Appropriations fill the agenda of the Jefferson County Quorum Court meeting, with many of them a result of department heads having to either furlough employees or reduce employee hours because of the financial burdens caused by covid-19.
The meeting will be at 5:30 p.m. today via Zoom.
In May, County Judge Gerald Robinson received alternative proposals from the tax collector, sheriff and the circuit clerk so they wouldn’t have to furlough their employees.
The furlough period or any alternatives were to run through Aug. 31.
“The tax collector came with his plans to put his people in the Recorder’s Cost Fund, which I approved that,” said Robinson. “The sheriff and the circuit clerk came with the shared work program, and I approved their plan.”
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
The prosecuting attorney, district court, assessor’s office, county clerk office, and the county judge’s office all furloughed employees.
To comply with the reduced budget ordered by the Quorum Court, Jefferson County Collector Tony Washington said he would move two employees to the Collector’s Automated Fund in his proposal back in May.
Washington was approved to pay the two employees out of the Collector’s Automated Fund, which would remove those employees from his payroll budget through Aug. 31.
“Now I need $27,000 moved to the personnel services to cover the budget until the end of the year,” said Washington. “The money is there; it just needs to be appropriated.”
Circuit Judge Earnest E. Brown Jr. hand-delivered a written request to Robinson to approve the return of his staff to a full work schedule.
Brown used the state’s Shared Work Unemployment Compensation Program, which allows employers to cut workers’ hours by at least 10% and have the difference in their salary made up by unemployment compensation.
“The shared work program was approved per the county ordinance through Aug. 31, 2020,” said Brown. “With schools reopening, I need to be fully staffed.”
Jefferson County Assessor Yvonne Humphrey is requesting permission to fill a vacancy that she had to surrender in the Real Estate Department.
The Jefferson County Coroner’s Office is requesting an appropriation in the amount of $7,817.
Jefferson County Coroner Chad Kelley is requesting reappropriation back to the office for part-time help, general supplies, janitorial supplies and autopsy expenses.
“The reason I am asking for these reappropriations for part-time extra help is due to covid-19,” said Kelley in a letter to Robinson. “With those being done I will be able to utilize the Deputy Coroner more as well as have the ability to handle more of the administration issues that would have been handled by the Administrative Assistant that has been furloughed.”
Kelley also states that he is asking for the funds that have been decreased, citing the need to obtain additional equipment and PPE due to covid-19 as well as the need for repairs to one of the coolers and the vehicles that belong to the Coroner’s Office but are not operating at their fullest capacity.