Personnel, Budget Committees Disagree on Salary Hike Approvals
October’s Personnel and Budget Committee meetings were a mixed bag of failed Joint Resolutions to raise salaries of numerous County employees again, amid successful votes to amend the County Personnel manual and handle routine business. Meanwhile other Committees discussed animal shelter details and heard an appeal on the denial of a flood variance.
Courts & Public Safety Committee
Chair JP Maree Coats (R, Dist. 2) directed a 20-minute conversation about still-unresolved plans for operating the proposed animal shelter. She explained a provision in this month’s appropriations Ordinance that designates the animal shelter tax account as the funding source for work done up-to-date on the proposed shelter. No formal votes were taken.
Full meeting:
Infrastructure Committee
In a half-hour meeting required by a citizen appeal, JPs denied the County resident who requested a zoning variance after learning his construction project is in a County flood plain.
Legal opinions centered on the possibility of the County losing favorable flood insurance rates if the variance was allowed. (Despite the County’s numerous, ongoing ARP-funded infrastructure projects, the Infrastructure Committee has not met for the entire year except for this and another required mandatory process meeting.)
Full meeting:
Personnel Committee
The Personnel Committee passed its agenda items/Joint Resolutions that raise salaries in the offices of the Assessor, Treasurer, and County Clerk. The Committee also passed Joint Resolution 23-09 that changes a Circuit Court administrative position to a law clerk with a new salary of $71,499.
Joint Resolution 23-02 – Assessor
Joint Resolution 23-07 – Treasurer
Joint Resolution 23-08 – County Clerk
Joint Resolution 23-09 – Circuit Court Div. 1
JPs on the Committee also passed these changes to the Personnel Manual:
Ordinance 23-31 – Electronic Policy
Ordinance 23-32 – Travel Reimbursement
Ordinance 23-33 – Bereavement Leave
Full meeting:
Budget & Finance Committee
From its agenda, the Budget Committee passed only Joint Resolutions 23-07 – Treasurer and 23-09 – Circuit Court, choosing instead to table the other six Joint Resolutions dealing with salary hikes* until a future unspecified date.
The Budget Committee also passed a required grant Ordinance, the routine monthly appropriations, and yearly holiday bonus Ordinances, while repeat voting on the Sheriff’s Overdose Team Ordinance and approving UPS for a county tax-back program:
Ordinance 23-26 – S.O Overdose Team
Ordinance 23-28 – 3rd Div. Court Grant
Ordinance 23-29 – Appropriation
Ordinance 23-34 – One Time Pay Increase
Resolution 23-09 – UPS Tax Back Program
* The Budget Committee tabled these salary hike Joint Resolutions:
Joint Resolution 23-02 – Assessor
Joint Resolution 23-03 – Recorder’s Cost
Joint Resolution 23-04 – County Attorney
Joint Resolution 23-05 – Sheriff
Joint Resolution 23-06 – Coroner
Joint Resolution 23-08 – County Clerk
Full meeting:
JPs Opine
JPs John Allison (R, Dist. 3) and Jason Lyon (R, Dist. 8) posted their thoughts about the night’s Committee meetings on Facebook.
Videos from Faulkner County’s YouTube channel.)
Visit Faulkner County Reports on YouTube for videos and video excerpts from this and other County meetings and events.
