Senator Terry Rice

Joint Budget Committee — March 20, 2025 (49:38)

I've lost confidence in the people that are working on this, and now we're trying to fit the widget in whatever holes left, and that doesn't inspire confidence in me. I want the taxpayer to have some confidence too, and they've not been given the up-front information that they need just by saying we don't have it yet, but yet we're going to fund it, and we're going to get so far down the road with so much money that the legislature can't say no we just got to pump more into it that's my fear thank you

Joint Budget Committee — March 20, 2025 (49:04)

But my fear is the way this project has been done to date, that we will spend mega millions and we'll find out we need more money to do it right. And again, the things that's not just within the fence is part of this project that the taxpayer is going to pay for. We're not saying no to a prison. I voted for the SAFET Act. I voted for a prison. But I'm trying to get some confidence, and Senator Payton said it for me.

Joint Budget Committee — March 20, 2025 (48:58)

you're recognized. Thank you. I will thank Senator Payton for saying some things that's on my mind,

Joint Budget Committee — March 20, 2025 (35:01)

You're saying that the highways and all the water lines and all is included

Joint Budget Committee — March 20, 2025 (33:13)

Can you tell us what the total cost is going to be in a range, not just what the person and company said is $825 million, all this other stuff that the taxpayers are going to have to pay for to make this project work. What kind of range do you

Joint Budget Committee — March 20, 2025 (32:37)

what you have stated is that and I'm not not question your experience but what we're looking at and saying is building 101 what what does building 101 say in In this project, it says you buy a piece of land before you do due diligence. And that may not have been your decision, but they bought a piece of land for $3 million before due diligence was done because it was available to buy.

Joint Budget Committee — March 20, 2025 (32:06)

that's going to take away from some other projects they've got on their five-year plan to do and all these things go into the cost of the prison that's what the taxpayers are concerned about is the bottom line of what it's going to cost not what the building's going the cost not what the everything with inside the fence is the prison is the whole project and that's not what I'm hearing that we're talking about what

Joint Budget Committee — March 20, 2025 (31:34)

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Befury, this project is going to require, to the best that people can look at it, miles of water lines, wastewater plant, ponds for the wastewater plant, rebuild of highways that don't have base that I'm told that they're going to need. uh redoing the highways if the highway if rdott's expected to pay for that

ALC - PEER — Oct. 15, 2019 (18:16)

He is trying to hurry though Madam chair let me just go

ALC - PEER — Oct. 15, 2019 (18:22)

ahead and say this and if he comes and wants to speak, we've got, you know, our committee here, but something that this important and this encompassing of importance, I would ask that we move this to full ALC Friday without recommendation. That way we'd have more legislators

ALC - PEER — Oct. 15, 2019 (17:46)

So, Madam Chair, I guess if the Secretary gets here, we may have some more questions. I will have a motion at the proper time Would you like

ALC - PEER — Oct. 15, 2019 (17:16)

they're supposedly dictated that they had to meet every quarter, and the paper said they didn't meet. Okay. But you understand the reason for concerns throughout this process, not this one thing. It's a culmination of many things that if I was an animal farmer, and I used to be, and my sons are now, I don't blame people being concerned about their future when

ALC - PEER — Oct. 15, 2019 (17:44)

we look into some of this.

ALC - PEER — Oct. 15, 2019 (16:41)

but the part in here that says, but not limited to, and I understand they put that in lots of things for leeway. Is this Buffalo, this grant is going to be from the Department of Agriculture to who? Buffalo River Conservation Committee? Yes, sir. Is

ALC - PEER — Oct. 15, 2019 (17:12)

didn't meet much, as much as they were,

ALC - PEER — Oct. 15, 2019 (16:36)

anybody. And what you state are good things, and we're familiar with those some,

ALC - PEER — Oct. 15, 2019 (15:04)

this committee that i guarantee you there's plenty of pro-ag groups that would be happy to sign some petitions too but could you could you expound a little bit on what

ALC - PEER — Oct. 15, 2019 (14:33)

we all want clean water we all want a clean environment but that have seemingly the article in the Arkansas dim gas yesterday was eye-opening and timed it a good time too to open some people's eyes to see what it is and if 400 signatures from northwest Arkansas is going to be important to a state agency because of the volume of them I would remind

ALC - PEER — Oct. 15, 2019 (14:03)

into Buffalo River with some opening here for other purposes. is can you give me some kind of ease to what we're doing to our pro-animal agriculture that is so important to the state of Arkansas that feels like there are groups meaning well

ALC - PEER — Oct. 15, 2019 (13:29)

The timing was concerning to me. As I did a little further checking, there was another $800,000 bought in 2018. As people learn these things, and I don't know how much we buy, state buys land, I hopefully can check into it, but the timing was concerning to me. the timing right after this all gets settled of turning it around and putting a million dollars