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Martinsville council sets court clerk pay at $25 an hour, approves pro tem judge pay equal to elected judge
Summary
The Martinsville Common Council approved amended ordinance 2025‑1901 setting a $25 hourly rate for the city court clerk position (with a separate part‑time range preserved) and unanimously approved resolution 2025‑0713 to pay the permanent pro tem judge the elected judge’s salary effective June 1, 2025.
The Martinsville Common Council approved two personnel actions Monday affecting city court operations: it amended the salary ordinance to set a $25 hourly rate for the city court clerk and preserved an existing pay range for part‑time court clerks; it also approved a resolution to pay the permanent pro tem judge the same salary as the elected judge, effective June 1, 2025.
Council members considered two salary approaches for the court clerk/court reporter position: a flat hourly rate and a range. City legal counsel and the judge’s office presented options and said the judge’s staff would accept either a $25 flat rate or a range. "We would be content with the range. We would also be content with a flat rate at 25, provided that our full time person now would be entitled to that same raise increase in January as anyone else," a city court staff member said.
After discussion about hours, benefits and parity with other city clerks, the council amended and approved ordinance 2025‑1901 with a fixed $25 hourly rate for the full‑time city court clerk role and retained a range for the part‑time clerk role. The council took a roll‑call vote on the ordinance and recorded six yays and zero nays: John Badger, Bill Deckard Sr., Bill Deckard II, Josh Farren, Susie Lipps and Anne Miller.
On a related item, the council approved resolution 2025‑0713 to pay the permanent pro tem judge of Martinsville City Court the regular salary of the elected judge with an effective date of June 1, 2025; the motion passed unanimously on roll call (6–0).
Council discussion also addressed operational details: the judge’s office proposed daily hours (7 a.m. to 3 p.m.) for the clerk but council members expressed a preference to align court clerk hours with city hall (8 a.m. to 4 p.m.) for public access. The judge’s office said it might revisit job title and formalize a judicial assistant role later; if that occurs the city would need to register a new title with PERF (the public employee retirement fund) to provide benefits.
Taper: The ordinance and resolution are effective immediately; council and the judge’s office said they will revisit job title and compensation during the next salary-ordinance cycle if needed.
