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The Clark County Fiscal Court met on the morning of Wednesday to consider the county’s business: salary increases and several appointments.

Salary increases were given for the positions of full-time custodian supervisor and animal control officer.

After going over several points in the agenda and introducing Clark County’s newest Deputy Judge-Executive, Jim Tipton, to those in attendance, the Fiscal Court considered an order approving the salary increase of full-time custodian Tommy Conkwright and the hiring of Karen Spurgeon as a full-time custodian supervisor.

Though separate items, Judge-Executive Les Yates opined that both positions had similarities.

“We’ve been learning county-wide [that] if we don’t get our pay up there, we’re not going to be able to keep employees or hire them,” Yates said. “Originally, we were trying to hire [a] custodian at $9 an hour, and we cannot do it.”

By unanimous decision, the Court approved a motion to increase the salary of a full-time custodian to $13 an hour.

Initially, both items sought to update the compensation plan for each position.

However, they were both struck down to be dealt with in the future following words from Magistrate Dan Konstantopoulos.

“I fully support the increase. However, the one thing that I think we need to change is [that]we can’t update the compensation plan through the order because it’s part of the administrative code ordinance,” he said. “I think we need to do a separate ordinance update to be able to make those changes.”

Also, by unanimous decision, the starting salary for a full-time animal control officer at the Clark County Animal Shelter was approved for $19 per hour with the condition that – following training and certification – the salary can increase to $20 per hour.

Yates initially suggested $21 per hour.

However, citing that the starting wage was higher than what other positions – including deputy sheriff, deputy jailer, firefighter, and county school employees – were offered, Magistrate Ernest Pasley stated that – while he was willing to support a higher salary – he was against a starting wage of $21 per hour.

“I’m willing to go to $19 [an hour],” Pasley said. “I did a search on Indeed[.com] last night. I went through three pages of jobs in Clark County. $19 an hour would supersede every single job on the first three pages. At $19 an hour, that would be the highest-paid job that anybody could seek in Clark County. If we can’t be the highest paid in Clark County and get that person seeking that position, then we’re not seeking in the proper ways and we need to take a look in the mirror and try to hire from a different direction or possibly go outside the surrounding counties.”

In other news, the Court considered an order to reappoint Leanna Comer to the Hotel/Motel Association of the Winchester-Clark County Tourism Commission and appoint Zach Pasley to the same association.

Both motions passed 6-1, with Magistrate Chris Davis as the lone “No” vote.

However, an order of the Court to appoint Jeleana Moore to the Chamber of Commerce Association of the Winchester-Clark County Tourism Commission did not pass.

The motion failed 5-2, with Magistrate Robert Blanton and Yates dissenting.

Winchester-Clark County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Cindy Banks spoke in favor of the appointment.

“We have to figure out who is going to best help tourism, and that needs to be somebody who is familiar with tourism,” Banks said. “I would really like her. She did approach me saying she was interested in getting involved.”

Davis responded with concerns that Moore lived outside Clark County.

“It’s very important to me that anybody that serves in a public board in Clark County be a resident in Clark County,” Davis said. “I appreciate her wanting to serve on the committee, but they’ve got to live in Clark County, as far as I’m concerned.”

While Magistrate Mark Miller was suggested as a possible alternative candidate for the position, the Court took no action on the matter during the meeting.