• Thirty-seven County employees’ pay increased from $466 to $22,887 each since August 2006.

By NICOLE CARTRETTE
Staff Writer

When a Columbus County citizen criticized the county for giving more than 30 employees raises ranging from $1,000 to $22,000 when county taxpayers are facing a 10 to 12-cent proposed tax increase, it was only the tip of the iceburg.

“You could do things to save money,” George Baysden told commissioners during a public hearing on the fiscal 2007-2008 county budget proposal.

“We have some good employees,” Baysden pointed out, but questioned the reasoning behind only a few receiving the raises.

“Why not cut your salaries by half – cut some of your perks?” Baysden asked.

“How about get rid of our county manager who makes over $80,000,” Baysden said. “We need a nice, young hungry man in that position.”

“He has already violated county policy twice and he’s still here,” he declared.

“You weren’t thinking about this budget when you went to Hawaii,” Baysden declared, referring to a National Association of County Commissioners convention Jacobs attended.

“I think you should look at it and see what jobs are.”

“Times up,” Jacobs quickly interrupted Baysden as a bell rang signaling the three-minute time period had expired. The issue of raises above the cost of living adjustment (COLA) died until later in the meeting when Commissioner Ricky Bullard asked about them.

“I don’t normally see them,” Interim Finance Director Leo Hunt explained.

“All I know is, you asked something the other night – what I heard is, are there any raises in this year’s budget,” County Manager Jim Varner said.

“I call them – 99 percent is a reclassification,” Varner said.

“Leroy Sellers, who handles three jobs and requested a merit raise,” he pointed out. “There is a difference in raise terminology and merit reclassification,” he said. “Merit is in the policy.”

“I didn’t know department heads had that authorization,” Commissioner James Prevatte said.

“Only I can do that,” Varner explained.

“There’s a lot of people that work hard – it wasn’t just 37 of them,” Prevatte said.

Bullard said he wanted to see the pay information.

Varner told him he had received pay information he had requested.

“If there are 37 raises I want to see why, when and how much it was,” Bullard said.

Varner explained that Assistant Finance Director Bobbie Faircloth’s $22,000 salary increase was due to her move from being County Attorney Steve Fowler’s paralegal to taking over responsibilities of the finance office.

“That saved $7,000 from what you were paying,” Varner said. “Fifty-five thousand —that’s a reclassification.”

“This is getting into personnel here,” Jacobs declared. “These are questions that should be in personnel context.”

“Now she’s the finance officer,” Varner continued.

“Let’s not get into personnel here,” Jacobs asked again. “Let’s move on.”

Under N.C. Public Record laws an employee’s current salary and most recent pay raise are public. According to records obtained from the county personnel office the pay increases in question ranged from $466 to $22,000 each ($96,948 total). At the top of the column all increases are labeled “reclassification” and one is noted a transfer.

Seven of the raises went to employees making more than $40,000. Two of the employees who saw an increase were pushed above the $60,000 mark.

Eight were given to employees who made less than $21,000 and remain at less than $22,000.

The largest was a transfer reclassification – $22,887. Four were in the $4,000 to $5,000 range. Six were for less than $1,000.

Some of the salary changes date back to August 2006 –one month after the county approved a 3 percent cost of living increase and one month after Varner announced the county’s fund balance was unknown.

The most recent pay raises were given in May – just before the fiscal 2007-08 budget proposal and 12-cent tax increase was proposed