Service years will pay for county employees

Longtime Wayne County government employees will likely receive an extra reward for their service next year.

Wayne County Council, during a Sept. 18 discussion, agreed to provide stipends for employees serving at least five years as of Oct. 1, 2025. The plan that would cost about $230,000 begins with a $400 stipend for five years and reaches a $2,000 stipend for 25 years or more.

“We looked at other options, but this is what we felt fit the budget possibilities,” said Max Smith, a council member who helped develop the plan. “It’s a good start.”

The county assigns each position classification a wage, and whoever fills those positions, whether on their first day or in their 30th year, receives that wage. Council has talked about implementing longevity pay, but has opted for the stipend format next year.

“I feel like it’s a good start,” said Beth Leisure, council’s president.

The stipends plus raises would cost about $1.5 million more in 2025 than wages cost in 2024. Council plans to pay for the stipends from its one-time expenditures fund.

Reviewing the wages was part of a two-hour budget discussion that followed the council/commissioners’ workshop. Council estimates the county will receive about $2 million in additional property tax money and miscellaneous funds in 2025, but still needs to trim the budget requests. The proposed general fund budget was hovering around $40 million during the discussions, more than $3 million beyond the adopted $36,119,407 for 2024.

Council received a revised coroner’s office budget from new coroner Brent Meadows. He requested $12,000 pay for each of his five deputies in 2025, but council voted to award $10,000, an increase from $9,291 this year.

One request was moved up to this year. Council will provide $4,000 for Meadows to outfit his department with polo shirts, T-shirts, pants, a wool hat and a cap for a more professional look.

A $73,000 request to outfit three vehicles with power lifts and purchase a third power cot was transferred to the 2025 one-time expenditures list rather than being put into the coroner’s budget.

Before Meadows’ requests, Sheriff Randy Retter asked for another jail deputy position that would be assigned to transport inmates. Retter said that through Sept. 19, his agency had transported juveniles 101 times and had transported adults 123 times to Department of Correction facilities, 124 times to court, 144 times to medical appointments in Wayne County and 22 times to medical appointments outside the county. There had also been 226 warrant transports and 120 emergency detention orders.

Retter said the volume of transports has led to $65,000 in overtime. Some council members expressed concern about burnout for officers working forced overtime to provide the transports.

Council unanimously voted to add the position, but take $75,000 from the sheriff’s overtime budget to offset the salary and fringe benefits.

The public hearing for the advertised overall budget of $53,271,703 will be 8 a.m. Oct. 2 in the chambers inside the Wayne County Administration Building, 401 E. Main St., Richmond.

Courthouse elevator

Climbing breath-stealing staircases or riding a temperamental 60-year-old elevator are the only ways to move between floors inside the Wayne County Courthouse.

As such, Kevin McCurdy of LWC Inc. presented options during the workshop that would install a second elevator and modernize or replace the old one. The price estimate varies from $1.3 million to $2.2 million depending on whether the new elevator covers five stories from basement to attic or just the middle three stories and whether the old elevator is modernized or replaced.

Another $600,000 could replace 30-year-old boilers when they are relocated to make room for the elevator.

The new elevator would be put in an existing shaft across the lobby from the current elevator. The project has moved forward after the current elevator has trapped riders by breaking down. When it fails, parts are difficult to obtain.