Several County Officials Seeking Pay Raises for Employees (VIEW WAGE CHART HERE)

June 16, 2022
By: Dwayne Page

Several county officials have come up with a proposal to pay their employees more and they presented that plan to the budget committee for consideration Wednesday night. No action has yet been taken.

Pay Plan

During the meeting, Circuit Court Clerk Susan Martin, speaking on behalf of herself and other county officials present, asked that employees of their offices be given the same percentage pay increase by the county going forward as the percentage given to them (office holders) by the state when their pay is increased which this year is 5.2% and that the employees step wage scale be changed to reflect it.

A similar proposal was adopted six years ago by the county commission but was changed two years later after several county officials complained that the plan was unfair in that the county mayor’s staff was being paid more than their clerks.

Other county officials at the meeting with Circuit Court Clerk Martin Wednesday night were Trustee Sean Driver, County Clerk James L (Jimmy) Poss, Assessor of Property Shannon Cantrell, and Clerk and Master Debra Malone.

Last week Martin, on behalf of herself and fellow county officials, asked the budget committee to recommend to the county commission that their employees be given bonuses from American Rescue Plan grant funds. In addition to Circuit Court Clerk Martin, other county officials at that meeting in support were Trustee Driver, County Clerk Poss, Clerk and Master Malone, and Administer of Elections Dennis Stanley. The request was granted. However, before that move, Fourth District Commissioner Dr. Scott Little asked why the county officials were requesting bonuses rather than pay raises suggesting that raises would make more sense than a one-time bonus. Apparently taking their cue from Dr. Little, Martin, Driver, Poss, Malone and Cantrell followed up with this latest request.

Under their plan, employees of the offices of County Mayor, Trustee, Register of Deeds, County Clerk, Assessor of Property, Circuit Court Clerk, Clerk and Master, and Administer of Elections would receive step raises at a percentage of $82,396 per year, which is what all these public officials will earn next year except for the county mayor who is paid more. The starting pay in year one for new employees would be at $32,134 and top out after 30 years at $46,142. In addition to the scheduled step increases, salaries of all employees of these offices would automatically increase at the same percentage as their employer (office holder) when he or she gets a raise by the state.

County Mayor Tim Stribling, unaware that these officials were coming to present this plan Wednesday night, said the proposal would have to be studied before being adopted to determine the impact on next year’s budget.

The proposal will most likely be considered at the next budget committee meeting set for Wednesday, June 22 at 5:00 p.m. in the downstairs courtroom of the courthouse.

Last year the county increased the base pay of county employees who fall under two separate wage scales already in place. Both are 13-tiered plans including an administrative employee pay scale which tops out at 20 years and applies mainly to employees who work for elected and appointed county officials at the courthouse and county complex. The other plan tops out at 13 years and is for full-time library staff and senior center directors.

Under the 20-year plan, the pay increases last year were to have ranged from $3,744 to $4,896 annually depending on years of service, while raises for those in the 13-year plan were to have jumped by $2,976 to $4,128. The total amount of the proposed pay hikes, including benefits, were to have added $129,703 in new spending to the county budget for the 2021-22 fiscal year.

The sheriff’s department currently operates under its own pay scale system previously established by the county and would not be affected by the proposal presented to the budget committee Wednesday night. Sheriff’s department staff get pay raises under a six-tier scale and are paid at a percentage of the sheriff’s salary. In addition to the scale, sheriff’s department employees also get the same percentage increase in pay by the county as the pay hike percentage given to the sheriff by the state when he gets a raise.

June 15, 2022
By:

Head coach Mark McEntire has hired former Blue Raider Payne Denman of Smithville as the next assistant coach for Middle Tennessee men’s golf.

“One of the things we were looking for was that our players wanted a good player,” McEntire said of the search for a new assistant. “And we found one. He’s got really good ties to the Grove, really good ties to Stones River, and all of our alumni. I think he’s going to do a really good job for us.”

Denman played for MT from 2012-2015 after transferring from Florida, making his mark on the program record book. His career scoring average of 74.04 was 2.21 strokes above par, the 12th -best mark in Blue Raider history. He finished with 26 rounds of par or better, tied for 15th in the career rankings.

“What a great day for the men’s golf program,” said Whit Turnbow, Payne’s coach at MTSU and the current president of the Tennessee Golf Foundation. “Payne is not only a fantastic player, but also a great human and proud alum. HIs impact on the program will be felt immediately, and I look forward to watching his coaching career blossom under Coach McEntire.”

As a Blue Raider, Denman finished first or second on the team in scoring average in each of his three seasons. He finished in the top 15 of nine tournaments, including a seventh-place finish at the 2015 Conference USA Championship. His collegiate accomplishments include 2013 Second Team All-Sun Belt Conference honors and leading a team bid to the 2014 NCAA Columbia Regional.

After a stint in the professional ranks, Denman currently holds amateur status as a player. His return to MT marks his first foray into coaching.

June 14, 2022
By: Dwayne Page

The times for early voting have been set for the upcoming August 4 DeKalb General and State Primary Elections.

Early voting begins July 15 and runs through July 30,

The DeKalb County Election Commission unanimously voted Monday night to set the following hours at the DeKalb County Courthouse in Smithville: Mondays 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.; Tuesdays 9 a.m. until 1 p.m.; Wednesdays 9 a.m. until 1 p.m.; Thursdays 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.; Fridays 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. and Saturdays 9 a.m. until Noon.

Early voting will also be held again in the western part of the county on a limited basis. The DeKalb County Fairgrounds will be the site of early voting on July 19th from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. and on July 25 from 9 a.m. until 11 a.m.

“The election commission is proud to again offer early voting in Alexandria during this election cycle,” said Dennis Stanley, Administrator of Elections. “And voters are also reminded of yet another convenience this time around—early voting on three Saturdays from 9 a.m. until noon.”

Each early voting site is for any properly registered DeKalb County voter.

Voters are reminded they have two options for the August elections. They can vote in the DeKalb County General Election only or they can add one of the state primaries (Republican or Democrat).

“On the county general election, Democrats, Republicans and Independents are listed on the same ballot and voters can choose to vote for a Republican in one race and a Democrat or Independent in another,” Stanley said. “However, when it comes to the state primary, voters must choose one party or the other and that election has no bearing on the County General. Whichever state primary a voter chooses, the County General ballot will be included.”

Meanwhile, the voter registration deadline for the August elections is July 5.

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