News

COUNTY RAISES NAB APPROVAL

By Ray King/OF THE COMMERCIAL STAFF
Tuesday, November 11, 2008 2:02 PM CST

Jefferson County employees who have been on the job at least a year will see their salaries increase beginning in January.

Without dissent, the county Quorum Court approved the three percent pay hikes as part of the overall 2009 budget. Elected officials, including the justices of the peace, and constables, will not be getting raises under the budget that was adopted Monday night.

That 2009 budget totals $12,250,393, with $8,783,345 devoted to County General and $3,467,048 for the County Road Department.

With senior Justice of the Peace Vannette Johnson chairing the meeting in place of County Judge Mike Holcomb, who was on vacation, the quorum court zipped through 30 ordinances, what Justice of the Peace Dr. Herman Ginger described as “a corn crib full,” in about 45 minutes by approving Ginger’s motion to read the ordinances by title only.

In addition to dealing with 2009 budgets, the quorum court approved spending $115,000 to conduct the Nov. 25 run-off election and the Dec. 9 special sales tax election.

Elections Coordinator Taylor Eubank said in a letter to the quorum court that expenses for the general election and run-off election are reimbursed by cities and towns in the county, and based on estimated expenses, the county should receive about $70,000 for the two elections. The expenses for the run-off election are not reimbursable.

The county’s legislative body also approved a 2009 budget of more than $3.9 million to operate the adult detention center with a majority of that money coming from the quarter-cent maintenance and operations sales tax that was approved by county voters when they voted to build the new jail.

An additional $515,000-plus for the adult jail will come from the 2000 Public Safety sales tax.

County volunteer fire departments will split $200,000 of public safety sales tax money, with amounts ranging from $4,000 for the Humphrey department to $15,000 each for the Hardin, Highway 15 South, Island Harbor, Linwood/Moscow, Southeast, Tucker, Watson Chapel, Wright/Pastoria and Swan Lake departments. The Redfield, Sherrill and Wabbaseka departments will get $12,000 each, while Altheimer is slated to receive $8,000.

The sheriff’s department will receive $784,110, while the juvenile center gets $800,00 from the same sales tax next year.

A recommended 2009 budget of $485,100 for educational programs at the juvenile center was also approved, with much of that money being used for salaries and benefits for teachers and aides.

A proposed $1,791,487 budget to operate the juvenile justice center next year was sent back to the Public Safety/Emergency Services Committee, and will be considered in December.

Other 2009 budgets that were approved by the quorum court Monday included $725,000 for the Pine Bluff/Jefferson County Library System; $264,953 for the Solid Waste Management Fund; $930,000 for the Solid Waste Contract Fund; $294,356 for the Jefferson County Recycling Resource Recovery Fund; $140,000 for Jefferson County Tire Disposal; $100,000 for the Jefferson County/District Tire Disposal Fund; $26,332 for a county environmental officer; $60,000 to cover jury fees in the five divisions of circuit court; and $47,600 for the public defender’s office.

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