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Commissioners to work with sheriff on deputy pay scale Clarke County Commissioners tabled pay raises for sheriff's deputies Tuesday and said they wanted to get with Sheriff Bobby Moore to try and set up some kind of position scale with suggested salaries for different positions. Moore, who took office Jan. 15, has made the following changes and wanted pay changes to go along with them: Ron Baggett, moved from corporal to chief investigator with no pay raise; Ronald Robinson, moved to corporal with a 50 cent per hour raise after a six month probationary period; Larry Gene Sheffield, moved from deputy to lieutenant with a $5.40 per hour raise; and Chief Investigator Vergil Chapman, moved to chief deputy with a $4.55 per hour raise. Commissioners were hesitant on the larger two raises and said the matter needed to be looked at. County Attorney Bruce Wilson referenced an Attorney General's opinion that Sheriff Moore gave him that recognized the sheriff's authority to hire personnel. Wilson said the commission sets the sheriff's department budget and salaries and the sheriff handles employment matters. He said one of the problems is that in the past, sheriffs have only asked for starting pay salaries for employees and then pay raises tended to follow individuals. "We don't have salary ranges for positions but salary ranges for individuals," Wilson said. "We need to sit down with him [Moore] and see how best to structure [salaries] to set ranges for specific positions." Commissioners, Wilson and Moore will discuss the matter. Moore asked that the raises be made retroactive to Jan. 15, the day he promoted the deputies, if possible. Also, commissioners agreed for Moore to advertise to fill two deputy vacancies. Deputies Thomas Fox and Hubert Finch did not stay in the new administration. Chief Deputy Donnie Arnold has already left but Chapman has moved to that position. Moore has voiced concern recently about the low starting salaries for deputies, saying it is hard to compete with area municipalities and adjoining counties that offer a higher starting pay. Engineer's report At County Engineer Sam Noble's recommendation, commissioners executed an agreement with the Alabama Department of Transportation for an additional $660,000 in spending for the North Clarke Industrial Park access road. The funds will be used to add turn lanes and a crossover where the road intersects Highway 43. The money is being provided through the state. Commissioners also agreed to purchase a herbicide truck for $17,000 to aid in spraying vegetation along rightsof way. An employee will have to be hired and trained in herbicide use and will also be required to have a CDL license. At Monday's work session, Noble reported that the approaches were the final work to be done on the Sizemore Creek bridge project. Other business Commissioners authorized contributing $1,500 toward a $13,586 hazard mitigation contract with Alabama Tombigbee Regional Planning Commission. EMA Director Roy Waite explained after the meeting that natural and manmade hazards would be surveyed to see how they could be stopped or combated. A survey was done years ago but needs to be updated, he said. The bulk of the cost will be paid by FEMA, $10,265. Permanent employee status was granted to Suzanne Pugh with 911 with a 75 cent per hour raise. Commissioners agreed to buy a jeep from the appraisal department for $11,099. Commissioners also granted Revenue Commissioner Chris Beverly permission to fill the appraiser vacancy in his office that resulted when Beverly was appointed revenue commissioner. A solid waste enforcement contract was renewed with the County Health Department. The annual cost is $45,000, or $3,750 monthly. While the health department is quartered in a county building, $500 will be deducted from the monthly cost in lieu of rent but the full amount will be in effect when the new county health department building is completed, Kendall Bush explained. Bush noted that there is $75,000 available for the county through the Center for Disease Control for mosquito spraying. He said the money can be used to help the county set up a spraying unit for rural areas (most of the municipalities already have programs) and that some help could be provided for municipal efforts. A mosquito sprayer, or fogging machine, costs about $10,000, Bush added. Commissioner Rhone questioned the large number of deer and hog carcasses that hunters have dumped along roadsides this hunting season and said they are unsightly, smelly and a health hazard. Bush agreed and said it is criminal littering and that offenders can be fined a minimum of $250 per offense. With added court costs, the total runs close to $500. The problem, he said, is catching offenders in the act.
Hunters and others need to be educated on properly disposing of carcasses, he said, adding that there are plans for lime pits that can be constructed to aid in decomposing remains.
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