Craighead County Quorum Court discusses nursing center, district court

Craighead County justice Ray Kidd defended the Craighead Nursing Center Monday night from criticism over the past several weeks. Kidd said the center is run by a five-member board, with the board working on the day to day operations.

“My point is that this center has provided a service to this county,” Kidd said. “We need to keep politics out of this center.”

Justice Josh Longmire, who chairs the finance committee, said it has been unclear on a whole host of issues including who owns the center.

According to records obtained by Talk Business and Politics, the property on Harrisburg Road is owned by Craighead County with the center set up as a non-profit to help people in need. However, the property is not listed on a fixed asset list provided to Talk Business and Politics.

Craighead County Administrative Assistant Tony Thomas said the employees are not considered county employees. A suit was filed in 2013 in Craighead County Circuit Court by an employee of the nursing center, asking to be considered a county employee.

The case is still active, but the Arkansas Public Employee Retirement System ruled that the employee could not be considered a county employee because the county was not involved in the day to day operations, records have indicated.

Officials with the nursing center will be at the court’s March 7 Finance Committee meeting.

COURT FEES, MENTAL HEALTH PROGRAM
Justices approved a one-year agreement with the cities of Brookland, Jonesboro, Bono, Bay, Lake City, Caraway, Monette, Cash, Egypt, Black Oak and Craighead County dealing with district court fines and collections.

The agreement, which ends Dec. 31, 2016, will set a prorated rate that will be divided based on court cases in each town. For instance, Jonesboro would likely see a lion’s share of the funding due to the large number of cases in district court in Jonesboro.

In a related note, justices will discuss the county’s participation in the Justice Network program in district court. There has been controversy over the program, which deals with collecting fines in district court, for the past several years. Some area attorneys have recently complained about the lack of a written contract with the company, as well as how funds are distributed.

The issue will be addressed further at the March 7 meeting.

Justices also approved a resolution in support of a plan to reduce the number of people with mental illnesses in jails. The “Stepping Up Initiative” is part of a local ongoing plan, administrative assistant Tony Thomas said.

Sheriff Marty Boyd is working with area groups to create a crisis plan to help people with treatment, Thomas said, noting the county already has a mental health court ran by Circuit Judge Melissa Richardson, Circuit Judge Victor Hill and District Judge Keith Blackman. Funding for the project will be discussed at the court’s March 7 Finance Committee meeting.

Justices also heard from Crowley’s Ridge Development Council executive director Tim Wooldridge about work done by the agency. The eight-county group in Northeast Arkansas helps people in need with utility bills, escaping domestic violence or battling substance abuse, Wooldridge said. The group helps people in Clay, Craighead, Greene, Poinsett, Jackson, Cross, Woodruff and St. Francis counties.