County could face government shutdown over 2019 budget

County could face government shutdown over 2019 budget

Officials deadlocked over raises, election commission

news@theeveningtimes.com

For the first time in 20 years, Crittenden County may not have a budget in place and could lead to a government shutdown on Jan. 1.

Quorum Court members found themselves divided along racial lines over a budget request by the Election Commission to continue to fund two coordinators in an off-year election, and a request by the County Clerk to give her employees a three percent pay raise on top of the five percent raise the county already gave its workers for next year.

“I’ve been here 16 years and we’ve never had an issue with the budget,” said County Judge Woody Wheeless. “It’s all personal with them. These issues to me, aren’t even worth it.”

The Court’s African-American justices see it differently. They claim the county is wasting money on coordinators who don’t have the work load that the clerk’s office has, and that the Election Commission is the one pushing the county to the brink of a shutdown.

“It’s like, give the Election Commission what they want, but don’t give Paula what she wants,” said Justice Stacy Allen.

Wheeless and Acting County Treasurer Jane Coltharp had hoped to have the budget done in time for the Quorum Court to vote on at its Dec. 18 meeting.

State law requires counties to have their budgets adopted by the end of December.

During earlier budget hearings, the court’s six African-American justices sided together to cut the Election Commission’s budget for contract help from $28,000 to $18,000, and lobbied for the three percent pay increase for the employees in the clerk’s office.

Several of the black justices have had policy disagreements with the Republican controlled Election Commission throughout the year and had already cut $1,000 for Internet and $350 for postage from the commission’s budget.

The seven white justices came out against giving the clerk’s office a three percent raise citing the fact that all county employees had already been given a five percent raise, and that Personnel Committee chairman, Justice Lorenzo Parker, told the body earlier that there would be no more pay raises or adjustments approved for department heads this year.

They also held firm against the cuts to the Election Commission because no other department had its budget cut.

Justices gathered for another budget hearing Tuesday and at the request of Justice Vickie Robertson met behind closed doors for 20 minutes in an attempt to smooth things out and break the impasse.

“Thank you for giving us a few minutes to have a family meeting to make things run a little smoother this morning,” Robertson said.

Justice Hubert Bass offered a compromise that would give the clerk’s office a 1.5 percent pay raise and to set the Election Commission’s budget at the 2017 level of $23,000.

“I’m just trying to break the ice and get something

“ I don’t understand how we can give one department head more than we give the others,” — Crittenden County Quorum Court Justice James Fraley, District 10 going to start talking on,” Bass said.

Justice James Fraley said he could not support giving one department raises and not the others.

“I don’t understand how we can give one department head more than we give the others,” Fraley argued.

Bass said the reason the clerk’s office deserves the raise is because they are being asked to do more work “They basically have been reclassified with extra duties,” Bass said. “They are picking up a lot of extra stuff. So that is why she came back and asked us for this. The titles may have stayed the same, but the job duties have changed dramatically.”

Justice Robert Thorne asked how giving them more money will help them do their work.

“How does that take care of being overwhelmed with the work?” Thorne asked.

Allen said County Clerk Paula Brown has been asking for raises for the past year and a half but has been continually put off by the Court. He accused his colleagues of being biased against Brown.

“For whatever reason, there is a target on Paula’s office,” Allen said.

Allen said the county is wasting money on the Election Commission by keeping two coordinators on the payroll in an off-election year.

“Y’all didn’t want to spend a couple hundred dollars to give the Coroner’s Office and contract workers $50 (at Christmas) to say thank you, but you want to waste $10,000 on the election commission. It doesn’t make sense.”

Robertson said the clerk’s office has more work to do than the election commission will have in 2019.

“If we are talking about work to be done, there is more work in the county clerk’s office,” Robertson said. “In the election commission, if there are no elections there isn’t a lot of work to be done. And where there is work to be done, you don’t want to pay people.”

Justice Ronnie Marconi asked Brown why she needed the raises.

“Have these duties changed from what they have in the past.” Marconi asked.

Brown said her employees are being asked to handle more work.

“Its been added on,” Brown said. “We’re doing the same work, but we’re doing more work.”

Brown said she asked to meet with the Personnel Committee months ago, but Parker was unable to meet due to health reasons.

“You know me,” Brown said. “I don’t come and ask for anything. I asked for a meeting way before the budget.”

Brown said the Quorum Court gives community groups $10,000 at a time and doesn’t understand why a pay raise for her office is now a big deal.

“You have done it before,” Brown said. “Why can’t you do it for me?”

