TEXARKANA, Ark. - Both Miller County's Budget and Finance Committee along with its Jail Committee, met jointly Thursday to discuss possibly expanding the jail space since the 20-year-old correctional building is currently overcrowded.
Miller County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Mark Lewis said the jail, which opened in 2002, is holding slightly more then 300 inmates, but that the lock-up itself, is only large enough to hold about 285 prisoners.
"We are currently running over capacity now and we need to a make decision on on this," he said.
Lewis added that constructing another 100-bed inmate capacity pod would help.
Current pod construction add-on financial figures suggested at the meeting, would run the county roughly between $4.5 million to $6.5 million.
As for money, Miller County Budget and Finance Committee Chairman Ernest Pender said the county has received $4.2 million from the American Rescue Funds Act, however, he added that federal guidelines on how those funds can be spent are restrictive and vague.
Nevertheless, Pender said he did see the need for pod add-on to the jail
"I don't know what else can be done other then build another pod," Pender said.
Apart from the remote possibility of federal financial aid to help build the additional pod, Pender said the issue could be left up to the county's resident in the form of a limited one-quarter-cent sales tax election.
Back in 2000, county voters approved a half-cent sales tax with a quarter of the tax running as a permanent tax to maintain the current jail, while the other quarter-cent portion of that sales tax was limited to just paying off the jail's construction
Judges Office Administrative Assistant Carla Jenkins said the county achieved this construction completion pay-off more then 10 years ago.
Following some additional discussion, Justice of the Piece John Haltom instructed Justice of the Peace Jimmy Cowart to collect data needed a pod add-0n.
In other business, both committees agreed to ask the county's full Quorum Court to approve spending $172,800 for lease purchasing a new road grader. The proposed measure will go before the Quorum Court during their monthly meeting next week.