New BC Sheriff’s Office personnel policy may be repealed

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There was a late addition Monday afternoon to the Baxter County Quorum Court’s January agenda. The quorum court is set to meet at 6 Tuesday evening.

The 11th hour addition if approved would repeal a recently enacted separate personnel policy for the Baxter County Sheriff’s Office and Detention Center employees.

At its September meeting, the court suspended the rules and adopted the new personnel policy with 10 justices voting in favor of the ordinance and justice Ty Chapman absent. Generally, ordinances other than those of appropriation are read over three meetings before being considered for adoption.

District 11 Justice Chapman is one of two members of the court sponsoring the proposed ordinance Tuesday evening, along with District 1 JP Dennis Frank.

Judge Mickey Pendergrass tells KTLO, Classic Hits and The Boot news he was concerned back in September the proposed personnel policy was in violation of state law.


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Judge Pendergrass says the information left at the members’ desks did not indicate who had placed it there and no questions were asked during or after the meeting about the document, which he says surprised him.


Listen:



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Since the adoption of the ordinance for the separate personnel policy’s passage in September, Pendergrass says questions have been raised with a consultant from the Arkansas Association of Counties. He says new information came to light last week, leading to the last minute addition to the agenda late Monday.

Pendergrass says while the adoption of the separate personnel policy has been linked to additional funding for employees of the sheriff’s department, if the repeal is adopted Tuesday evening, it will not have an impact on the increased compensation approved in December.


Listen:



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Tuesday evening’s quorum court meeting will be held in the second floor courtroom of the Baxter County Courthouse.

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