Sebastian County officials again spar over pay scales

story by Aric Mitchell
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Sebastian County Quorum Court members sparred over the salary system for a second month in a row following discussion at the May monthly meeting.

During Tuesday night’s (June 7) meeting the issue continued to spark debate with court members Leo Faulkner and Linda Murry in disagreement over the competitive nature of Sebastian County regarding how well compensated their employees are.

Murry conducted a private study after it was presented at the May meeting by Judge David Hudson that human resource director and comptroller pay was too low and he was having difficulty filling the positions under the current grade.

“After speaking to some of the other counties, which included Washington, Benton, Garland and Faulkner, it’s apparent that our salaries are the highest in the state compared to other similar counties,” Murry said.

While Murry agreed with Hudson that a third party consultant to review the current pay grading would be beneficial, she took exception to his belief that no qualified candidate would take the vacant HR and comptroller positions at the current pay grade.

Murry encouraged court members to look at multiple comparisons according to the Association of Arkansas Counties 2011 Government Salary Survey. Though Washington County, for example, is larger than Sebastian, Sebastian’s pay for the chief deputy position is approximately $46,500, close to $1,000 more annually. Likewise, the County Clerk of Sebastian makes $77,144 annually compared to $73,586 for the same position in Benton County.

“These people are qualified that are in these positions,” Murry said. “If we’re looking to compare how we stand up to other counties, we’ve got to look at what people are making and how long they’ve been in their positions.”

In May, Judge Hudson asked that he be allowed to recruit for HR and comptroller positions at a salary of $60,000 each. The court shot down this proposal by a vote of 7-6. Tuesday night Hudson requested pay exceptions of $52,926 (comptroller) and $55,000 (HR director), and was defeated once again. Court member Leo Faulkner was the only one to defend the higher pay requests.

“I know Linda’s done some checking around, but this is the most efficient county with the most capital in the entire state, and our people are the greatest asset to our county. We are number one and there’s a reason. It’s because we’ve had good, dedicated people through the years. If you want to go out and hire someone at the minimum wage, you’re going to get what you pay for. But in management positions, I want good people. We’re the better county, and I want us to stay that way. You look at the HR director of the City (of Fort Smith), and he’s making $87,000,” Faulkner said.

Murry noted that the difference between comparing the county and city pay scales is that Sebastian County “operates on about a $40 million budget; theirs (Fort Smith’s) is about $350 million.”

Murry continued: “It’s nice to pay good salaries, and we have some of the best benefits of anyone in the area. But those salaries come at a cost to the taxpayer. We have a good financial backbone, and it isn’t my goal to not just pay people what they’re worth, but to make it equitable across the board.”

The court ultimately voted to table the salary grading system for the 2012 budget review closer to the end of the year.

Also at the Committee meeting, Hudson reviewed sales tax and property tax numbers. Concerning sales tax, Hudson estimates that the final tally for 2011 will be $3,201,797, down from $3,246,398, in 2010, and down close to $400,000 since 2008. In contrast, property taxes have risen from $7,375,902 in 2008 to $7,926,081, in 2010. The estimate for 2011 is $8,016,827.

The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Sebastian County Quorum Court will be held June 16.