October 22, 2007
MAGISTRATE’S
PAY IS CUT EFFECTIVE 9/1/07 - MAYBE…
At their meeting on July 10, 2007, the BOC voted to cut
the Magistrate’s pay in half if
he failed to provide written documentation of his hours
worked.
See: http://www.taxdogs.com/071507magsalarycut.htm
Through Open
Records requests, the TWG has learned that indeed the Magistrate’s
hours have been cut from 80 hours per pay period (every
2 weeks) to 40 hours per pay period. The
gross pay amount appears to have been cut approximately
$1,010 per pay period. However,
TWG has questioned how the net pay is so very similar to
what it was at 80 hours pay.
See Check stubs
for 9/1/07, 9/15/07, and 9/29/07 here.
http://www.taxdogs.com/102207PayStub1.pdf
http://www.taxdogs.com/102207PayStub2.pdf
http://www.taxdogs.com/102207PayStub3.pdf
The latest stub
shows ConOffS, which is the Magistrate’s $20,000 supplement,
in the amount of $769.23. The salary at 20 hours per week
or 40 hours per pay period is $1010.09. The net
pay on the 9/29/07 check with 40 hours is $1047.87; the
net pay on the 9/1/07 check with 80 hours is $1074.21.
Withholdings
are private and that information is redacted or hidden from
the public. It is entirely possible that the Magistrate
has changed his withholdings to enable him to receive the
same amount
of net pay. However, sources have told TWG that the BOC
was informed that if the Magistrate’s
pay was cut, there would be a lawsuit. As of this past week,
no lawsuit has been filed.
The Magistrate
has yet to document his hours. The Magistrate still works
out of the County as a
Juvenile Defender and receives an extra pay check from Jasper
County as a Juvenile Defender in
the courts here. The Magistrate has attended many if not
all the Softball games and has coached
in some of them.
See: Picture
from Monticello News with Coach Jackson sharing in the Victory
of the Softball Team (8/23/07, Monticello News, Page 16).
http://www.taxdogs.com/images/102207SoftballCoach.jpg
TIME
FOR CHANGE
Anyone who is 25 years or older, has a high school diploma,
and has lived in the County for at least
one year is qualified to be a Magistrate according to the
Georgia Code:
§
15-10-22. Qualifications of magistrates; restrictions on
practice of law
(a) Each magistrate shall have been a resident of the county
for one year next preceding the beginning
of his term of office and shall as of such date be at least
25 years of age and shall possess
a high school diploma or its equivalent.
With
a base salary of $46,408.38, health care benefits, retirement
benefits, and a “staff” to help, TWG believes there are
a number of people in Jasper County with good common sense
that could run for and perform the duties of the office
of Magistrate Judge. Many counties in Georgia have non-lawyer
Magistrates that do a fine job and are available on a daily
basis.
TWG
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Mission
Statement:
** To keep the taxpayers of Jasper County, Georgia informed
as to where and how
their tax dollars are being spent.
** To keep the taxpayers abreast of local policies and
laws being
discussed and enacted.
** We advocate more open government, less government spending,
and lower property taxes.
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