Panel backs 6% raises for county employees in ’22

Part to be merit, part cost of living

BENTONVILLE — The Benton County Budget Committee on Monday night worked to hammer out the final details of the 2022 budget.

Next year’s general fund budget is projected at $52.6 million.

One of the issues the justices of the peace discussed is whether to give employees cost of living or merit raises.

Benton County Sheriff Shawn Holloway told justices of the peace he leaned toward a cost of living raise for everyone instead of focusing on merit raises.

Justice of the Peace Tom Allen, who chairs the committee, said he also favored giving employees cost of living raises instead of merit raises because of the economy and higher prices people are paying for gasoline and other goods.

Justice of the Peace Joseph Bollinger suggested giving 6% raises with 3% being cost of living and 3% being for merit pay.

The justices of the peace decided to give employees a 5% raise at the suggestion of Justice of the Peace Susan Anglin.

The committee voted in favor of giving employees 2% cost of living raises and 3% merit increases. Twelve officials voted in favor while Bollinger and Joel Edwards cast votes against it.

“We will put that in the budget when we vote on the entire budget,” Allen said.

It did not end the discussions about the raises.

Holloway agreed to remove two items in capital requests valued at more than $110,000 from the budget. The removal helped the justices of the peace decide to give employees a 6% percent raise.

Jones asked the justices of the peace to reconsider and give employees a 6% raise with 4% being for merit and 2% for cost of living. The cap for the merit pay is 6%, which means some employees could receive up to 8% raises.

Thirteen justices of the peace voted in favor of Jones’ amendment to the pay increases. Justice of the Peace Kurt Moore was the lone vote against it.

The officials debated whether to accept a market study that will raise the pay of hundreds of employees.

The market study was done by an outside party to determine how the Benton County pay compares by position to various other entities, county comptroller Brenda Peacock said.

The $ 1.5 million in the market study is the amount it would take to bring several positions that are below market average to the market average.

The 14 justices of the peace voted unanimously to include the $1.5 million in the study in next year’s budget.

The study also included taking elected officials’ pay up to 90% of the state maximum established by state statute. Benton County elected officials’ pay is now at 80% of the maximum, Peacock said.

The justices of the peace voted 10-3 at the Oct. 25 budget meeting to bring the elected officials to the full maximums in the 2022 budget.

The budget ordinance will come at a later time. The budget has to be approved by the end of the year.

Capital requests for next year total $4.95 million. Most of the capital requests are for vehicles and machinery and equipment.

The Road Department has $2.88 million in capital requests to purchase four graders, four dump trucks, a single-axle dump, a bush hog unit, a bulldozer, a compacter and six trucks. That cost will be offset by a little over $1 million in used equipment sales.

The county expects a little over $1 million in revenue from the sale of old Road Department equipment.

The Road Department’s budget is projected at $14.1 million.

The Sheriff’s Office wants to acquire 15 Chevrolet Tahoes in the 2022 budget. The vehicles cost $ 50,000 each. Last year’s budget had the office getting 13 new Tahoes, but officials are still waiting to receive 12 of them, Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Meyer Gilbert previously said.

The Sheriff’s Office budget is projected at $14.7 million. The county jail budget for next year is $11.64 million.

The addition of 24 new positions would cost $817,451, according to the county. Salary waivers come to $102,901. The money would come from the general and non-general funds.

The justices of the peace will meet again Thursday, at which point they will continue working on the budget.