JP Coger's Washington County UPdate 10/11/26

Oct 11

7 min read

Updated: Oct 12

Welcome to this week’s Washington County Update!

Judge Deakins at 2/10/26 Finance & Budget Meeting -- Introducing the Presentation by Lance Johnson on Covid Mitigation Project (Johnson in background)

The county is now discussing moving the Community Rebuilding Initiative (CRI) into the jail and expanding it. The move was described as “more efficient” for the program, but CRI participants would occupy beds in space taxpayers were told would help address jail overcrowding. County officials routinely refer to the CRI as a "pretrial service," but it is not a real pretrial service because it keeps people incarcerated while awaiting trial. That just contributes to more overcrowding and more people sleeping on the floor and more costs.

Under American Bar Association and National Association of Pretrial Services Agencies standards, pretrial services help courts make informed release decisions and provide appropriate supervision and support to people released while awaiting trial. Their purpose is to promote court appearance and public safety while reducing unnecessary detention.

Read the ABA standards. Read NAPSA’s 2024 standards.

It is disappointing to see this proposal emerge without a clear public explanation of when or why the plan changed—or how many additional beds would remain available to address overcrowding. The county has spent more than $21 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding on the COVID Mitigation Project at the jail. Taxpayers deserve to know what that investment will ultimately provide.

At the February 10 Finance & Budget Committee meeting, Building Commissioner Lance Johnson reported that the project would finish under budget and approximately five months ahead of schedule. The phrase “under budget” was repeated five times during the presentation and discussion. Watch the meeting here, beginning around minute 21:00.

Eight months later, we are hearing that completing the unfinished portion intended for additional beds will cost approximately $900,000 more. County officials should explain what the February estimate included, whether the project’s scope has changed, and why additional funding is now needed.

At Tuesday’s meeting, a sheriff’s representative acknowledged that relocating CRI would not, by itself, get people off the floor. As of Tuesday morning, 160 people were without beds. Describing the move as more efficient does not explain how it will relieve overcrowding.

My concern is that CRI’s costs are unsustainable and that the program keeps people in custody when most could otherwise be released pending trial with appropriate support and supervision. The county should prioritize the robust pretrial services program recommended in the National Center for State Courts’ 2020 Criminal Justice Assessment Study. Approximately 46% of the jail’s reported population was classified as pretrial on October 9.

During the February presentation, JP Butch Pond described the project as a “gift horse,” and he thanked Mr. Johnson and Nabholz for bringing it. But construction funding does not cover the ongoing expense of staffing, operating, and maintaining additional jail space. Before this project began, there were no public discussions explaining how those added expenses would be funded. The combined proposed 2027 budgets for jail operations and jail maintenance—Departments 0418 and 1418—total approximately $31.8 million.

Before proceeding with CRI’s relocation and expansion, and before another penney is spent on this project, the county should provide a written plan detailing construction and ongoing costs, staffing requirements, sustainable funding sources, and the number of beds remaining to reduce overcrowding.

With the 2027 budget process underway, we need decisions grounded in data, sustainable funding, and responsible use of taxpayer dollars. Claims of operating efficiencies are not a substitute for a complete plan.

Source Notes:

The phrase “under budget” was used five times during the February presentation and discussion: (Watch HERE)

24:22: Lance Johnson
38:18: JP Lisa Ecke
38:52: JP Lisa Ecke
3946: JP Butch Pond (gift horse comment)
46:36: Judge Patrick Deakins
47:58: JP Kyle Lyons

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👀 Looking Ahead

All meetings are open to the public. Unless otherwise noted, meetings will be held at the Washington County Courthouse, 280 N. College Avenue, Fayetteville.

October Regular Quorum Court Meeting: Thursday, October 15 at 6:00 p.m.
Planning and Zoning Board Meeting: Thursday, October 29 at 5:00 p.m.
County Services Committee Meeting: Monday, November 9 at 6:00 p.m. (new date due to early voting in Quorum Court Room)
Finance and Budget Committee Meeting: Tuesday, November 10 at 6:00 p.m.
November Regular Quorum Court Meeting: Thursday, November 19 at 6:00 p.m.

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WASHINGTON COUNTY MEETINGS WEEK OF 10/11/26:

The regular monthly meeting of the Washington County Quorum Court is Thursday, 10/15/26 at 6:00 p.m. for its October meeting.

Watch the meeting live HERE and read the full agenda HERE.

Agenda Highlights:

READ SUMMARY AND TRANSCRIPT OF 9/24/26 PLANNING BOARD MEETING HERE WHERE THESE CUPs WERE APPROVED

Item 8. An Ordinance Ratifying Conditional Use Permit (CUP) for Phillips Masonry, Inc. Read the Planning Department’s Staff Report HERE. After the Quorum Court voted to send this back to the Planning Board, it was approved by PB 9/24/26 with added drainage conditions.

Item 9. An Ordinance Ratifying CUP for Lake Sequoyah Drive Sauna Project. Staff Report HERE. Approved by Planning Board (PB) 9/24/26. Applicant requested an annual event but that was not approved.

Item 10. An Ordinance Ratifying CUP for Grace Haven Ranch Project. Staff Report HERE. PB Approved 9/24/26. Three phases with the condition that amplified music is only allowed for ceremonial religious use. Large Scale Development review required for each phase.

