Benton County panel OKs longevity pay plan

BENTONVILLE -- A plan to reward long-term employees was endorsed Tuesday by Benton County justices of the peace.

The Personnel Committee voted to send a proposed longevity pay plan on the the Finance Committee for more discussion next week. The panel also recommended some other personnel requests be considered, but balked at a set of requests from the Benton County Sheriff's Office when no one from the office appeared at the meeting to answer questions. The Sheriff's Office personnel requests were tabled.

County committees

Personnel requests from elected officials and department heads must go through Benton County’s committee process before they are considered by the Quorum Court. Requests recommended for consideration by the Personnel Committee are ranked in a priority order and forwarded to the Finance Committee, which is set to meet at 6 p.m. July 7 in the Quorum Courtroom at the County Administration Building.

The Sheriff's Office requested adding two detective positions for the cyber crimes division, one new animal control officer and a part-time public information coordinator. According to information presented by Barb Ludwig, human resources administrator, the requests will cost the county $66,557 through the remainder of 2016 and $173,048 for 2016 if approved.

Brent Meyers of District 14 was critical of the Sheriff's Office for failing to have a representative at the meeting. He said having another Personnel Committee meeting to consider those requests will cost the county several hundred dollars.

"We have jobs to do also and by God they can take the time to be here," Meyers said. "It's ridiculous the county has to spend extra money because no one from the Sheriff's Office shows up."

Shirley Sandlin of District 8 and head of the committee, said the requests will be reconsidered if they are resubmitted.

The Personnel Committee forwarded to the Finance Committee all the remaining items on its agenda Tuesday. The requests were reviewed and recommended by the Job Evaluation and Salary Administration Program Committee.

That panel is made up of the county's elected officials, Ludwig and Sandlin. The requests include reorganizations in the Road Department and the Juvenile Probation and 9-1-1 Administration offices. The panel also forwarded three requests for wage adjustments for the Finance Committee to consider.

The JESAP Committee had also recommended adopting the longevity pay proposal. That plan would increase the base pay of employees by $250 after five years of service, $500 after 10 years, $750 after 15 years and $1,000 after 20 years.

The estimated first-year cost of the proposal is about $260,000, including wages and benefits, Ludwig said. Current employees would receive all longevity pay increases they are eligible for.

The county has 20 employees with 20 or more years of service. Those employees would receive $2,500 if the plan is approved, Ludwig said.

Longevity pay will be in addition to, not a replacement for, merit increases and cost-of-living pay increases, Ludwig said. The Personnel Committee asked Ludwig to add another longevity pay step for employees with more than 20 years of service and she said she will have that for the Finance Committee.

Ludwig also said she will include a proposal to cover those county employees who have reached their maximum pay under the current pay scale, possibly to provide them with a lump-sum payment rather than an increase in base pay.

NW News on 07/01/2015

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