LITTLE ROCK — Wanting to thank city employees who “worked very hard” under tighter budgets during the recent recession, the North Little Rock City Council on Monday approved one-time bonuses for all full-time city employees.
The vote was 8-0 for the bonuses that will range from $250 to $750 per employee, for a total of $350,555.79.
The bonus also applies to Mayor Patrick Hays, City Attorney Jason Carter and City Clerk Diane Whitbey, the city’s only full-time elected officials.
“This is a one-time thing that I feel is a thank you and a recognition of their hard work,” said Hays, who will receive the maximum bonus based on his $97,518 annual salary.
The bonuses equal 1 percent of an employee’s annual salary, with the minimum bonus being $250 and the maximum $750. Thirty-nine workers will be bumped up to the minimum $250 mark, while 10 will receive $750, or less than 1 percent of their yearly pay. About 800 full-time employees will get a bonus, City Finance Director Bob Sisson has said.
Carter, Sisson, Police Chief Danny Bradley, Fire Chief Robert Mauldin and Electric Department Manager Mike Russ are among those to receive the $750 maximum; all make more than $87,000 per year. Whitbey’s bonus will be about $600.
Hays, who is in the process of finalizing the city’s 2011 budget to be filed by the end of this month, said he wants to include a pay raise for employees in next year’s budget. The last approved raises for North Little Rock city employees came in August 2008.
“We are hopeful that we will be able to address something next year,” Hays said.
“It should be clarified that none of us aldermen receive this,” Alderman Linda Robinson said. Aldermen are considered part-time employees.
Aldermen praised city employees who were ordered early last year to cut back on expenses and keep providing services even when many job positions went unfilled. None of the aldermen questioned the bonuses or the inclusion of elected officials.
“Our employees do a great job,” Alderman Sam Baggett said. “I wish we could do more.”
North Little Rock felt the effect of the national economic recession mainly through a drop in its city sales tax revenue, which fell below the previous year’s level for 19 consecutive months before beginning to bounce back slightly in May. Though revenue has increased somewhat, sales tax receipts are still below 2006 levels.
Hays credited that recent upward bump in sales tax revenue and the work by department heads and city workers for allowing the bonuses.
“We’ve had some positive months, but that may be stretching it a bit,” Hays said. “We’re still 10-15 percent behind the kind of years we’ve had in the past.”
North Little Rock followed other nearby cities in providing employee bonuses. Neighboring Sherwood approved a $500 bonus to all of its full-time employees in August. Pulaski County gave its employees a 4 percent bonus in this year’s budget.
Arkansas, Pages 10 on 11/23/2010