Benton County considers new employee requests

AP Photo file photo Members of the Benton County Quorum Court are considering requests for adding new employees. P Photo/M. Spencer Green)
AP Photo file photo Members of the Benton County Quorum Court are considering requests for adding new employees. P Photo/M. Spencer Green)

BENTONVILLE -- Benton County's justices of the peace on Tuesday began studying more than $1.2 million in personnel requests for the 2016 budget.

The Personnel Committee heard from department heads and elected officials asking for 19 positions, with a price tag of about $900,000, and wage changes bringing the cost to more than $1.2 million, according to Barb Ludwig, human resources administrator.

Shirley Sandlin of District 8 and committee chairman, decided to split the agenda and left some other budget-related requests for a meeting set for 6 p.m. Oct. 6.

"We're going to wind up breaking this in two pieces, rather than us bringing our pajamas," Sandlin said.

Sandlin asked the members of the committee to study the personnel requests presented Tuesday and be prepared to rank them in terms of priority order for next year's budget. The rankings will be sent to the Budget Committee when that panel begins its work, Ludwig said.

"Personnel is looking at the needs and ranking those needs," Ludwig said. "Finance will take those and if they have, say $200,000, for personnel they'll decide which requests to fund."

The Sheriff's Office and Road Department each had substantial personnel requests for 2016. The Sheriff's Office is asking for six more deputies, five field deputies and one for the courthouse/administration security detail. The estimated cost was put at $250,000 for 2016.

The Road Department is asking for seven more positions, according to Jeff Clark, public services administrator. Clark said the department has worked to expand its paving program, pushing to pave about 53 miles of roads this year. He said the new positions will help improve maintenance of the paved roads and do more work mowing and brush cutting. The department is also trying to make its maintenance and repair work more efficient by adding a welder/mechanic position to each of the satellite road yards instead of having equipment brought to Bentonville for work. The cost of the new positions was put at $317,000.

"I wouldn't be here if I didn't feel we had this need," Clark said.

The committee heard a request to raise the pay for poll workers and precinct sheriffs, who work part-time during elections. Poll worker pay will increase from $8 an hour to $9 an hour while precinct sheriffs who oversee the operation of individual polling places, will see their pay rise from $10 an hour to $11 an hour. The increase is meant to keep the pay rate above the state's minimum wage, which is set to increase to $8 an hour in 2016 and $8.40 in 2017.

Ludwig said the increase in the Election Commission budget from 2015 to 2016 is about $279,000. But comparing 2016, a presidential election year, to 2012, the most recent presidential election year, shows the budget increase is only about $59,000, she said.

The panel also heard a request for pay increases for members of the Equalization Board, which meets in the late summer and fall of each year after property owners are notified of changes in their property assessment and taxes and choose to appeal the decisions of the Assessor's office. The request would have increased the pay for the board members from $100 per meeting to $125 per meeting.

The board typically meets for a full day hearing appeals rather than two or three hours as other boards may do. The Assessor's Office will be doing a reappraisal in 2016 and the number of meeting days is expected to jump from about 30 to about 80. The County Clerk's office, which acts as the board's secretary, is also asking for two temporary clerical positions to assist with the increased number of meetings. The increase in pay for the board and adding the two positions would raise the budget for the board from $29,115.13 this year to $117,430.82 next year.

The justices of the peace delayed until the Oct. 6 meeting consideration of a longevity pay plan to increase employees pay when they reach certain benchmarks for years of service. The plan would cost about $183,750 in the first year and about $65,000 a year in subsequent years. Annual raises for employees and raises for elected officials also remain on the agenda.

NW News on 09/30/2015

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