Item 11. An Ordinance Anticipating another Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT) for the Community Rebuilding Initiative (CRI) $104,931.47 plus $34,977.15 Matching County Dollars. I voted against this for reasons stated in the opening and below.

Item 12. An Ordinance Amending Building & Grounds Budget for 2026. The ordinance identifies these needs:

Plumbing upgrades at the Juvenile Detention Center (JDC).
Wall and flooring upgrades at the County Library building.
HVAC replacement and repairs at JDC and the Courthouse.

It does not increase the overall budget: it moves existing appropriations from Insurance Repairs into two other spending categories.

RECAP OF FINANCE & BUDGET MEETING 10/6/26:

Watch the full meeting HERE.

Read a full summary and transcript of the meeting (by Owll App) HERE.

CRI and CAP: Budget Questions

At Tuesday’s Finance & Budget Committee meeting, Returning Home’s Nick Robbins presented the 2027 Community Rebuilding Initiative (CRI) and Community Alternative Program (CAP) budget requests. The discussion clarified some costs but raised additional questions about funding, program outcomes, and plans to move CRI into the jail.

CRI’s $264,232 request is not the grant match. Although the worksheet labels it “RSAT Matching,” Robbins explained that it would support Arisa Health services, peer support, supplies, and a proposed women’s program. Returning Home’s program oversight would be funded separately through the grant.

Robbins’s proposed budget assumes a move to the jail in January. However, the discussion revealed that the location, construction needs, timing, and full cost of that move have not been settled. Chair Kyle Lyons requested information about the additional cost of continuing at CRI’s current location if relocation is delayed and said it would not be moved in January.

I questioned how relocation would address overcrowding. A sheriff’s representative reported that 160 people lacked bunks that morning and clarified that moving CRI into the jail would not itself resolve that problem.

CAP’s request is approximately $524,194 for a full calendar year. Robbins proposed making 36 beds available at a stated cost of $39.89 per bed per day. He acknowledged that existing funding already covers operations through April 2027.

When I asked about CAP’s $66,166 “Rent—Land & Buildings” line item, Robbins explained that it represents Returning Home’s mortgage payment. Returning Home owns real estate in Madison County where the CAP program operates.. He said the $57,259 insurance request covers property, liability, and automobile insurance. The $250,869 professional-services line includes staff salaries and related costs, along with events.

With our budget tight, I asked that we evaluate CRI’s complete costs and results before making further commitments, including a comparison with pretrial services.

Helping people succeed is a worthwhile goal. Taxpayers also deserve a complete budget, clear outcome measures, and evidence that the approach chosen makes the best use of limited county dollars.

TRANSPARENCY AND FOLLOW THE MONEY:

1. Warrant No. 26005246 to Paragon Architecture LLC for $16,750.00. Just last week we paid Paragon $16,750.00 for Washington County Courthouse Renovation.

2. Warrant No. 26005305 to Multi-Craft Contractors Inc. Payment of $10,536.62 to Multi-Craft Contractors some for work done at the Washington County Old Jail, including: “Arrived onsite to diagnose why the chiller was not running.” WCDC: “Installed 4 new outlets above washing machines.” “Removed switch in hallway and tied 3 lights into a different hallway switch.” “Tie 2 W/H Systems together for redundancy."

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📊 Washington County Jail Data Dashboard

⚖️ Detention Center Data.

Read the most recent Inmate

Population Analysis HERE.

Read the Detainee Summary HERE.

The Sheriff’s Office’s October 9 reports show a current population of 716 and a reported high count of 724. People currently held had spent an average of 188 days in jail. The daily summary lists 327 pretrial detainees, 227 state prisoners, and 85 federal prisoners, including 160 new commitments to the Arkansas Department of Correction. These figures underscore the need to examine detention lengths, state-prison transfers, and opportunities for appropriate pretrial release with support and supervision as part of addressing overcrowding.

Read the 2020 Criminal Justice Assessment Study. Washington County has not implemented the study’s central recommendations and, in my view, has instead directed funding toward programs that conflict with its recommended approach.

🔎 Public Data Resources

Detailed reports are available here:

Detainee 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.

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🧾 County Bid Postings as of 10/11/26: No new bids.

View past postings here. You can also register there to get notice when new postings appear.

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Washington County Job Openings 10/11/26

This week’s postings include 12 full-time positions, a temporary Election Poll Worker position, and a contract FINS Attorney position. All are open until filled.

Position	Listed Pay
Administrative Assistant III — DEM	19.95–21.98
Adult Detention Officer	$21.91/hour
Drug Court Counselor — Division IV	$24.04
Election Poll Worker — temporary	$14/hour
FINS Attorney — contractor	$36,000/year
Juvenile Detention Officer	21.25–23.42/hour
Multilingual Juvenile Officer — Division VIII	21.91–24.14
Juvenile Probation/FINS Officer — Division VIII	21.91–24.14
Mechanic II — Road Department	28.22–31.11
Mechanic I — Road Department	24.38–26.86
Operator I — Road Department	18.61–20.51
Senior Case Coordinator	52,832–58,240
Sheriff’s Maintenance Technician	$23.71/hour
Systems Administrator — IT	73,444.80–80,953.60