Washington County officials OK premium pay for some employees

FAYETTEVILLE -- Washington County's justices of the peace on Thursday approved spending about $4.8 million in American Rescue Plan funds on premium pay for some current county employees.

The Quorum Court voted unanimously to approve the premium pay ordinance.

The premium pay will go to current county employees "for all essential work" done in person between April 20, 2020, and Oct. 17, 2021, according to the ordinance. The pay would be calculated as a $3 per hour retroactive bonus. Federal guidelines limit such premium pay to an amount not to exceed $25,000 for any single eligible worker during the pandemic.

The Quorum Court has already approved premium pay for employees of the Washington County Detention Center, the Juvenile Detention Center and some others. The bonuses approved Thursday are in addition to those previously approved.

Of the $4.8 million, more than $1.4 million is designated for employees who work in jail operations, according to the ordinance. Just under $1 million is earmarked for employees of the Sheriff 's Office. About $600,000 is set aside for employees of the Road Department. Employees of the County Assessor's Office are to receive about $300,000.

Prosecuting Attorney Matt Durrett told the justices of the peace that some county employees, including those in his office, worked from home through no choice of their own and still maintained the same level of performance. Durrett said he understands the federal government wrote the guidelines, but he asked the justices of the peace to consider finding some way to include all deserving employees.

Durrett said the Arkansas Supreme Court ordered most court proceedings be curtailed in the early days of the pandemic and in the months before vaccines were available he had to be concerned with the health and safety of his employees. He said he made the decision to have people in his office work from home and they shouldn't be considered less essential because of that.

The justices of the peace also approved the county's 2022 budget, after approving two amendments.

Action on the budget had been delayed at the previous two meetings when some justices of the peace raised questions about staffing levels for the county's two juvenile court judges. The initial budget proposal from the Finance & Budget Committee called for the transfer of five staff positions from Judge Stacey Zimmerman's court to Judge Diane Warren's court.

Both judges spoke Thursday and asked that their original requests be approved, which would give Warren a staff of 13.

The justices of the peace were divided on the request to restore the judges original requests. Sam Duncan, justice of the peace for District 7, likened the proposed change to a protracted negotiation over buying a car. Duncan said the Quorum Court didn't have budget numbers for the original requests for Thursday's meeting and said people were trying to "sneak things in at the last minute."

Zimmerman said she made her original request in June and has continued to keep the justices of the peace informed on the needs of the two judges throughout the budget process.

"I ask you to trust the elected officials who have been working in juvenile justice for over 70 years," Zimmerman said.

Zimmerman said reducing the overall staff would hamper the operation of the courts. She said the original requests were made based on the experience gained from the two courts being in operation since January 2020.

"We have shared staff for a long time," Zimmerman said. "It's not working. I'm asking you, for the children and families of Washington County, to pass the original budget."

The budget was amended to provide money for the full staff for Warren and to allow Zimmerman to retain her existing staff positions.

The budget was also amended to include the most recent revenue projections from County Treasurer Bobby Hill.

Also Thursday, the Quorum Court heard an appeal from the county's Planning Board on a conditional use permit request for the ER Mobile Service. The permit was requested for a mechanic shop specializing in semi-trucks and dump trucks. The permit was denied by the Planning Board on Aug. 11 primarily over the issue of the incompatibility of the business with the surrounding residential area and that decision was appealed to the Quorum Court. The appeal will remain on the Quorum Court's agenda for its December meeting.

American rescue Plan

The American Rescue Plan provides $350 billion in federal money for eligible state, local, territorial and tribal governments nationwide to offset the impact of the covid-19 pandemic, according to information from the Treasury Department. Washington County has received $23 million this year under the plan and expects to receive another $23 million next year. Benton County will receive a total of $54 million — $27 million per year over the next two years.

Source: Staff report