JP Coger's Washington County UPdate 5/10/26

Opening Thoughts:

What is happening in Pulaski County should be a warning sign for every county government in Arkansas. Recent reports described serious financial problems there, including emergency measures needed to stabilize county operations and payroll. That should cause all of us to think carefully about the long-term financial decisions being made here in Washington County.

To be clear, I am not suggesting Washington County is in that position. We are not. But responsible government requires us to consider what today’s spending decisions will mean for taxpayers in the future.

Washington County is already spending enormous sums renovating the former Community Corrections Center facilities — the old jail and former women’s prison — while also expanding the Community Rebuilding Initiative and continuing to see rising jail costs year after year. We have also cut much needed county services, such as the entire Environmental Department and more. At the same time, the county is set to spend more than $20 million on the COVID Mitigation Project, yet we are now being told there is not enough money to fully complete the project as originally envisioned.

Construction and renovation costs are only the beginning. The real financial burden comes later, after the COVID dollars are gone, through staffing, utilities, maintenance, repairs, and ongoing operational costs. Fiscal responsibility means more than finding money to build something today. It means honestly evaluating whether taxpayers can realistically afford to sustain these projects long term and whether decisions are being driven by reliable data and thoughtful planning instead of reactionary policymaking and a "I'll do what I want to" strategy in county government.

Those discussions should be happening openly in public meetings.

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🔍 TRANSPARENCY CORNER and 💰 Follow the Money:

👉 Contract 2026-122 -  Washington County and Paragon Architecture - This is the second Paragon Architecture contract this year.  Read the first contract HERE.  This second contract is for a fixed fee of $194,000.00 architectural plus estimated expenses of $1,100.00.  The first contract was for $115,000 architectural plus expenses for an estimated $1.5M project at 100 N. College.  Contract 2026-122 is for work at 114 N. College, 2-story building of approximately 8,400 square feet.  “Existing building occupancy to remain business (office).”

👉Order 2026-59 - $70,047.08 for Procurement Card purchases - Itemized list of P-Card purchases included in this Order.

👉Re:  Covid Mitigation Project (CMP). Sheriff Jay Cantrell said during the County Services meeting Monday that approximately 50% of the building housing jail beds will not be completed because the county does not have the money to finish it without going over-budget.  I sent this email to Judge Deakins and others asking how much money that was needed.  Read their response HERE and see the cost breakdown HERE.  Please note this estimate is from November 2024 and it was just an estimate then.  Nothing is cheaper now than it was in 2024.  That was just the building construction and did not include furnishings.

👉New Filing in Gulley Ranch Appeal:  This Order was entered last week granting Jessica Rogers’ Motion to Intervene.   

Contract 2025-17c Nabholz & NABCO M & E Inc. - “Provide labor, equipment and material in response to RFI 111:  $1,588.00 brings the new contract sum to $2,969,897.00.  

Contract 2025-30d Nabholz & Crum & Marshall Waterproofing - “Provide labor, equipment and material to cover details in ASI 08:  $750.00 brings the new contract sum to $97,963.00.

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🏛️ This Week in Washington County

🏗️ Washington County Quorum Court, Finance & Budget Committee – Tuesday, 5/12/2026, 6:00 pm, Washington County Courthouse, 280 N. College, Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Read Agenda HERE.

Agenda Highlights:

Item 4:  Treasurer’s Report - Bobby Hill

Item 5:  Insurance Report -    Charles Angel

Item 6:  Comptroller’s Report - Paul Sherman

Item 7:  Law Library Report - Bobby Hill - This report shows the 2024 spending from the Law Library Fund was actually spent on the Law Library expenses; however, in 2025 the spending went crazy with $244,382.26 being spent, including for ice machines at the Juvenile Detention Center, pay off of vehicle for Returning Home, Inc. = $36,030.41, a private entity, a $5,377.75 dishwasher and $25,000 painting.  There is currently a lawsuit pending -  Boogan v. Deakins Etal, Washington County 72CV-25-4761 - over this fund.