Marconi said other departments work just as hard as the clerk’s office and he can’t justify giving her office a raise and not the others.

“I think she deserves a 1.5 percent raise,” Marconi said. “But it’s just hard for me to give it to one and not everybody. I can’t do it.”

Thorne agreed.

“I think Paula’s people work hard,” Thorne said.

“But our deputies work hard. The road department works hard. It’s not fair to do that. If we do it for one, we have to do it for all.”

On the election commission issue, Robertson offered a compromise to cut $7,500 from the $28,000 they were asking for instead of the $10,000 she was initially pushing for.

“I asked for $10,000.

Somebody said $5,000.

Can we take $7,500 away from contract labor?”

Robertson said. “That’s something in between. We don’t get $18,000, but they don’t get $28,000.”

Fraley questioned why the Election Commission was being singled out for budget cuts.

“We haven’t cut anybody else’s budget,” Fraley said.

Robertson said the Election Commission can always come back and ask for more money if they need it.

“If there is a special election in the 2019 year, they can come back and ask for that money for the election,” Robertson said. “But I don’t see paying somebody if you don’t need it.”

Election Commissioner Frank Barton said they would accept returning to the 2017 funding level of $23,000 – which is still $5,000 less than they are asking for. But they would lose a coordinator if they cut it to $18,000.

“It’s not desirable,” Barton said. “But we can live with the $23,000.”

Robertson asked Barton why the election commission needed two election coordinators in an off-election

year.

“I’m just trying to compromise so we can pass a budget,” Robertson said.

“Help me understand why you are paying for two positions.”

Barton said they know they will have two school board elections in 2019 – West Memphis and Marion. There could be other special elections as well, Barton

added.

“The elections will be there,” Barton said. “The work will be there.”

Robertson continued to press.

“What are the coordinators doing in an off year?”

Robertson asked. “If the (school board election) isn’t until November, what are they doing the rest of the year?”

Election Commission Chairwoman Dixie Carlson said the coordinators have to attend training and will also have to move the office.

“There are a lot of things that they do,” Carlson said.

“I’m not prepared to tell you all of what they do because I’m not the coordinator. They stay busy. They’re not twiddling their thumbs.”

Justice Tyrone McWright said Carlson’s answer isn’t enough to justify keeping two coordinators.

“We can’t get them to justify it,” McWright said.

“The Election Commission needs to tell us why it is justified for us to give them the money for two contracted workers for a school board election.”

Bass agreed and said Carlson and the entire Election Commission has been disrespectful to the Quorum Court.

“They have not got up and said why they need more than $18,000,” Bass said.

“Even when Justice Robertson made the motion to cut it $10,000, they never said no, this is why. They won’t get up and speak about the justification. They won’t even try. They won’t show this body any respect. The whole issue is, they want to win. Winning is more important than getting a budget passed. She wants to go on a crash course and play chicken with the Quorum Court even if it shuts the county down. That’s what got us here today.”

Barton said $18,000 won’t be enough to run two school board elections and reiterated that they are willing to go along with $23,000.

“We already know there will be two school board elections,” Barton said.

“That’s a given. Where do you draw the line? I thought $5,000 was the compromise. Now you’re asking us to compromise on the compromise.”

McWright added that the court has already agreed they could come back and ask for money if they need it.

“We’re talking about doing what is right for the citizens of this county,” McWright said. “It’s simple.

If you need more money, you can come

back.”

Robertson’s motion to cut $7,500 from the election commission failed. A second motion to set the Election Commission budget at $23,000 passed 7-5 but failed because it takes nine votes to pass a budget item. Following the vote, McWright, Bass, Allen, and Kenneth Cross walked out of the meeting.

“If we do this budget, it’s going to be tied,” Bass added. “I’m not supporting any budget.”

Wheeless called the walkout unproductive.

“When Quorum Court members walk out, we’re not going to solve anything.”

“I’m so sick of it,” Ronnie Marconi said. “This is embarrassing.”

Robertson, who remained, said she is still open to a compromise, but asked Barton to put together a list of things the coordinators will be doing in the offelection year.

“I’m still a no. But I will make some phone calls,” Robertson said. “I need something in writing for what the coordinators are doing. I’m not hearing why we need two people in an off-year election, not just because you want them.”

Barton said he would comply with her request.

“It’s not an unreasonable request,” Barton said.

The Quorum Court agreed to meet again on Monday to try and resolve their differences.

“We have done so many things together,” Wheeless said. I don’t know why we are stuck on a budget and can’t get past that.”

By Mark Randall