Fulton County Quorum Court moving toward special election for sales tax

Following a passionate plea from Fulton County Sheriff Al Roork earlier this month regarding pay for the employees in his department, quorum court justices are moving toward a special sales tax election on December 11th.Areawide Media of Salem reports the special election would allow voters to consider a one percent sales tax specifically for public safety.

The action by the quorum court came in a special meeting August 21st in front of a standing-room only crowd of citizens, sheriff’s department deputies and employees, and the sheriffs from both Izard and Stone counties.

The quorum court’s action came one week after Sheriff Roork’s appeal to the justices for increased compensation for employees of his department.

In the special meeting, after over two hours of debate, including comments from Sheriff Roork, several citizens of the county, the county treasurer and assessor, the quorum court unanimously voted to create an ordinance calling for the special election.

The court is set to meet Tuesday evening at 7:00 to review the proposed ordinance in order to consider it at its regular monthly meeting on September 10th

The ordinance follows Sheriff’s Roork’s plea earlier this month when flanked by a large group of sheriff’s department employees and various family members he had a “come to Jesus” moment regarding pay for the people of his department.

He opened by telling the quorum court, he wasn’t going to ask the justices for anything. He said he just wanted them to listen to him, adding when he was done speaking, he would be walking out of the building.

He went on to say, “I’’m not going to answer any questions or anything else, okay? I’’ve brought my family with me tonight. I love them very much. They love me. We’’d die for one another. I’’ve been doing this, as of next Friday, 39 years. I’’ve served the people well. I’’ve always done the right thing. Might not be the proper thing, but I’’ve always done the right thing. I did it at great sacrifice to me and to my family. I was fortunate that I worked for a very good company for 33 years.

My retirement from the City of Salem is twice what I make as your sheriff. But I’’ve never worked this damn hard in my life. I work seven days a week, for you, because you matter to me, your family matters to me, your safety matters to me. I’’m losing the battle – I’’m going to lose the battle and I don’’t usually lose battles. I choose my battles, usually, very carefully. But this is one I’’m not going to win, because I don’t have the resources to win it. I respect all of you, I respect the position you’’re in, and I respect what you’re doing. But I’’m not going to let you continue to do it.

You people think that everybody is equal, no matter what their talents are, no matter how complex their job is, or anything else. Whether it’’s a grader operator, dispatch, or secretary, truck driver, police officer – it’’s basically minimum wage for everybody. It’’s insane. I’’ve never seen an organization run like that in my life and neither have you. You know, I have a sergeant, he’’s here tonight, William Fawcett. He has much more responsibility than a regular deputy. He can do some things that none of the rest of us can do. He is the only one who can extract video and audio from that computer out there. No one else can do it. He’’s the only one who’s talented enough to do it. When I made him sergeant, I told him, ‘This is not going to pay you any more money. It’’s just going to be painting your (expletive).’ He said, ‘If I can help, I’’ll do it.’ He’’s the only one who can run our RPS system. Without it, we’’re grounded. He gets no more money than a regular deputy. He doesn’’t get enough to live, so he works another job, and he sleeps sometimes two hours a night, because of your policies.

I have another person out there who makes $8.50 an hour, and I appointed her because she’’s a radio dispatcher, a level II radio dispatcher, and does a good job. You spent quite a bit of money training her. I had to have a TAC person. That means she’’s the one in charge of entering everything that goes in that police computer out there. That’’s hundreds of things, from stolen items, to orders of protection, warrants – all these things have to be entered in a proper way and accurately. It’’s a huge responsibility and it just got a lot bigger. And she told me the other day, she said, ‘Sheriff, I’’m not sure I’’m going to continue to do this. It’’s too stressful on me.’ I’’ve seen my radio dispatchers out there take a 911 call that they had to stay on the line because their loved one just blew their damned brains out. And they cry at the end of that thing. And I don’’t have much to offer them except to hug them and tell them, ‘Good job.’ You people don’’t even begin to understand because you’’ve never even come in that damn building to see what was going on. I don’’t know if you care, I don’’t know what your motives are at this point. I simply don’’t know. But here’’s the deal.””

At this point, Justice of the Peace Lynn Guffey interrupted the Sheriff, stating, ““I don’t much care for this chewing out.””

The sheriff quickly responded. ““I don’’t care if you like it or not. I’’m talking tonight. So here’’s the deal y’a’ll. You know, I had to shoot a man Friday. It was a traumatic deal. A very traumatic deal. But it was that, or me and my deputy get killed. I’’ve had a horrible few days – actually, a horrible month and a half, working seven days a week, and I’’m going to continue to do that because I’’m dedicated and these people are going to continue to do that because they are very dedicated.

A starting deputy in Izard County, if he doesn’’t have any experience, gets $28,500. I just verified that before coming in here. Once they go to academy, they get $30,000. We start at $18,500 and when you go to academy you get $19,000. Okay, last week the City of Salem hired a boy. He starts at the academy on Monday. When he gets out of the academy, he gets $30,000 a year. He works four nights a week. It’s a great job. Great company. The City of Salem is very good to work for. Jimmy Turnbough, Mammoth Spring, lowest paid officer, paid a little over $32,000 a year. Chief deputy in Izard County, $46,000 a year. My chief deputy is $24,000 a year, and nobody works as hard as he does, seven days a week.

