Committee agrees to present 2021 budget for QC approval

The St. Francis County Quorum Court will consider several matters regarding money when they meet in regular session next month.

The budget committee on Tuesday agreed to present the county’s 2022 budget to the full Court for approval, along with holiday incentive bonuses for employees.

County Judge Gary Hughes gave committee members copies of the proposed $12,678,116.47 million budget for all county departments, which is $157,269.85 over the 2021 budget of $12,500,846.62. The projected budget for county general for 2022 is $4,192,552.07.

Hughes explained the 2022 budget includes the premium pay employees are currently receiving through the county’s portion of federal American Rescue Plan relief funding. The premium pay program adds $2 to each county employee’s wages for two years. The cost for that in 2022 is estimated at $608,583.91, with $217,243.87 being paid out of the county general fund. Elected officials do not receive premium pay at this time.

The county has a projected carryover this year. “We’re planning to transfer $1,390,500 at year end. I always say anything over $1 million is excess funds that we need for next year,” said Hughes.

The county’s general budget is showing an increase of $214,005.41 for 2022, which Hughes noted was entirely due to the premium pay.

“Basically, what I’m saying, is if not for the premium pay, the budgets would not even be increasing for 2022. That’s the point I’m trying to make,” said Hughes. “Basically, there were no requests overall in county general to increase the budgets and everything is basically staying the same.”

The county’s budgeted expenses for 2022 exceed its budgeted revenue. However, in order to balance the budget, Hughes explained that $217,243 could be transferred from the county’s American Rescue fund to cover the premium pay along with $125,809 from the carryover in the county general fund.

Justice Regan Hill asked if the county would receive any more federal money through the Covid relief plan, to which Hughes answered another $2.4 million is expected next year to reach the county’s total allotment of $4.8 million.

The premium pay plan, which adds $2 to every county employee’s hourly wage for two years, is expected to cost about $1 million.

“We’d like to thank the elected officials for trying to maintain their current budgets and allowing us to have a pretty easy job of making sure we have a balanced budget,” said Hughes.

Hill also voiced caution for supervisors signing time sheets that now include the premium pay option. Employees are not eligible to receive premium pay when they are out sick or take a day off.

“The guidelines are they have to be at the office, at the workplace and not paid during vacations or sick leave. They have to have the time on their job and at their site in order for receive that premium pay,” said Hill.

Justice Earnestine Weaver also mentioned how elected officials are expected to show up at their office and work each day to do the job they were elected to do.

“Another thing I think we need to be conscious of, too, and I’m not pointing a finger at anyone, but if you’re an elected official and you are spending less than 50% of your time on the job, that’s a problem,” she said. “If you come in and sign in at 8 o’clock and 10 minutes after you’re gone for the day or you come in at 1 and gone at 10 minutes after 1, that’s a problem and we have to be very conscious of that because we’re not giving the service we were elected to give.”

The committee also agreed to propose an increase in the holiday incentive pay for county employees.

The annual budget includes a $300 bonus for full-time workers and $150 for part-time employees. Justices last night agreed to request the full Court approve increasing that amount to $500 for full-time and $250 for part-time. The move would cost the county about $24,200, which would be taken from county’s the Covid Relief Fund, from where the bonuses were also taken last year.

Justices also agreed to allow Hughes to research salaries for elected officials and report his findings to the Court.

“I’ve been approached by elected officials, and I think it’s time for us to look at our elected officials’ salaries,” said Hughes. “We’re talking about the six fulltime elected officials and Quorum Court members.”

Hughes continued, “I’ve been here 16 years and I’ve never asked for a raise, and I’m not going to ask for one the last year I’m here. I don’t think that’s my job; that’s your job. But, on behalf of other elected officials, I thought this was fair and reasonable. I’ll do the research and bring you back a report. I’ll use primarily counties of similar size to see how we compare.”

“I hope our elected officials know how much this Court appreciates what they do,” said Hill. “We certainly at no time want to slight them or to not include them in looking at their salaries. I know we try to do everything we can for our employees and they have too.”

Hughes also presented the committee with a salary scale for any future employees.

“You have to approve the positions and create the rate of pay for each and every position the county has,” said Hughes. “If a new employee is hired, the scale shows the maximum salary we can pay when they start.”

Hughes also mentioned a bill in Congress that would remove some of the reporting requirements for American Rescue Funds and Covid Relief Funds.

“This bill would basically do away with all of this nonsense and red tape on how we can use this $4.8 million, and it basically would say the county could use this money for any government function the Quorum Court deems appropriate,” said Hughes. “So many many cities and counties across state and country are scratching their heads on what they can do that’s going to be approved. They don’t know what to do and can’t get good directions. Fortunately, we have a plan.”

Hughes said the reporting side of the process has not be completed.

“The reports aren’t even out and they’re saying we’ll have to hire consultants to do the reporting, and these consultants want $250,000 to file the reports necessary on this $4.8 million,” he said. “If I was going to be here for the next two years, I’d do the reporting myself – right or wrong – before I’d pay $250,000.”