New sheriff, Superior Court clerk make first requests before Columbus Council

Two newly elected Muscogee County administrators appeared before Columbus Council on Tuesday to request approval for personnel changes in their departments.

Sheriff Donna Tompkins and Superior Court Clerk Ann Hardman, while pursuing the changes, both expressed their desire for a cordial relationship with councilors.

“Good morning, and happy New Year to everyone,” said Tompkins. “I’m glad to be here and hopefully this will start off on a good note.”

Hardman said she looked forward to working together as a team.

“We started out that way and prayerfully we’re going to finish that way,” she said. “I’m really excited about the opportunity.”

Their interaction with council was a stark contrast to that of their predecessors — Sheriff John Darr and Superior Clerk Linda Pierce — who sued the city over budget issues. Since being elected to office, Tompkins and Hardman have filed court documents dismissing the lawsuits.

In the first reading of an ordinance, Tompkins requested that the city reclassify certain positions for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2017.

She said she plans to upgrade one individual to the rank of captain for a better line of command, and the person would serve under Maj. Mike Massey who oversees the department’s operations bureau.

“As you all know, Maj. Mike Massey is over our operations, which is a huge part of what we do at the Sheriff’s Office, and currently he doesn’t have anyone but several lieutenants,” she said. “And what I would like to do is provide him a captain, which would be someone behind him, and begin to really more in that direction of taking more leadership roles and assisting Maj. Massey. It’s something that he has asked for many times, and I think it’s something that he needs.

“... Hopefully, he’ll be here for a very long time, but even in that case, we need someone who can assume those duties when he’s not here,” she explained. “And I would like that person to be better prepared.”

Tompkins said she also plans to hire someone to deal specifically with the budget process.

“I think it’s something council has asked for many times and funds are available,” she said.

And she wants to bring in a part-time, temporary accountant to help with contract compliance and other issues.

“We need to be looking at our contracts and making sure that we are getting what we’re supposed to be getting,” she said.

Deputy City Manager Pam Hodge said the current lieutenant position pays $63,860 and the salary would increase to $67,093 for captain. Tompkins has agreed to leave other positions vacant through the end of the year to accommodate the changes, Hodge told councilors.

City Attorney Clifton Fay said council is scheduled to vote on the ordinance at its Jan. 24 meeting.

At the request of Councilor Judy Thomas, Tompkins introduced her command staff, who were also in attendance.

The Superior Court clerk’s request came in the form of a resolution read by City Manager Isaiah Hugley. It called for the hiring of two assistant chief deputy clerks to replace two people who recently left. Hardman requested that the two deputy clerks be paid above the minimum pay grade at a salary of $52,413, and Hugley said she has enough money in her budget to fund her request.

“The two people that we’re bringing in are very qualified with master’s degrees, which is what I need to move forward,” she said. “We just ask for your support.”

Council approved her request.

“Thank you so much,” said Mayor Teresa Tomlinson to the two department heads when it was all over. “We’re so appreciative of you all.”

This story was originally published January 10, 2017 at 5:12 PM with the headline "New sheriff, Superior Court clerk make first requests before Columbus Council."