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Benton County departments press for targeted salary increases as court reviews budget capacity
Summary
Multiple elected officials and department heads asked the quorum court for schedule‑4 salary waivers and regrades — requests ranged from planning‑board per‑diems to road, public‑defender, sheriff, and juvenile‑detention pay changes; courtors asked for more data and warned of budget tradeoffs.
Department leaders used the Oct. 8 budget session to press for salary adjustments and position regrades across several county services.
Jay Fraser of the Road Department asked the court to approve pay waivers for 21 lower‑paid positions to reduce a reported 16.72% turnover rate and said the requested changes would cost approximately $91,618 (total payroll impact). "These 21 I'm looking at are some of the lowest...they're operators, truck drivers, office staff," Fraser said, urging the court to consider a countywide pay‑band study.
Jay Saxton, chief public defender, asked for regrades and raises for…
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