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Subcommittee approves auditor and lieutenant governor budget tweaks, crime lab pay rate and 11 ASU positions
Summary
The Joint Performance Review subcommittee approved a reduced auditor request for salary increases, a lieutenant governor office revision, reinstated a $300,000 pay rate to recruit medical examiners at the crime lab, and approved 11 new ASU Jonesborough positions for a veterinary medicine school.
The Joint Performance Review subcommittee approved several routine budget and personnel requests Tuesday, including changes for the auditor’s office, the lieutenant governor’s office, a reinstated labor-market pay rate for crime-lab medical examiners, and a set of positions tied to a new veterinary medicine school at Arkansas State University-Jonesboro.
Tony Robinson (Auditor’s office) told members that the auditor had lowered requested increases in regular salary and match for operations and UCP appropriations to 10 percent, leaving regular salaries and match for operations at $245,490 and UCP at $109,711. The committee approved the auditor’s revised request by voice vote.
Robinson also presented a revised letter from the lieutenant governor’s office, which maintains positions at line-item maximums with requested increases shown on a committee spreadsheet totaling $99,876 (17.43%). Members approved the lieutenant governor request after a brief period of recognition and discussion.
On behalf of OPM, Kaye Barnhill confirmed the subcommittee’s reinstatement of a labor-market rate at the crime lab intended to help recruit medical examiners. Barnhill said the $300,000 rate was approved last year and applies to existing examiners; the current request covers two new hires. The committee approved the action in lieu of review.
Finally, the subcommittee approved ASU-Jonesboro’s request for 11 positions from the higher-education central growth pool tied to the opening of a new school of veterinary medicine. Requested positions included a clinic director, communication specialist, computer support technician, lab manager, lab coordinator, four lab technicians, a mental-health clinician and a project/program administrator; the Department of Higher Education recommended the titles and positions.
All four items were approved by the subcommittee and the meeting adjourned.