Item 8:  CRI Update - Paul Sherman (not provided in agenda)

Item 9:  Property Assessed Capital Expenditure Act Ordinance - Here is the proposed Standards Manual and Handbook.  I have just a few more questions to bring up at the meeting, but I expect to be voting “Yes” on this.  

Item 10:  Ordinance Amending the Community Rebuilding Initiative (CRI) 2026 Budget.  The proposed $169,875 appropriation for mental health services connected to the Community Rebuilding Initiative (CRI) raises important concerns about transparency, accountability, and the continued expansion of a program that increasingly functions as jail overflow rather than true pretrial diversion. I know mental health services are extremely important.

However, when the CRI budget was approved last year, there was no indication that these mental health services were excluded from the approved budget. In fact, these same services were previously paid by Returning Home, Inc. directly to Arisa Health using funds already appropriated by the county. Now, the county is being asked to appropriate an additional $169,875 for services that appeared to already be contemplated within the existing CRI funding structure. 

Item 11:  Ordinance Amending County Jail Budget 2026 - Our Washington County Detention Center budgets to replace five (5) roof top air conditioning units (RTUs) each year.  They were not able to do this in 2025 because of “...a change in procurement procedures was initiated due to concerns regarding the illegal destruction and sale of county property and the misuse of county funds…”  Since the money was not spent in 2025, it rolled over into Unappropriated Jail Fund Reserves.  This ordinance moves the money to Jail Operations.

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🏛️ Last Week in Washington County

The Washington County County Services Committee met Monday 5/4/26.  Watch the meeting HERE.  

With apologies for no summary of this meeting.  I had too many other things to report on and I ran out of time.

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📊 Washington County Jail Data Dashboard

⚖️ Detention Center Data

Snapshot Date:  May 10, 2026

Individuals Incarcerated in WCDC: 708

Homeless/Unsheltered:  74  

Washington County Jail Profile April 2026:  The April 2026 jail profile released by the NYU Public Safety Lab paints a clear picture: Washington County does not simply have a “space” problem — we have a pretrial detention problem. We already know that.

The average daily jail population in April was 691 people, with the population remaining consistently near or above 680 people throughout the month. But one of the most important charts in the report is the “Length of Stay for Those Released.”

This is exactly why Washington County needs a truly robust pretrial services program focused on safely reducing unnecessary incarceration while people await trial.

A meaningful pretrial program should do more than simply monitor people after they are released. It should actively work to identify individuals who can safely be released sooner through bond review, court reminders, supervision, treatment coordination, transportation assistance, and other evidence-based support. Every unnecessary day someone spends in jail increases costs to taxpayers, worsens overcrowding, strains detention staff, and destabilizes families, jobs, housing, and mental health.

The report also shows that 185 people released in April had been in jail between 183–365 days, and another 116 had been there more than a year. Expanding jail beds alone will never solve that problem.

Washington County cannot build its way out of overcrowding if we fail to address the front-end drivers of incarceration. A modern criminal justice system should prioritize risk assessment, treatment, accountability, and safe release options — not default detention for people who do not need to remain in custody while awaiting trial.

🔎 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 05/10/26):  

ACTIVE BIDS: 

Bid 2026-11 - Razing of Structure located at 19443 Nob Hill Road/Loop, WC 389. Bids Due:  4:00 PM, 5/18/26.  Proposals Opened 5/19/26, 9:00 AM, 280 N. College Avenue, Suite 530, Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Bid 2026-12 - Fuel Island Canopy.  Bids due:  4:00 pm 5/25/26 (bid says 2025, but that has got to be a typo).  Proposals Opened 5/26/26, 9:00 AM, same location as above.

You can view all closed bids here.  View all RFQs and bids [here].

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🧑‍💼Here are the Washington County Job Openings as of 05/10/26

There are some excellent job opportunities this week, including a position in the County Clerk’s Office to register voters.  Please share this list! 

View and apply for job openings HERE. ___________________________________________________________

Thank you for staying informed and engaged in Washington County.

— Beth Coger

Justice of the Peace, District 9

Washington County Quorum Court