TEXARKANA, Ark. -- During a regular meeting Monday, the city Board of Directors unanimously approved a deal to pay Miller County a portion of the cost of holding juvenile inmates detained by the city.
The city will pay $80 per day per juvenile detained by the city and held in the county's Lantz Lurry Juvenile Detention Center. The agreement will automatically renew at the end of each year. The rate will increase at each renewal by either 3% or the annual change in the Consumer Price Index, whichever is lower. Either party can terminate the agreement with 60 days of notice.
City Manager Jay Ellington said discussions would remain open with the county as it prepares its next budget "because they would be looking at it again even in lieu of us helping with some of the financial concerns that they had."
"They're still evaluating whether they will keep operating that facility or not," he said.
Another unanimous vote approved a change in the company that provides security at the Bi-State Justice Building. Maximum Security Services of Texarkana, Texas, will take over.
"In the past I have had to use the Bi State employees to cover over night and afternoon shifts due to the short comings of our previous company. We have also had issues with their employees not following policies due to not having Standard Operating Procedures in place," Building Manager Kristine Barron said in a summary published with the meeting's agenda.
The Board also voted unanimously to condemn 15 substandard structures, allowing the city to demolish them if the properties' owners do not take action themselves. Property owners now have 30 days to get repair or demolition permits, after which the city will proceed with demolition.
The addresses are: 605 Artesian St., 721 Beech St., 1103 County Ave., 1023 County Ave., 2108/2110 County Ave., 509 East St., 607 Ida Ave., 1408 Kline St., 1608 Line Ferry Road, 504 Mary St., 2803 Pecan St., 1408 Roberts St., 1507 Rose St., 220 E. Short 10th St. and 2410 E. 13th St.