Justices approve salary increases for SFC workers

Move taken to reward long-term employees for service to county

Salary increases for all St. Francis County employees were approved by members of the Quorum Court on Tuesday.

Justices adopted an ordinance to appropriate $136,938.41 to the county’s budget for salary increases for employees. The increases will be given based on continuous years of service with the county, and will be retroactive to Jan. 1 this year.

According to this ordinance, all full-time county employees will receive a salary adjustment increase based on each employee’s years of continuous service up to 10 years. Each employee will receive an increase of 10 cents per hour, per year for up to 10 years of continuous service.

SFC Judge Gary Hughes told justices that due to recent increases in minimum wage, the pay gap narrowed between those who are newly hired and the long-term employees.

"We have people just starting work with the county who are making nearly the same as some of our longtime employees," said Hughes. "Over the last couple of years, we have seen an increase in minimum wage each year, and with each increase, the pay gap between our long-time employees and our new hires got smaller and smaller."

According to Hughes, a new hire making nearly the same amount as a long-time employee is “just not right.”

"I was asked by the budget committee to put together something to change this and provide our long-time employees with a salary increase," said Hughes. "I have brought this before you all to look over and possibly adopt to increase the pay for our employees who have been with us for multiple years."

Justices unanimously approved the raises.

Other ordinances adopted during the meeting increase the uniform allowance for the county and address an inmate co-pay for medical charges. The ordinances also were for the appropriation of a juvenile officer grant and the purchase of a passenger van in the amount of $29,580 for juvenile services.

Justices also passed a resolution allowing SFC Sheriff Bobby May to apply for a Selective Traffic Enforcement Program grant for his department.

Brodie Johnson • Times-Herald St. Francis County Attorney Fletcher Long, left in top photo, looks over an ordinance as SFC Judge Gary Hughes addresses members of the Quorum Court during the group’s regular monthly meeting on Tuesday at the courthouse. Also pictured is Opal Chapman, the judge’s administrative assistant. In the photo at left, First Judicial District Circuit Court Judge Kathie Hess discusses a plan for juveniles in the county. Justices agreed to purchase a building on Highway 70 East to house juvenile programs that are being funded through a portion of sales tax approved by voters last year to also fund construction of a new county jail.