Council upholds personnel policy
Judge unhappy with decision
By Debbie Lowe

Tension was palpable between Carroll County Superior Court Judge Jeffery Smith and county council members at a Friday morning meeting. The county leaders denied the judge's request for health benefits and/or a higher rate of pay for a temporary employee in his court.

Smith's permanent bailiff went on unpaid medical leave in September. He explained to council members he "is required by state statute to have a bailiff."

He requested the council pay the temporary bailiff a wage higher than allowed by the personnel policy, and to provide funds to purchase the same employee's health insurance for six months, while the permanent bailiff is gone.

When Smith knew he was going to hire someone to fill in for the permanent employee, he did not post or advertise the position.

Council president Rob Baker noted that to fill a temporary position a department head is not required to advertise. Baker told Smith that he treated the new employee as full-time and permanent.

"There are two different standards here," he told Smith.

Smith said there is a high expectation that the temporary employee will become a permanent employee in six months.

He said the court transferred funds from user fees to the general fund so there would be "no additional cost to the taxpayers."

Council member Ann Brown disagreed with Smith.

"In the long run, it is costing the taxpayers," she emphasized. "I can't vote for this - that's my position."

Brown explained to Smith the employment position was temporary by his admission and read out loud from the county policy.

"Part-time or temporary employees are not allowed any benefits (i.e. vacation, sick days, insurance, paid holidays, personal days)." From page 10, section 2B, under "Employee."

She stated no other temporary or part-time worker receives the benefits Smith was demanding.

"The position was not advertised," she said. "Someone else might have taken the job without demanding those benefits. That's not fair to her (the temporary employee) or to anyone else in the county," she finished.

Reiterating that the temporary employee was hired at a higher wage than allowed by county policy, Baker told Smith he should not have "thrown in health benefits." Smith replied he needed to "entice them to leave their job and work in the court."

According to the county salary ordinance, the most a part-time or temporary county employee can be paid is $8.83/hour.

Brown questioned the appropriateness of using user fees, which Baker said are to be utilized for education and rehabilitation of those convicted of alcohol related crimes.

"I believe I am on firm ground with this," Smith replied. "My next step is to contact the council and file a mandate."

Carroll Manor Director Martha Lewis said she recently experienced a similar situation and she adhered to the county policy.

"If the council allows this," she said emphatically, "I'm going to fight for my employees (to receive the same considerations)."

"You can do what you have to do and I'll do what I have to do," Smith told council members.

"You're going to force my hand," he said as he left the meeting room. Drainage Board Budget Appeal

Stating that "qualified people deserve qualified salaries," Carroll County Drainage Board President Loren Hylton presented a budget appeal to council members.

Hylton said the drainage board suffered an overall 35 percent decrease in funding, including a 55 percent decrease in the amount paid to board members, which are the three sitting commissioners, and a 58 percent salary decrease for board secretary.

Hylton said the message sent was, "you aren't worth what we're paying you."

Council member Nancy Cripe reported the pay for each commissioner/ board member for every meeting rose from $73 to $79 in the past five years and the request for 2007 was for $83.

She said most other board members are compensated $36.50 per meeting. Emergency sheriff's deputies receive $30 for each day they work.

"It has to do with being fair," council member Carl Abbott said. "There are other boards who meet more and get paid less. It's our job to keep these things in line."

Hylton suggested all boards are not equal with respect to responsibilities and the number

of members. He continued by explaining that the secretary used her own equipment, provided her own office space and spent her own money for paper supplies and mileage to do county work.

Council member Jerry Hendress took issue with that line of reasoning to justify paying the requested amount.

"We've supplied money that hasn't been used to help her do her job," he said.

No appropriated funding was claimed for mileage, furniture and fixtures, pens/pencils, etc., according to a handout provided by Cripe. The amount of money claimed for paper supplies was $28.54 in the past five years.

Council member Steve Ashby said county spending continues to rise each year. He said the budget rose from approximately $4.9 million two years ago to $7.1 million last year and this year's requests totaled $8.2 million.

"We have to get the county running more like a business," he said.

Hylton noted the council did not decrease the salary of the board's legal council.

Baker advised that decision was made due to the contractual agreement with the attorney.

"We're trying to keep things equal," he said.

There was no vote for reconsideration of the drainage board budget.

Other business

Lewis was granted permission to advertise for a housekeeping aid at Carroll Manor.

Transfers:

+ Election board - $800 from deliver booths to precinct boards and $1,100 from election support to precinct boards;

+ Child support - $412.24 from IV-D conference lodge/meals to office supplies;

+ Superior court - $1,000 from part-time secretarial to compensation time;

+ Carroll Manor - $5,000 from miscellaneous and $5,000 from building repair to utilities, $500 from miscellaneous to vehicle fuel, $2,500 from cooks to extra help and $480 from office supplies to furniture and fixtures;

+ Surveyor - $1,000 from deputy surveyor to extra survey, and $500 from deputy surveyor to extra clerical;

+ Park board - $500 from repair equipment to building and structure repair;

+ Museum - $180.20 from printing other than office supplies and $300 from historical markers to office supplies;

+ Jail - $2,500 from jail bedding and linen to janitorial supplies (which includes soap and shampoo for detainees);

+ Sheriff - $3,000 from radio equipment contract to automotive repair;

+ E-911 - $250 from printing other than office supplies to communications officer training;

+ Health department - $1,200 from mileage to environmental health;

+ Health - $1,197 from office supplies, $1,466.68 from educational supplies, $2,900 from lecture/ luncheons, $453.25 from advertising and $500 from rental fees to personal health (flu vaccine);

+ Division of Family and Children - $35,000 from preservation service to child welfare institutions;

+ County highway - $600 from weed spray to telephone and telegraph (for cell phones), $1,800 from weed spray to uniforms and testing, $100 from weed spray to training and education, $15,000 from truck drivers and $13,000 from garage and mechanics to fuel and $1,300 from equipment operators to utilities.

Additionals:

+ Commissioners - $8,000 for underground storage tanks (includes $2,000 for capping the wells); and

+ Joint courts - $21,000 for additional pauper counsel.

The next meeting will be Nov. 27 at 7 p.m. Meeting location has not been determined.