It’’s that way everywhere, and that’’s why I can’’t keep deputy sheriffs. But we train them and we lose them. I lost one today. He called me a while ago and resigned. He was our newest hire. Been academy trained, spent thousands of dollars on him, and he resigned a while ago. He’’s turning his stuff in tomorrow. I let one go last week. I hired one last week, also. He goes to the academy starting next Monday. He’’ll be gone. So I’’m down to three deputies. Izard County has 16 full time deputies, all making over $30,000 a year. Not a county much different than ours, a little bit more population. 16 full time. I have five, including my chief deputy if I’’m full staffed, but I’’m seldom full staffed. I’’m going to end up with three and my chief deputy in a few days.

Everybody is not the same y’a’ll. This is the only organization I know of that groups everybody into the same category, and none of you could survive on what you are paying them. I understand why you’’re doing it; I’’m not faulting you for that. You’’re trying to be good guardians of the tax payer’s money. But we can’’t continue to operate this way. So, you’’re going to have an opportunity here to put the monkey on my back, if you want to, because I’’ve got a big back, and I’’ve got the back bone to do it. But here’’s the deal. I’’m not an unreasonable person, and I’’ve always tried to work with y’a’ll and I think you’’ve tried to work with me. But when I came to you recently for a $2,700 car, even though I have been cut $75,000 in my budget, which was not reinstated, – you reinstated your salaries to full. But mine was never messed with. The money was there, and you knew it was there, but I was still cut. And that’’s fine, I’’ll operate within that. But when I ask for the car, you allowed me to have the car but I had to do it out of my budget. That’’s fine. You let me have it. I appreciate that. But you didn’’t appropriate it. I don’’t ask for anything that’’s unreasonable guys, but I’’m tired of everybody else in the county gets to go home, on a holiday, and get paid for it. My deputies have to work it and they get nothing for it. The rest of my staff can, but I have to man the jailers, but they get another day off or get paid for it extra.

When I worked for the City of Salem, as Chief of Police, 15 holidays plus your birthday, you knew what you got. We got an extra check, in addition to our salary. Law mandates that with that organization. It doesn’’t with these deputies. They’’re a good bunch. I’’m tired of hiring people. I’’m not hiring good people like I need. I was fortunate that I had a good one the other day that doesn’’t depend on this. Tim Haley from Mammoth Spring is my new hire. Honored to have him. A very honorable man. Fought a man for 30 minutes yesterday morning, blood all over him. For 30 minutes he fought that man – him and Arliss. This guy was violent and crazy. Just today, John Cawvey had a traffic stop. Another doper, with four kids in the car, a woman driver. He picked up a baby bag and gets stuck with a damn meth needle that’s full of meth that’’s got blood in it. And it stuck him so deep that he bled. So guess what he felt at that point, and the anxiety that he’’s feeling right now. It is what it is. We know what it is. We gladly do it for you. But we’’re not getting much in return from y’a’ll. So here’’s the deal. And you can say whatever you want to about me, just don’’t say it to me right now. You wait and say it to me later, okay?

I’’m going to walk out of here in just a minute. You say whatever you want to about me when I leave. You’’re not going to, because the media is here, and because you know I’’m right. Y’a’ll have a difficult job, but they’’re doing it in other counties and I don’t know why you’’re not doing it. But here’’s the deal. You are going to pay my deputies time and a half from this day forward, for all the overtime and comp time that they work. I have to cover these shifts. If you don’’t, this is the one thing you can take to the bank folks, I will write a letter to the labor board, on my letterhead, making an official complaint on you people. I will send a copy of it to Darrell, I will send a copy of it to (County Attorney) Eric Bray. They will come. I will testify against you, in federal court, and they will run a microscope up this county’’s butt for the last three years. Don’’t make me do it. Pay my deputies time and a half for this time that they’’ve been putting in and I won’t go back on you. I don’’t care whether you like it or not. I told (Justice of the Peace) Jimmy (Marler) that he wasn’’t going to like me after tonight but I’’m done playing. You do what you want to do. I promise you that I will do what I just told you. Thank you.””

With that, Sheriff Roork, the deputies and family members who had been in attendance left the courtroom.

For a moment, there was stunned silence. Questions from the court followed, including Justice Jimmy Marler who asked, ““So, if we did that, we would have to do away with the personnel policy, or make a lot of changes on it. Is that not true?””

County Judge Darrell Zimmer said, the county would have to change what it pays people and change its budget ordinance.

JP Burton Yarnell asked what it would take to raise the millage. Zimmer said in November, the quorum court could raise the millage but it wouldn’’t go into effect until the year after, as taxes are always calculated a year behind. Currently, the county has a millage of three, and is allowed by law to go up to five. One mill equates to about $100,000 in revenue, so an additional two mills would raise approximately $200,000 in additional revenue.

Justice of the Peace Marjorie Rogers asked if there was any place in the current budget funds could be taken to pay for the overtime. ““We cut everything we could,””replied Zimmer.” “We are right on budget– right on it.””

The issue of increasing the sales tax was raised. Zimmer noted currently, the county’’s sales tax is 9.5 cents, with six cents going to the state, 1.5 cents going to the cities and 2 cents going to the county. He stated that a one cent additional tax would raise approximately $800,000 annually.

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