11/02/16   Ouachita Quorum Court Appropriates 1-Million For Courtroom

The Ouachita County Quorum Court last night approved appropriating one million dollars to the construction of a new district courtroom at the Ouachita County Detention Center site. Judge Robbie McAdoo told us the work would get underway today.

The judge told the JP's the one million was only part of the total appropriation, which is one million three hundred thousand dollars. He said he's asking for the additional money later.

Prior to the Ouachita County Quorum Court meeting last night at the courthouse in Camden, Ouachita County Sheriff David Norwood was putting in his pitch to members of the Finance Committee and Law Enforcement committee for hiring two additional deputies.  The Sheriff told us the two would work the night shift.

At present, the Sheriff has 13 full time deputies and 6 part timers.

Also at last night's meeting the JP's passed an ordinance levying the tax millage on all taxable real and personal property located in the various cities school district and county for the year 2016 to be collected in 2017. The property tax millage for Bearden is 34.9 mills for the Bearden school district.

The JP's also passed a resolution approving the redistribution of money under Act 833 of 1991. The total amount of $62,712.00 will be equally distributed to 11 municipalities and rural fire departments. Bearden will receive one-eleventh of the total amount.

And the JP's voted unanimously to give bonuses at the end of the year to all county employees. Full time employees will receive a $1,500.00, part timers will get $750.00.