WASHINGTON COUNTY: Employees Get Raise
OFFICIALS AGREE TO DIP INTO RESERVES TO GIVE 2 PERCENT INCREASE
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
FAYETTEVILLE — Washington County employees can expect to see their paychecks increase by two percent next year and the raise will be paid for by dipping into reserve.
After more than two hours of debate, the Quorum Court’s Budget Committee approved the 2010 budget with raises, 9-4.
Three Republican justices of the peace — Butch Pond, Gary Carnahan and Mary Ann Spears — voted with the six Democratic justices of the peace to pass the budget.
Four Republican justices of the peace — Micah Neal, Rex Bailey and Joe Patterson, all of Springdale, and Tom Lundstrum of Elm Springs — voted no. They all voiced concern about spending more than $600,000 for raises.
The preliminary budget was out of balance more than $2.4 million because of budget shortfalls of more than $600,000 from the Road and Bridge Fund and $1.86 million from the Jail Fund.
Justices of the peace quickly agreed to divert more than $1.3 million in unappropriated revenues from the county’s general funds toward the shortfall, but that still left the budget more than $1.1 million short.
The motion by Justice of the Peace Ann Harbison of West Fork was approved to pay for the $1.1 million shortfall using money equally from two reserve funds and two contingency funds. The motion also included considering these transfers from the general funds to be loans that could be paid back later.
An amendment to her budget motion by Carnahan to give county employees a pro-rata bonus totaling $300,000 this year — instead of a two percent raise — failed by eight to fi ve.
The Quorum Court will off - cially vote on the budget next month, but since all 13 justices of the peace voted on it Tuesday, the next vote should be just a formality.
County Judge Marilyn Edwards, who supports the raises, told justices of the peace Tuesday she did not see any other way to balance the budget besides dipping into reserve.
Bailey said he could not vote for the pay hike and then face his customers in Springdale who are facing layoft s and hard times.
“I’m not against the employees. They are the greatest asset. But when you have revenues going down, you can’t give a raise,” Neal said. “You can’t cut into your contingencies.”
Justice of the Peace Candy Clark of Fayetteville, who supported the budget, argued the county employees were not really getting a pay increase because they would receive less money in 2010 than in 2009. That’s because of the way the pay checks fall, off cials said.
Comptroller Cheryl Bolinger explained this year employees, who are paid every two weeks, will receive 27 paychecks instead of 26 next year.
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