Pulaski County panel orders costing of six new position requests amid flat revenue outlook

Pulaski CountyComptroller Mike Hutchins told the Quorum CourtBudget Committee that the county has no new ongoing revenue to fund additional recurring expenses and that one-time reserves will be available for limited projects.

The committee voted to send six position requests five from the sheriff's office and one from the treasurer's officeto human resources and payroll for job-description development and costing so the court can consider them at a later meeting.

The decision matters because the county faces a tight ongoing budget despite a large reserve balance. Hutchins said the county is "stronger than most places, because of our reserve, because of our contingency," but he warned, "I don't have any new money for you." He added that carryover levels will return toward more normal amounts and that one-time funds should be used cautiously.

Committee members spent much of the meeting weighing the sheriff's requests for multiple positions against persistent vacancies in detention and patrol. Sheriff Higgins told the committee several of his requests are rollovers from prior years and outlined staffing changes tied to the relocation of the 9-1-1 center and conversion of some dispatch roles to central-control civilian positions. He asked HR to cost several specific roles so he could prioritize his requests for the committee.

Human Resources Director Chastity Cypress said the county contracted McGrath Human Resources Group to perform a full market salary study and that a full study is typically done about every six years. Cypress told the committee the last comprehensive study was done in 2017 and that going forward the intent is to receive an annual market review from the vendor.

During discussion, justices pressed the sheriff on vacancies and retention. The sheriff said shifts are being covered with overtime and that sustained overtime contributes to turnover among detention staff. Committee members suggested options including re-evaluating long-vacant positions and prioritizing the sheriff's requests rather than approving them wholesale.

After discussion, a motion to have the six positions costed was moved and seconded. The roll call produced seven ayes and one voting "present," and the motion carried. Committee staff and HR will develop job descriptions, run point-factor analyses where needed, and provide cost estimates so the court can revisit the requests at future meetings. The committee indicated it expects to reconvene on the topic in April; the full McGrath market study will not be complete until later this summer.

Votes at a glance: The committee approved advancing the costing process for six position requests (five sheriff's office requests; one treasurer's office request) by a roll-call vote resulting in seven ayes and one voting "present." The committee did not approve any hires or final allocations at this meeting.

The committee also received planning-level budget context from the comptroller: he described the county's reserves as sizable but cautioned that much of that funding is one-time and not suitable for ongoing salary increases. HR staff said the contracted market study will include recommendations and that the county expects annual market checks going forward.