After a proposal to transfer funds in the budget of the Jefferson County District Court failed to pass a committee vote last week, the measure won quick approval during a joint committee meeting Monday, and from the full Quorum Court a short time later.
District Judge Kim Bridgforth had asked that $9,900 be moved from the Administration of Justice Fund to cover the salary of a part-time employee who had been moved to full-time to handle additional duties the court had acquired this year.
During committee meetings last week, Justice of the Peace Alfred Carroll refused to second a motion to approve the transfer, complaining that the money amounted to a lump sum raise for one employee, an issue he has raised in the past.
Committee members Vannette Johnson and the Rev. H.O. Gray were absent, leaving only Carroll, Justice of the Peace Edward Spears and Justice of the Peace Ted Harden, chairman of the committee.
On Monday, Carroll was absent, as was Johnson, but by combining the Judiciary Committee with the court’s Finance Committee, there were more than enough votes to move the legislation along.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Bridgforth was present for the meeting and had sent Harden a memo indicating that the position would pay $22,042 annually, plus benefits, and the money she was requesting transferred would cover that position to the end of the year.
In addition, Harden said the Administration of Justice Fund can only be used for court-related items, and no county general money would be involved in the request.
When presented to the full court, the measure passed 9-0, as Justice of the Peace Sissy Granderson was also absent Monday.
The court also approved a request from Prosecuting Attorney S. Kyle Hunter to transfer funds in his office and use some of the money to increase the salaries and change the job titles of two assistant case coordinators, bringing them up to the salaries of three other case coordinators in the office.
Hunter said the assistant case coordinators are doing the same job as the case coordinators, and have the same responsibilities, but are paid less.
Additional money became available when one of the two coordinators of the Victim Witness Division of the office resigned to accept another job, and Hunter was able to hire a person for that office at a lower salary.
No county general money was involved in that legislation either.
An ordinance approving a supplemental appropriation of $27,500 for the Circuit Clerk’s Office to purchase recording books, file folders and recording paper was also approved, but not without questions from Justice of the Peace Lloyd Franklin III, who wanted to know if the expense would come up annually, and if the clerk’s office had looked into the possibility of automating the records.
Chief Deputy Circuit Clerk Flora Cook responded that the office was looking into the possibility of automation, and had been given an estimated cost of $100,000, meaning that the system could potentially be paid for in about four years, based on the current expense of buying recording books and the like.
In other business, the following items were approved without dissent:
• A $14,000 appropriation for the Recycling Resource Recovery Fund, with the money coming from a grant from the Southeast Arkansas Economic Development District.
• A $14,400 appropriation for the Assessor’s Office from the Assessor’s Amendment 79 fund with the money used to buy Image Viewer software and scanners.
• A resolution reappointing David Bost to a five-year term on the Jefferson County Equalization Board, beginning June 1, and ending May 31, 2015.