JP vote lines up holiday bonuses that top 2018's

Faulkner County employees to get awards of $300, $150

CONWAY -- The Faulkner County Quorum Court voted Tuesday to give county employees Christmas bonuses this season that will be higher than last year's.

Justices of the peace also discussed advertising for bids online.

On the matter of the bonuses, full-time county employees will be paid a one-time bonus of $300 while part-time workers will get $150, compared with the 2018 holiday bonuses of $200 for full-time and $100 for part-time employees.

The discussion of this year's ordinance appropriating the estimated total one-time amount of $122,000, as well as a related resolution asking that the bonus expenditure be given its own distinct listing on next year's annual budget, took up a large portion of the Quorum Court's regular meeting.

The Quorum Court voted to approve Ordinance 19-42, transferring the bonus monies from the County General Fund, pulling from various departments' workers' compensation and unemployment reserves.

The Quorum Court also voted to add a line item to the ordinance stating that members of the Quorum Court would not receive the holiday bonus.

Justice of the Peace Kris Kendrick asked who was responsible for raising the amount of the bonuses this year.

County Clerk Margaret Darter said she gave credit to Jim Baker, the county judge, who suggested the holiday increase.

The Quorum Court tabled the request from Justice of the Peace Rosie Roland to give the holiday bonuses a separate line item in the county's annual budget beginning in 2020. Taking the amount from several other budgeted items each year amounts to "padding unemployment numbers" to pay for employee bonuses, Roland said.

"We are not being transparent with our money. We are giving these bonuses. They are expected," Roland said. "It doesn't mean that we have to give the bonuses if we have a bad year, but I do think that we deserve a line item for our budgets for these one-time bonuses."

The proposal was sent to the Quorum Court's Personnel Committee for future discussion.

In other business, the Quorum Court had the first reading of a proposed ordinance to designate a county website page to post online advertisements for notices of intentions to receive bids.

Baker said using the county's web page would be more cost effective and will reach more potential bidders.

Arkansas Act 1075, passed in this year's legislative session, allows local governments to post the notice to receive bids online, but the notification must be published concurrently for five weeks in a newspaper of general circulation within the county. The newspaper notice must identify each website designated for the online posting. The Log Cabin Democrat in Conway has a print edition.

"It is the way we want to do it and I'd like to be the lead county to do it," Baker said.

The ordinance must be read two more times in subsequent Quorum Court meetings before an adoption vote can be taken.

Metro on 11/20/2019

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