Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Back Pay Approved By JPs; Pass Permit Program For Roads

Nevada County JPs spent a little over $20,000 Monday night paying back salary and tabled another item which would pay them mileage for attending the meetings.

JPs were informed during February's meeting the county was not paying the minimum salary allowed by state legislation.

The group rebudgeted salary money for the 1997 budget, and during its Monday regular meeting agreed to pay former coroner Ricky Burke just over $2,000 for back salary in 1995-96.

Over $18,000 was approved by the court to pay four employees in the sheriff's office for accumulated compensation (comp) hours.

Two employees in Nevada County Sheriff's office were promoted at the beginning of 1997 when Steve Otwell became sheriff. These two employees comp hours were paid at the hourly rate pay according to their 1996 jobs since they are earning a different pay in 1997.

Two other dispatchers were paid for their compensation hours accumulated in 1996.

Comp hours are given to employees who work over 40 hours a week. An employee earns 1.5 hours of comp time for every hour worked over 40 hours in the week.

If these employees were to have used the comp time in 1997, the sheriff's office budget would not have enough salary budgeted to pay the part-time dispatcher in 1997.

In all, the four employees had 249 hours of comp time between them.

A motion to table whether to pay JPs mileage for attending meetings passed 5-4 - with a lot of argument involved.

JP Adron `Dobber' Hicks told the JPs the mileage for quorum court members to drive to its meetings should be reinstated.

It is estimated it will cost the county nearly $50 a month to pay the JPs to drive to the regular meeting. There is no estimation what it will cost in a year for the extra mileage for special meetings.

JPs are currently paid $200 a month salary for attending the regular meeting.

If the regular meeting is not attended, but a committee meeting or special meeting is attended, they do not get paid for the month.

Hicks said the mileage was improperly removed several years ago, because the elected officials knew that would be part of the salary when they ran for the office.

JPs Gary Lewis, Willie Wilson and Curtis Lee Johnson are the only JPs to not benefit from a mileage check monthly.

Johnson said he would be in favor of paying the expense check, Lewis and Wilson are the ones who made the motion to table the matter.

JPs approved a motion to require any for-profit business acquire a permit from the county judge's office before beginning work off a county road, ditches or rights-of-way which included penalties for damaging roads.

County Judge James Roy Brown told JPs out-of-county contractors were constantly damaging county roads and showed no apparent respect for problems they create when damaging property.

He cited numerous cases where logging crews had county roads impassable by private vehicles and a school bus.

JP Billy Bob Rhodes told JPs he had an out-of-county logging crew come in a make the county road so impassable he could not drive his tractor down the road to work his cattle.

The permits will let the county know where crews are working and monitor the roads via county crews working in the area, school bus drivers or residents living on the road.

The unrestricted traffic flow ordinance does not prohibit equipment from being carried down the road or prohibit farmers from moving equipment from one area to another via county roads.

Permits will be required for all contractors working off county roads and damages will have to be repaired by the contractor or by the county with the cost being reimbursed by those responsible.

The permits will be available from the county judge's office. Brown said he would contact all the contractors of whom he is aware and let them know the permits will be needed.

18 members of Explorer Post 80, a co-ed division of Boy Scouts of America (BSA), met with the JPs, Sheriff Otwell, Deputy Jason Arrington, Prescott Police officer Kristi Hillery, State Police Sgt. Cleve Barfield and assorted parents and guardians asking the blessing of the quorum court in its new endeavor, a ride-a-long program.

Explorers, who must be at least 14 years old, will begin riding with secondary officers (the second officer on duty) throughout the county.

The group, whose members are from Prescott School District, has several females - who will ride with Hillery through the cooperation of the Prescott Police Department.

Each Explorer will sign a waiver relieving the county of any liability and will be covered by BSA liability insurance.

Arrington and Otwell told JPs how the young men and women will ride with officers and other procedures planned for the program.

A similar program has already been instituted in Texarkana through the city police.

Explorers currently interact with the sheriff's office and have learned the basics of radio communication.

A permit program suggested at February's meeting by state employee Jeff Barr was rejected Monday night.

JPs Rhodes and Hicks said everyone they talked with was against the proposal.

The permit program would have inspectors to be sure houses are properly wired, plumbed and heat and air units are correctly installed.

The permits would have also been a sure way of getting all property on tax records to collect all county taxes owed at the proper time.