ASHDOWN, Ark.- Little River County officials can start planning the next phase of a new county jail after voters approved a bond this week to finance the new building and a sales tax to help pay for it.
"That (the election) was a big hurdle we just got over. Everyone is really pleased with the outcome and excited about the future of the county," County Judge Mike Cranford said Wednesday.
It will still be close to a year before construction on the new jail begins, he said.
"The timeline is still long, unfortunately," he said.
Cranford said the new tax will go into effect Jan. 1, 2020. Bids will then be taken and construction could possibly start in July or August 2020.
"That's the best-case scenario," he said.
County officials are looking at four different properties for the new jail site and each site has its advantages, Cranford said.
The current jail, located next to the Little River County Courthouse, holds a maximum of 24 inmates. As a result, the sheriff's office often houses inmates in other county jails, which leads to higher costs in housing and transportation as well as lower felony bonds.
The bond issue to finance building the new jail passed with 1,154 votes for and 825 against, according to information from the County Clerk's Office.
A 3/8 cent sales tax to go toward paying the bond passed 1,136 for and 839 against. A 1/4 cent sales tax to toward jail maintenance and operations passed 1,159 for and 824 against.
In addition to voting in the sales taxes for the new jail, voters also approved the Foreman School District's millage tax that will fund the development of a new high school building. Three hundred and eighty-five votes were cast in favor of the millage tax and 140 votes were cast against it.