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Council fast‑tracks $5,000 stipend for Highway Superintendent Ben Parker, citing cost savings
Summary
DeKalb County Commissioners and Council approved Ordinance 2024‑OCC‑11 to award Highway Superintendent Ben Parker a $5,000 stipend for his oversight of the new highway complex; the council passed the ordinance on first reading, suspended rules and approved second and third readings the same day.
The DeKalb County Council on Nov. 13 approved Ordinance 2024‑OCC‑11 to award a $5,000 stipend to Highway Superintendent Ben Parker, concluding a lengthy discussion of his role overseeing construction of the county’s new highway complex.
Commissioner Bill Hartman introduced the proposal, saying the stipend was his idea and not requested by Parker. Hartman described multiple instances where Parker’s oversight uncovered and corrected construction problems — from ceiling tile and lighting work to trench‑drain and fuel‑tank issues — and credited Parker with saving the county money during construction. Hartman outlined work and corrective actions that included security checks, identifying incorrect elevations and ensuring a larger (12,000‑gallon) fuel tank replaced an incorrectly installed 10,000‑gallon tank; he also noted Parker’s successful grant writing, which returned roughly $1 million in grant funds to the county’s roads program.
Hartman said he was willing to revert to his original request and asked the council to approve a $5,000 stipend. After a motion to add the stipend to the salary ordinance (Ordinance 2024‑OCC‑11) and a first reading, the council voted to suspend the rules to conduct second and third readings immediately. Following a second motion to pass the ordinance on second and third reading, the council approved the stipend by voice vote.
Several council members and contractor representatives endorsed Parker’s work. A liaison who reviewed the project with contractors said they ‘‘could not have had a better county employee representing us and working hard to save us money’’ and estimated savings above $100,000 related to corrections Parker identified.
The ordinance text approved on the record states that Ben Parker shall receive a $5,000 stipend paid on the next payroll process after approval of Ordinance 2024‑OCC‑11 for the year 2024.
Next steps: The stipend will be added to payroll under the salary ordinance and appear in the next financial posting; council members said they will consider whether future large projects should include formal construction‑management oversight.
(Reporting: DeKalb County Council meeting, Nov. 13, 2024.)
