Pulaski County justices of the peace will receive a 4 percent pay increase next year after their vote Tuesday night approving raises to match those given to other county employees and elected officials.
Justices of the peace approved the increase, along with a formal method for declining it, through an amendment to the ordinance setting the justices' of the peace per-meeting pay. The vote was 13-0. Robert Green Sr., D-McAlmont, was absent from the meeting, and Judy Green, D-Little Rock, missed the vote.
The amendment establishes that justices of the peace who decline raises or waive any per-meeting compensation must put that in writing and submit it to the Quorum Court office. Quorum Court Administrator Justin Blagg said the county is putting together an official form for justices of the peace to fill out if they want to decline the raises. The form isn't final yet, so no justices of the peace have filled it out.
Justice of the Peace Phil Stowers, R-Maumelle, and Justice of the Peace Luke McCoy, R-Sherwood, have said publicly that they plan to decline it. Approached after Tuesday night's meeting, some justices of the peace said they were still deciding, and some said they planned to take it.
Justice of the Peace Lillie McMullen, D-Little Rock, said she would not decline it, calling the per-meeting pay an incentive for people to run for office.
"We're part of the county," she said. "It's the incentive."
Stowers, in his statement to the Quorum Court in November about the raise, said he did not want his vote on 2016 budget matters to be "for personal gain," although he respected that the decision to accept or decline the raise was one for each justice of the peace to make on their own.
Stowers, Justice of the Peace Tyler Denton, D-Little Rock, and Justice of the Peace Doug Reed, R-Roland, declined the 4 percent raise last year. Approached after the meeting, Reed said he planned to decline again for 2016.
The amendment raises the pay for agenda meetings and full Quorum Court meetings from $481.25 to $500.50, or from $11,550 annually to $12,012 annually, if a justice of the peace attends all of the 24 meetings. They are not paid for the meetings they do not attend.
Justices of the peace on the budget committee earn an additional $150 per budget committee meeting, but their annual compensation cannot exceed $13,319, per state law.
Justices of the peace approved 4 percent raises for county employees and elected officials each of the past two years.
In previous years, former Justice of the Peace Shane Stacks, R-North Little Rock, made motions to exempt justices of the peace from any raises or bonuses that they might vote on. The motions were unsuccessful.
Stowers, having declined the raise two years in a row, will continue to make 2014-level pay per meeting, which was $462.75, or $11,106 annually, if he attends all 24 meetings.
Metro on 12/16/2015