JPs approve ordinance establishing COVID-related retroactive pay

At Monday night’s meeting of the Independence County Quorum Court, JPs passed Ordinance 2021-23. The ordinance is written to provide retroactive pay back to Jan. 27, 2020. It will apply to current eligible county government employees who worked during the periods of Jan. 27, 2020, to April 12, 2020, and Aug. 1, 2020, to Dec. 31, 2020. The ordinance says current eligible full-time county employees may receive up to $5,200 in premium pay while current eligible part-time employees may receive up to $2,600 in premium pay.

The funds to support premium pay come from the American Rescue Plan which was adopted into law on March 11, 2021. The law provides states, cities, counties, and tribal government funds for the purpose of addressing various adverse impacts of COVID-19 upon each pertinent governmental entity.

Also at last night’s meeting, DuShun L. Scarbrough (pictured above, left), executive director of the Arkansas Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission, presented Independence County Judge Robert Griffin (right) with a plaque recognizing Batesville and the Independence County area’s commitment to continuing the spirit of the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

According to its website, the mission of the Arkansas Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission is to promote understanding and acceptance of nonviolence and human equality as a way of building community among all Arkansans.

The Arkansas Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission is a division of the Arkansas Department of Education.

To learn more about the commission, click here.

And, local 4-H members watched as Griffin signed a proclamation declaring the month of October as 4-H Month in Independence County (pictured above).

For more information about 4-H in the state of Arkansas, click here.