Benton County tries to block federal salary rules

BENTONVILLE -- Benton County's justices of the peace were unanimous Tuesday in opposing federal labor guidelines for salaried workers.

The county's Committee of the Whole endorsed asking Leslie Rutledge, Arkansas' attorney general, to consider filing a lawsuit in federal court seeking to block the implementation of the new guidelines, which are set to take effect Dec. 1.

What’s next

Benton County’s Quorum Court is set to meet at 6 p.m. June 23 in the Quorum Courtroom at the County Administration Building, 215 E. Central Ave. in Bentonville.

Barb Ludwig, human resources administrator, said the new guidelines raise the minimum threshold for full-time salaried workers to $47,476, nearly double the current level. Ludwig said the county probably has 15 to 20 employees who could be affected by the changes, saying some are "front-line supervisors, some IT people, some managers, certain assistant directors and at least one director."

Ludwig said she's recalculating the cost to the county since the initial proposal had a higher minimum salary level. She said her current "guesstimate" is the new regulations would cost Benton County about $55,000.

Tom Allen, justice of the peace for District 4, said he sent the information about the new guidelines to the county trying to get some action taken.

"To me, it's a big issue," Allen said. "Not just for us trying to control the finances of Benton County. Our constituents, this is going to affect them as well."

Ludwig said a bill to block the regulations is pending in Congress, but quick action is unlikely. The resolution endorsed by the committee and sent on to the full Quorum Court for consideration asks Rutledge to consider taking legal action to stay the implementation of the Wage and Hour Division of the United States Department of Labor final rule pending a review of the financial and operational impact for employers and personal and financial impact on current salaried employees.

Pat Adams, justice of the peace for District 6, asked Ludwig if the county or state could avoid the new rules if the legal action fails.

"Is there any way for the state to opt out?" Adams asked

"No, it's a federal regulation," Ludwig said.

The committee also approved transferring $2.8 million from last year's budget into the capital projects fund. The fund had a balance of $1.3 million before the transfer. The fund is maintained by the Quorum Court as a separate fund and used for major building projects.

Also Tuesday, the committee approved sending a resolution to the Quorum Court authorizing the county judge to apply for a $50,000 grant on behalf of the Northeast Benton County Fire Department-EMS. Brenda Guenther, comptroller, said the department is trying to replace a fire boat used on Beaver Lake. A replacement is estimated at $350,000, Guenther said, and the department is working to find other sources for the remainder of the funds. The grant wouldn't require any matching money from the county.

NW News on 06/15/2016

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