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County turns down judges’request for secretaries’ raises

By JOHN THOMPSON
jthompson@TheCitizenNews.com

Despite a full-court press by two of Fayette’s Superior Court judges, the Fayette County Commission turned down a request for supplementing the judges’ secretaries’ salary.

Superior Court Judges Paschal English and Chris Edwards made a rare public appeal before the County Commission during last Thursday’s final public comment on the county’s $47 million General Fund budget.

The two judges told the commissioners that their secretaries were far underpaid compared to other judicial assistants in the region and wanted the board to approve a salary supplement based on years of service. The total cost to Fayette County for the supplements for the four secretaries, would be just over $8,200 a year.

“It’s basically a wash because we’re saving $21,000 a year for law clerk’s supplement,” English said.

Fayette’s portion of last year’s law clerk supplement was $10,038.

English told a story of how the secretaries are considered state employees, but don’t receive any of the benefits of the state merit system. When one south Georgia judge retired, his secretary was left with no job and no retirement. English said it was time to bump up the salaries.

“This is the right thing and the only thing I know how to do,” said English.

Commissioner Peter Pfeifer objected to the county having to fund 47 percent of the supplement, because the county has that percentage of the circuit’s population.

“We certainly don’t have 47 percent of the caseload,” he said.

But English disagreed and said that the judges and their assistant worked on Fayette County’s cases every day.

Edwards said the state was also looking at providing a supplement, but said that process wouldn’t be determined for another two years in the legislature. If the measure is approved, Edwards added, Fayette could eliminate paying the local supplement.

Commission Chairman Greg Dunn questioned the legality of taking away a supplement after it was implemented. County attorney Dennis Davenport was not aware of a supplement being taken away from an employee, but said he would have to do further research.

Dunn suggested the issue be reviewed again in December at the middle point of the budget year after some of the commissioners’ questions were answered.

After the lengthy discussion, the budget was passed unanimously. A new wrinkle in this year’s budget was the inclusion of $115 million in SPLOST projects the county had to list.

Business Services Director Mark Pullium said the list would not appear in any future budgets. He also added this is the fourth year in a row that the county is rolling back the millage rate to account for higher property reassessments.