Hempstead County Quorum Court

The Hempstead County Quorum Court met Thursday for their regular monthly meeting.  Following the pledge and the approval of minutes, the JP’S moved into business.

There was no old business.  JP Ed Darling reported some unexpected additional expenses in the Sheriff’s Department.  These include vehicle repairs and the increase in gasoline costs.  Darling said they will meet with the sheriff soon.  Darling also said the inequality in pay is causing some problems for the county.  He noted when McDonald’s workers are making $15 per hour and the county is paying $12.50 per hour for truck drivers, it’s hard to find qualified truck drivers.  County Judge Jerry Crane said the county is short 9 people now.  Darling suggested that to get the county “in the ballpark”, not necessarily competitive, would cost about $259,000.  JP Steve Atchley said the finance committee needs to take a serious look at this issue.  Darling said probably American Rescue funds could be used.  There was a debate as yo whether there would be an across the board increase as opposed to looking at the demand and the experience of employees.  Deputy Prosecutor Jim Burke suggested the board consult the new employee handbook in deciding how to deal with this.  JP David Clayton said it isn’t fair for someone who has worked for two weeks to make the same salary as an employee who has worked for 30 years.  James Griffin said the county might need to hire an outside contractor to work on the situation.  JP Cherry Stewart voiced her opinion (virtually) that the county needs to take care of the experienced employees first.  Atchley suggested the county officials work up a plan for merit pay.  Darling said the “big alligator in the room” is that the county can do this with government money but in two years from now will it be sustainable.  JP Jessie Henry asked if there are any funds for employees who have worked through the pandemic.  Further discussion ensued.  No action was taken.

Judge Crane said the county is still finding issues in the new courthouse.  He noted some plumbing issues and also suggested that not a thorough enough inspection was undertaken when the building was purchased.  Atchley said the county ought to be able to start moving some furniture in within a couple of weeks.  The courtroom furniture should be shipped July 30th.  It was also noted the county will seek some retribution for these issues that were not discovered by the architect initially.  Henry asked if the county could move in within a month and the consensus was “no”.  No one would venture a date when the county could move in.  The meeting then adjourned.