The Jefferson County Quorum Court and Jefferson County Judge Gerald Robinson finally came to a consensus Wednesday and passed the 2024 county budget of $36,622,908 as well as Christmas bonuses for county employees.
In a nearly two-hour meeting that consisted of compromises between the judge and justices of the peace and a brief recess, the coming together gave a promising outlook of what the public can expect for 2024. For the previous 12 months, the two sides were unable to agree on many issues, and consequently, little county business was conducted.
Before the meeting, Justice of the Peace Lloyd Franklin Jr. said he agreed to meet with Robinson to discuss some budget concerns. With two separate budgets presented, one from the judge’s office and the other that was vetted by the majority of the Quorum Court, Franklin said there needed to be clarification on which budget they would be voting on.
“From my understanding, the judge has agreed to our budget book but has some concerns about items that we voted against in our meeting,” said Franklin, who met with most of the other JPs and Robinson before Wednesday’s meeting outside the Quorum Court meeting room.
In their meeting last week, JPs voted against several items in the budget, including a raise of about $17,000 for the judge’s chief of staff, and another raise of about $12,000 for the Sixth Division juvenile chief of staff.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
They also voted to separate Robinson’s $10,000 gas stipend from his salary. Other items in the budget included reinstating a slot in the tax collector’s office for $31,000 and increasing the JPs’ per diem to the amount set by the Association of Arkansas Counties.
Robinson admitted to a communication error between his office and the AAC when it came to the per diem for the JPs, stating when Jefferson County went from a Class 6 to Class 5 county, the information he received from the AAC for their maximum pay was in error.
“At that time we budgeted for that amount that was given to us not knowing it was another amount,” Robinson said.
JPs Danny Holcomb, Dr. Margarette Williams and Dr. Conley Byrd took issue with paying out Christmas bonuses or increasing their per diem with several delinquent line items and vendors who had not been paid.
“I am for Christmas bonuses but not before we pay our vendors,” said Byrd, who voted against the ordinance.
Both Holcomb and Byrd voted against the supplemental ordinance for their per diem as Robinson tried to explain it wasn’t a raise or a bonus and only an adjustment that would be paid retroactively from January 2023.
“I’m not going to vote against our employees getting a bonus,” said Holcomb. “I can’t support giving myself a raise when we haven’t paid our vendors. I can’t support giving myself more money.”
Robinson did present the budget book from his office totalling approximately $35,202,135 but agreed to work with the budget presented by the JPs as long as they addressed his concerns.
One of Robinson’s concerns, not mentioned earlier, was the funding mechanism for the sheriff’s office when it came to an increase in wages for his employees of approximately 8%.
“It should come from the detention center rather than public safety,” said Robinson.
“My issue is if we do that to public safety, then you have other departments funded out of public safety and you don’t want to lose that cushion and hurt public safety,” he said.
Robinson suggested the matter be addressed in January at their next meeting to allow adjustments to be made after reviewing contracts, but the JPs agreed to amend what they already had.
About the gas stipend being removed from his salary, Robinson said state statute does not allow a reduction to his salary. “Once it’s added to a salary it’s a salary,” he said. “The only time it can be reduced, and I can pull up the statute, that can’t be done in the term, only when my name appears on the ballot in a general election and it will take effect Jan 1.”
Robinson defended the salary increases for his office and the Sixth Division stating those adjustments were made based on education and added responsibility for those positions now moving to 24/7 on-call positions. Robinson said if he was given the opportunity, he could have presented supporting documents.
Byrd’s concern, however, was the vendor pay and whether passing the 2024 budget would cover what they are owed.
According to Robinson, he will be able to pay most of the vendors but not all and will have to ask for appropriations throughout the year.
Compromises for the first time in a long time were made as Franklin made motions to amend the budget to include the JPs’ per diem, accept the proposed salary for Robinson’s chief of staff and accept the proposed salary for the Sixth Division juvenile chief of staff.
Justice Reginald Adams said they were opening up a door for the rest of the elected officials to get raises for their chiefs of staff to which Robinson said he had no problem with performance raises as long as there is proof.
“I’m not saying that I like these particular raises because I don’t,” said Franklin. “What I do know is what I have experienced in the past two Quorum Court meetings is the Quorum Court and the county judge working together. What I have noticed and felt is both sides giving for the progression of Jefferson County.”
Justice Carroll voted against the raises while all justices voted in favor of adding the gas stipend back to Robinson’s salary.
The tax collector spot was left in the budget and according to Franklin, if the ordinance that they passed a few months prior is deemed not legal, they can take care of it in January.
The 2024 budget was passed unanimously with the amended changes.
“It’s a good day for Jefferson County,” said Franklin, who was spotted fist-bumping Robinson after the meeting concluded. “You can’t get everything you want. Sometimes you have to compromise legislation.”
Franklin said overall, they went with the budget of the JPs that they deliberated on and took the time to craft.
“I think at the end of the day all of the elected officials were heard because their budgets were all-inclusive in what we passed tonight,” said Franklin. “Sometimes you have to give up something for the greater good.”
Robinson said he wished the coming together could have happened earlier in the year during his many attempts to get the JPs to “come to the table and talk.”
“The turning point is for the first time when I said let’s sit down and let’s talk about it, it was received,” he said. “Throughout the whole year, I have been trying to make contact and talk with those justices so that we could come to an agreement, so we could work together. That’s all I ever wanted to do was work together.”
Franklin said all parties involved have the best interest of Jefferson County in mind and he also understands how having dual meetings and separate agendas have affected the elected officials. He agrees in 2024 there needs to be some compromises.
But no matter how promising 2024 may look for the Jefferson County Quorum Court, Robinson said he won’t be dropping his lawsuit against the Quorum Court on which a circuit judge is to rule if policy and procedures were established by the Quorum Court.
“The past couple of meetings of the county judge and the Quorum Court have been getting along and meeting in the middle,” said Franklin. “I look forward to the continued success. Hopefully, we can carry it on into 2024.”