INDEPENDENCE — One week after voting to give 55-cent per hour pay increases to hourly employees in four county courthouse departments, Montgomery County commissioners Monday turned cold shoulder to a similar pay request for two other departments.
Commissioners failed to act on a motion presented by commission chairman Billie Lewark-Wood to grant the 55 cent per hour pay hike to hourly employees in the county’s computer department and appraiser’s department. Ken Collins, computer department director, and county appraiser Leroy Burk requested the pay increases, which came on the heels of last week’s pay hikes to employees in the county clerk, county treasurer, register of deeds and emergency preparedness director departments.
Commissioner Tony Fowler of Independence, who was the lone commissioner to cast a no vote against last week’s pay increase requests, said he advocated granting merit-based pay increases rather than pay hikes that encompass all hourly employees within a department.
However, commissioner Gene Tucker of Coffeyville was more pointed with his concerns, directing questions to Collins of the county’s computer department.
“I’ve been getting too many complaints that you’re not doing it,” said Tucker to Collins.
“What aren’t we doing, Gene,” Collins replied.
“Not doing your job. The biggest thing is with the rural fire department,” said Tucker, who is a retired coordinator of the Montgomery County Rural Fire Department.
Jason Clubine, a technician with the county’s computer department, said he knew the situation that Tucker was mentioning. Clubine said the computer issue involved a problem with the software provided to the rural fire department from the Kansas State Fire Marshal’s Office. Clubine said he contacted the fire marshal’s office about the glitch but has been unable to contact a person in that office.
“Then you should have made us aware of the problem,” retorted Tucker.
Clubine further explained that the county’s computer department handles those matters involving computer hardware in county offices. The computer department also handles software issues provided that the department has permission from the software’s creator to maintain that software, he said.
Admitting that he was not knowledgeable about computer issues, Tucker said he was “tired” of departments blaming each other or blaming computer glitches for not getting problems solved.
“It makes you guys look bad,” said commissioner Billie Lewark-Wood about the finger pointing among departments.
At the close of Monday’s meeting, two newspaper reporters pressed Tucker to expound on his concerns. He initially said he had no comment, but he later said, “My only comment is that I have 57 days left in this office.”
Tucker chose not to seek re-election to his term of office and will be replaced on Jan. 12 by commissioner-elect Fred Brown of Coffeyville.
Fowler said he continued to believe that merit-based salaries would be a better fit for county employees. He said he had heard through other sources — although he did not specifically mention the names of those sources — of “good employees and bad employees” in the courthouse. Fowler has said that awarding employees for stellar work performance would bring about stronger results among the employees.
