County To Review Pay For Skill Positions

RISON - The Cleveland County Quorum Court decided to form a three-person committee to research possible pay adjustments for certain skill positions within county government during County Judge Jimmy Dale Adair’s first quorum court meeting since his appointment last month.Adair’s first meeting was a long one, lasting about an hour and half as the quorum discussed reviewing the pay for certain jobs; addressing bids for paving roads, buying a new road grader and finishing out the voting machine storage building; and hearing presentations from local groups seeking donations from the county’s grants and aid program.Earlier this year, the late County Judge Jimmy Cummings had discussed the possibility of forming a committee to review the pay scale, in particular, for positions like mechanic, heavy equipment operators and mechanics. Adair, who was promoted to road department foreman by Cummings, brought the matter up again Monday night.Adair said the starting pay for a mechanic in the county road department is just over $14 per hour while equipment operators and CDL drivers are in the same range. He said that pay is not competitive enough to find and keep people for those positions.He mentioned that he has one road grader operator who is 72 and another who is 71. Adair said he only has one operator he considers to be young.Justice of the Peace Pat Keegan, who works with Arkansas Department of Workforce Services offices across the state, told the quorum that the positions that Adair mentioned are in high demand in the private sector as well. “Companies can’t beg, borrow or steal enough of them,” she said.Justice Melody Spears said that while the pay is on the lower end, the positions do offer health insurance and a retirement plan, benefits that may not be offered by some in the private sector. Spears  said she believed the problem had more to do with the culture of the young people in the job market m...