V. Hiugh Lewis II/Jefferson Jimplecute
Marion County elected officials are hoping for a summertime Christmas as they submitted their wish list of budget increases for 2022. Combined, officials requested $232,075.18 in increases to their budgets during last week’s first County Commissioners Budget Workshop meeting.
Just under half the request, or $110,469, is for salary increases, ranging from 3% to 36%. The remainder, or $121, 575, is for various capital outlay, travel, and equipment requests.
Leading the salary increase charge is Constable Pct. 2 Jeff Greer, with the hope of adding $7,953 or 36% to his salary. Greer also requested and increase of $1,500 in auto allowance and an additional $250 for travel.
Justice of the Peace Pct 2 Alan Biddy came in next with $3,888 salary increase request. That request is a 19% increase.
Constable Pct 1 Ed Baird requested a $3,350.80 salary increase or 10%.
Several years ago, the salaries for Pct 2 JP and Constable were reduced to their current rates due to the workload difference between Pct 1 and Pct 2. JP and Constable Pct 1 consists of three Commissioner Precincts, while JP and Constable Pct 2 consists of only one Commissioner Precinct.
The Marion County Sheriff’s department requested a 6% increase in salaries for Sheriff David Capps ($2,390.64) and employees ($41,761.74).
The Tax Assessor/Collector’s office turned in a 5% increase for the Assessor/Collector Karen Jones ($2,156) and her employees ($5,341).
The County Clerk’s office requested 3% raises for the Clerk Vickie Smith ($1,195) and employees ($2,334).
District Clerk Susan Anderson requested a 3% raise for her employees ($1,574).
Extra help, part time, overtime, holiday pay, and benefits made up the remainder of the $110,469.
Non-Salary related items included copiers, lawnmowers/weedeaters, storage building for equipment, new vehicles, travel, and supplies.
The Sheriff’s office had the largest of these requests, continuing their desire to purchase a new vehicle next year at a cost of $30,000.
Elected officials who did not request a pay raise for themselves nor their staffs were County Judge Leward LaFleur, , Justice of the Peace Pct. 1 Lena Pope, County/District Attorney Angela Smoak, County Auditor Shanna Solomon, County Treasurer Terri Neuville, and all Four County Commissioners. Commissioners also did not request raises for their employees.
Outside of the $232,075.18 increase, Commissioners also have to consider and balance additional items for the coming year.
County Clerk Vickie Smith indicated she wished to do another round of the Records Preservation Project, which scans and indexes old county records for easier use by the public. The project would cost an estimated $150,000, but is paid for through filing fees with her office.
Other items facing Commissioners will be a projected increase to the health insurance for employees. The current health plan is expected to cost the County an additional 8.2% and dental insurance is expected to increase by 4.1%. Those changes would cost the county approximately an additional $43,000.
County retirement plans are also expected to increase next year to the tune of 11.51 to 12.02%.
The various elevators in the County Courthouse, Jail and Courthouse Annex are also due some maintenance updates to ensure functionality for future years. All three elevators need the operating panels replaced. The Courthouse would cost $72,700. The Annex is $67,000, and the Jail is $67,700. The elevators are currently functioning, however, due to age, parts are becoming harder to obtain, so more modern replacements are recommended.
Secure Tech Panic Buttons are also needed in the Courthouse at a cost of $13,300. These were nixed from the restoration project in an attempt to further control costs. They are a security measure for elected officials however, and are strongly recommended for safety and security.
Lastly, there’s the continuing concern with Jail Safety Standards which is forcing a future Jail expansion or replacement on the County. Currently the Jail has been “grandfathered” in due to it’s age and the County’s financial status. However, those are starting to come to an end as Jail standards are revised. Those costs to the County have yet to be determined.