New Court Spot, Greenbrier School Officers Get Nod, but Pay Hike Tabled

At the August 9 Personnel Committee meeting, JPs approved two of three items on the agenda but chose not to act upon a proposed pay hike for the County Judge & Sheriff that the Committee had previously approved back in May.

Ordinance 22-39, New Position in 1st Division Circuit Court

Judge Susan Weaver asked for a former position to be restored to her staff by creating a current part=time position to full-time because she is “drowning in work” after losing a court clerk before she took the office. The new position requires $21,120 from County General.

Chair JP Tyler Pearson (D, Dist. 7) asked whether the other 1st Division counties — who will also benefit from the new position — could help fund the cost before the Committee unanimously approved sending the Ordinance forward.

Ordinance 22-27, Pay Hike for Judge, Sheriff

JP Tyler Lachowsky (R, Dist. 6) told committee members, “You’ve heard my pitch … it’s time we look at salaries for elected officials.”

In this second appearance to initiate the Ordinance with the Personnel Committee, Lachowsky reminded the Committee of previous spreadsheets and data he’s provided and said he’d now added the Association of Arkansas Counties’ 2022 elected officials salary survey into the numbers.

After Pearson said “several” elected officials had asked that the issue be put aside “until after the [November] election,” JP John Pickett (D, Dist. 11) moved to table the Ordinance. The Committee unanimously agreed to table the Ordinance until “next year or December,” Pearson said.

Ordinance 22-34, Greenbrier School Resource Officers

JP Randy Higgins (R, Dist. 2) introduced the Ordinance and the draft agreement between Greenbrier Schools and the Sheriff’s Department for two school resource officers: one each for Springhill Elementary and Wooster Elementary.

Higgins explained that the Greenbrier Police Department provides school officers for every other Greenbrier school but these two elementary schools fall outside Greenbrier Police Department’s jurisdiction because they’re outside Greenbrier city limits.

Among many details, the agreement specifies that Greenbrier Schools will pay salary and benefits plus any future cost-of-living or other salary hikes approved by the Quorum Court for the two officers, and the Sheriff’s Department will use the officers during the three months school is not in session.

The two new officers will cost the Sheriff’s Department an additional $3,600 for “tools needed,” including patrol vehicles plus maintenance and insurance, training, uniforms, firearms, etc., which the Sheriffs’ Department will provide.

JP John Allison (R, Dist. 3) pointed out that the Arkansas School Safety Commission (on which he serves) would soon be “strongly recommending” that each school have armed personnel on duty; then the Committee unanimously passed the Ordinance.

Videos edited from original video on Faulkner County’s YouTube channel.)

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