Benton County aims to share Rescue Plan money with employees

BENTONVILLE -- Benton County employees may each receive up to $2,000 of American Rescue Plan money this year.

The Benton County Quorum Court met Tuesday to discuss the federal money the county will receive from the plan. The focus of the meeting was county employees.

The American Rescue Plan provides $350 billion in federal money for eligible state, local, territorial and tribal governments nationwide, according to a county news release. Benton County will receive a combined $54 million -- $27 million over the next two years.

Irene Mirch, county human resources director, presented the employee pay proposal to the Quorum Court.

The original proposal called for full-time employees hired on or before Jan. 27, 2020, to receive up to $1,500 in 2021; other employees would have received a prorated amount of the $1,500 based upon the month in which they were hired. Part-time employees would have been eligible to receive up to $750, according to the original proposal.

Justices of the peace voted to raise the payments to $2,000 for full-time employees and $1,000 for part-time employees.

The proposal will increase retention of employees and can be a factor in recruiting new employees, County Judge Barry Moehring said. He said county employees have performed amazingly during the covid-19 pandemic.

The proposal also calls for additional payments in subsequent years. Full-time employees hired on or before Jan. 1, 2021, would receive $1,000 in 2022. Anyone hired after that would receive a prorated amount based upon the month they were hired. Part-time employees were eligible to receive up to $500. Similar payments would be made in 2023 and 2024, according to the original proposal.

The original proposal would have cost $3,798,715. Moehring said the increases will add up to $400,000 to the pay proposal.

Mirch said employees would receive the payments in one check. Chairman Tom Allen proposed paying the money to employees around Christmas.

The proposal will be presented as an ordinance at September's finance meeting.

Justices of the peace will discuss infrastructure, water, sewer and broadband in relation to the American Rescue Plan at Monday's meeting.

Earlier Tuesday, during the Quorum Court's Committee of the Whole meeting, Mike Brown with Off-Street Parking District No. 3 announced a parking deck will be built on district property across from the Benton County Administration Building on Central Avenue. County employees now use the parking lot that has 87 spots.

The first level of the deck will have 280 parking spots designated for public use, which includes county employees. Construction is expected to begin early next year and will take 18 months, he said.