Committee gives nod to new, changed positions; OKs outfitting vehicles

FAYETTEVILLE -- Justices of the peace decided Monday to create a deputy coroner position, add duties to a position at the animal shelter and to use insurance money to outfit Sheriff's Office vehicles.

The Personnel and Finance committees approved changes during back-to-back meetings Monday night.

Quorum Court

The Washington County Quorum Court will meet at 6 p.m. April 19 at the county courthouse in Fayetteville.

Source: Staff Report

If approved by the Quorum Court, the changes mean the county will have spent roughly $32,000 in combined changes to personnel positions so far this year, records show. That amount includes plans to raise County Attorney Brian Lester's salary by about $8,600.

As of mid-March, the county had approved spending $13,568 in salary adjustments, according to ordinances.

The county has a roughly $5 million gap between expected revenue and approved spending in its $68 million budget. Reserve shrank to about $5 million in March, according to records presented to the Finance Committee. The county recently had to transfer about $410,000 from reserve to cover costs at the detention center.

On Monday, officials said most of the money for the recently proposed job changes are covered by approved budgets. The Coroner's Office, for example, plans to use about $26,300 from budgeted part-time money to offset costs from creating the position, Corner Roger Morris said.

The county would pay about $10,000 to cover employee benefits.

Morris said that amount could be less because the county will be cutting hours for part-time employees and reducing benefits those employees already get. At least one part-time deputy coroner works about 60 hours per week, Morris said.

The Coroner's Office has too much work and is struggling to keep well-trained part-time employees, Morris said.

The office fields about 2,500 calls per year, up from about 600 calls per year 16 years ago, Morris said. The office hasn't requested new employees in about 16 years, despite Washington County's growth, he said.

Meanwhile, Animal Shelter Director Angela Ledgerwood said during an earlier meeting Monday the shelter can be more efficient by adding duties to one position. Ledbetter didn't attend the Finance or Personnel committees' meetings but was at the Job Evaluation and Salary Administration Program Committee meeting the same day.

All of the committees approved adding responsibilities, including a title change to "veterinary technician and transport coordinator," and approved raising the job's minimum pay. If approved by the Quorum Court, pay will start at about $15 per hour, up from about $14, according to online pay ranges.

The Finance Committee also approved using $16,000 the Sheriff's Office received in insurance money to outfit two vehicles. The payment was from a wrecked Chevrolet Tahoe.

Sheriff Tim Helder said in a letter to Finance Committee members he plans to pay an outside company to install emergency equipment in 19 vehicles.

NW News on 04/10/2018

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