The Devil is in the details
Commission defers action on employee raises
For the past three months, the Anderson County Budget Committee has been busy ironing out a budget for the 2021-2022 fiscal year.
Monday night, part of that work went before the Anderson County Commission in the form of a 3-percent cost-of-living pay raise for county employees retroactive to July 1, 2020.
While all commissioners were in favor of giving employees that raise, the Devil, it’s been said, is in the details.
Commission deferred that request back to the Budget Committee to iron out the details of the raise.
Commissioner Denver Waddell said sending the request for raises back to a committee was not needed.
“We’ve been having this budget meeting for three months, the same time,” he said. “We’ve been discussing it (raises) since before July … It’s taken this long to get it here (before County Commission).”
He said he felt the county has wasted money while he’s been on the commission, and noted, “If you vote for a TIF (tax-increment financing), you can vote to give employees raises.”
But some commissioners wanted to know the exact numbers — dollar wise — the county is looking at.
Also, there is a question about what county employees are eligible for these pay raises.
For example, Anderson County educators, who receive their pay from the State of Tennessee, did not receive a pay raise in the 2020-2021 budget because the state did not make those funds available. Can the county give educators a pay raise?
The same goes for Anderson County Highway Department employees, who are under a different budgeting code than other county employees. Are they to be included in the latest proposal?
County Attorney Jay Yeager said the way the proposal is worded means they would be. Refer to budget committee.
But there were still some questions on the specifics.
Commissioner Theresa Scott noted that some county departments have already had their budgets approved and those departments, “Already have a pay raise … A chunky pay raise.”
County Commission voted 9-7 in favor of deferring taking action on employee pay raises until it goes back before committee.
Voting in favor of the deferral were: Chuck Fritts, Tracy Wandell, Rick Meredith, Shain Vowell, Tim Isbel, Robert McKamey, Jerry White, Jerry Creasey, and Scott.
Vowell, who said he would recuse himself from voting on the subject of pay raises, with reason (he is also a county employee), said he wants to see the total package.
Wandell said after the vote it was not a matter of the omission not wanting to give raises, but he felt the commission should have a full understanding of all the factors involved in regards to retroactive amounts and which employees would receive raises.
“Because,” he said, “We want to do as much as possible.”
Commissioners also urged Anderson County Director of Schools Dr. Tim Parrott and the Anderson County Budget Committee to see if there was a way to include educators in plans for a pay raise.