NICOLE TRACY
Reporter
NASHVILLE – The Howard County Quorum Court met on Tuesday this month, a departure from the usual scheduled time due to the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday that was observed on Monday.
Covered during the meeting was Ordinance 2016-02, which amends the 2016 Howard County budget – Ordinance 2015-17.
Ordinance 2016-02 stated:
Circuit Clerk-Salaries Full-Time should increase $1,040.20, Social Security Matching should increase $76.33, Retirement Matching should increase $1,244.68 and Telephone & Fax should increase $155.91. General Supplies should decrease $591.66, Small Equipment should decrease $362.16, Computer Services should decrease $1,429.05 and Internet Connection should decrease $134.25.;
County Treasurer-Telephone & Fax should increase $151.77 and Dues and Memberships should increase $5. General Supplies should decrease $156.77.;
County Collector-Salaries Full-Time should increase $818.52, Clothing & Uniforms should increase $615.45, Fuel, Oil & Lubricants should increase $1,351.37, Tires & Tubes should increase $296.34, Repair (Auto) should increase $521.21, Computer Services should increase $2,604.95 and Telephone & Fax should increase $583.26. Overtime & Other Premium should decrease $3,477.28, Social Security Matching should decrease $294.69, Retirement Matching should decrease $500.77 and Advertising should decrease $2,518.36.;
County Assessor-Salaries Full-Time should increase $3,166.99, Unemployment Compensation should increase $34.06, General Supplies should increase $740.35, Computer Services should increase $3,699.28, Telephone & Fax should increase $271.71, Lease-Machinery & Equipment should increase $48.97, Dues & Memberships should increase $300 and Computer Software should increase $1,005.05. Social Security Matching should decrease $675.04, Retirement Matching should decrease $1,116.37, Health Insurance Matching should decrease $1,217.40, Small Equipment should decrease $476.05, Internet Connection should decrease $960.00, Travel should decrease $550.38, Advertising & Publications should decrease $254.30, Training & Education should decrease $54.08 and Machinery & Equipment should decrease $3,962.79.;
Courthouse Maintenance Workmen’s Compensation should increase $558.97, Plumbing & Electrical should increase $1,185.33, Maintenance & Service should increase $464.36 and Internet Connection should increase $300.16. Utilities-Water should decrease $2,508.82.;
Elections-Social Security Matching should increase $38.55 and Dues & Memberships should increase $200.00. General Supplies should decrease $238.55.;
County Health-General Supplies should increase $170.06 and Telephone & Fax should increase $357.84. Utilities-Electricity should decrease $527.90.;
County Sheriff-Telephone & Fax should increase $660.20. General Supplies should decrease $660.20.;
Circuit Court-Telephone & Fax should increase $875.71. Other Professional Services should decrease $875.71.;
Prosecuting Attorney-Salaries Full-Time should increase $51.65, Social Security Matching should increase $121.51, Other Professional Services should increase $25 and Other Miscellaneous should increase $60. General Supplies should decrease $258.16.;
Deputy Prosecuting Attorney-Telephone & Fax should increase $35 and Rent-Land & Buildings should increase $20. Postage should decrease $35 and Rent-Machinery & Equipment should decrease $20.;
Veterans Service-Telephone & Fax should increase $41.18. General Supplies should decrease $41.18.;
Extension Office-Telephone & Fax should increase $115.42. Unemployment Compensation should decrease $115.42.;
District Court-General Supplies should increase $13.84. Travel should decrease $13.84.;
County Road Department-Tires & Tubes should increase $2,990.93, Culvert & Pipe should increase $21,041.29, Gravel, Dirt & Sand should increase $8,590.51, Small Tools should increase $2,919.62, Utilities-Electricity should increase $986.82, Utilities-Water should increase $135.76 and Arkansas Highway Department should increase $7,762. Other Miscellaneous should decrease $44,426.93.;
Collector’s Automation Fund-Computer Services should increase $7,862.21. Machinery & Equipment should decrease $7,862.21.;
County Clerk’s Cost Fund-Computer Software should increase $.39. Other Miscellaneous should decrease $.39.;
County Recorder’s Cost Fund-Salaries Part-Time should increase $1,539 and Social Security Matching should increase $117.73. Computer Services should decrease $1,656.73.;
County Library-Extra Help should increase $1,027.50, Telephone & Fax should increase $1,316.64, Utilities-Water should increase $17.31 and Dues & Memberships should increase $590.29. Machinery & Equipment should decrease $2,951.74.;
County Sanitation-Salaries Part-Time should increase $28.20, Overtime & Other Premiums should increase $288.23, Parts & Repair should increase $62.68 and Utilities-Waste Disposal should increase $3,175.47. Machinery & Equipment should decrease $3,554.58.;
County Jail-Janitorial Supplies should increase $2,284.63, Clothing & Uniforms should increase $2,008.97, Terminix should increase $14.11, Utilities-Electricity should increase $244 and Utilities-Water should increase $868.98. Building Materials & Supplies should decrease $5,420.69.;
911 Office-Parts & Repair should increase $227.69 and Telephone and Fax should increase $1,090.79. General Supplies should decrease $1,318.48.;
Victim Witness-Salaries Full-Time should increase $2,593.21, Retirement Matching should increase $1,548.72 and Health Insurance Matching should increase $362.80. Salaries Part-Time should decrease $2,583.93, Social Security Matching should decrease $2.26, Unemployment Compensation should decrease $356 and the balance of $1,562.54 comes from unappropriated money.;
2015 salaries for the following positions who offices saw an increase due to the ordinance are as follows – Howard County Circuit Clerk – $38,561.80, Howard County Collector, who also serves as the County Sheriff – $46,963.80, Howard County Assessor – $41,928.33 and the Howard County Prosecuting Attorney (which is split between two individuals currently – $11,000.
A brief discussion was held by the Justices of the Peace in attendance, and the Ordinance was approved by a vote of 7-0.
A replacement for Howard Memorial Hospital Board Member Brenda Ward, whose term will expire in July 2016, was heard by the JP’s. Wes Howard was nominated for the position. A motion was made to accept his nomination to the board, and was passed unanimously by the court.
HMH Debra Wright was on hand during the meeting to give a report on how the hospital did for the year of 2015. Wright stated that over all, the hospital met 94 percent of its proposed goals for the year. Wright also stated that the individual departments in the hospitals met 96.6 percent of the proposed goals for the year.
JP Martha Hobbs was named the Howard County Quorum Court delegate for the year of 2016.
Present at the meeting were JP’s Bobby Don Turner, Dick Wakefield, Janice Huffman, David Mauk, Archie Cothren, Kerry Strasner, and Brent Pinkerton. Also in attendance were Judge Kevin Smith, Treasurer Sheri Mixon, Circuit Clerk Angie Lewis, and Howard Memorial Hospital CEO Debra Wright.
