Wood County justices of the peace (JPs) renewed their call to have pay for their clerks brought on par with other county offices and for the JPs to make the same as other county elected officials.

Prec. 3 Justice Jerry Parker said this is the 7th year to request the clerks be brought up to the next level.

On the county pay scale, chief deputies in other offices are on level 9-3, while assistants are on levels 8-2 and 7-1.

The JP clerks are only on those lower two levels.

Parker was joined by Prec. 1 Justice Tony Gilbreath and Prec. 4 Justice Jody Hettich in asking that their clerks be brought up to 9-3 and 8-2.

Prec. 2 Justice Janae Holland was not present.

County Judge Kevin White asked how he is supposed to justify moving up those clerks to the other 23 clerks on level 7-1 in other offices.

“I’m not asking for them,” Parker said.

“We’re looking for equity across the county,” White said.

Hettich said he is asking for the step up for his clerks, but not for himself.

The JPs are paid $70,345 while the other elected officials make $79,574.

Gilbreath, who has also been vocal in recent years about the JP and clerk pay, asked that his top clerk be classified as a court coordinator, similar to the top clerks in the county judge and district clerk offices.

He explained that with the courtroom in the justice center in Quitman, his clerk has to coordinate the use of that facility among the Child Protective Services Court, attorney general, some use by commissioners and others.

Evictions cannot be scheduled and have to be fit in, Gilbreath explained. Sometimes those have to be held in his office, which he described as “not comfortable.”

His clerks handle both civil and criminal matters and are cross-trained, he explained.

Because of his location in the justice center, which houses the sheriff’s department, Gilbreath handles warrants for the sheriff’s office as well as for Quitman, the county seat, and some others.

To the argument that JPs work only in one precinct, Gilbreath said his office is countywide.

Indeed, all the JPs work the entire county when they are on call, nights and weekends.

And Gilbreath added that when he is on call, one of his clerks is also on call, due to paperwork that must be filed within 24 hours.

Gilbreath said at one time JPs and commissioners were paid less than other county officials as they were considered precinct-level.

But commissioners’ countywide duties, such as budgeting, eventually led to their pay being raised to other officials’.

“I don’t begrudge anyone,” Gilbreath said. “At some point, fairness comes in.”