuals should be viewed in the context of policy choices, not inevitability. The CJAS projected (See Page 85, Figure #48) by 2030, with a robust pretrial services program as a key strategy, our final jail bed need would be 36% smaller than it was in 2020.
🧾 County Bid Postings (as of 02/01/26):
Bid 2026-04 Sheriff Fleet and/or Outfitting. Bid posted 1/23/2; Questions Due: 2/23/26; Bids Due 2/9/26 at 4:00 PM
___________________________________________________________
🧑💼Here are the Washington County Job Openings as of 2/2/26
There are several new listings in the IT Department. I hope all is well there with my friends.
Friday 1/23/26 was the last day for our Human Resource Director, Jessica Bennett, to be with the county. I do not see that position posted.
___________________________________________________________
📣 WHAT YOU CAN DO
✅ Attend a meeting ✅ Submit public comment ✅ Email elected officials ✅
Comments