Barbara Penson, Clerk of Courts for Floyd County, Georgia is suing the county’s commissioners, saying they are refusing to adequately fund her department. All of Floyd County’s judges have recused themselves from hearing the case.
The lawsuit, filed last Friday, says “The county has refused to adequately fund her department and has, in a retaliatory fashion, cut her budget to the point she cannot adequately perform her constitutional and statutory duties,” the lawsuit reads.
Penson says that county commissioners are retaliating because she sought increased salaries for her staff. According to the Rome News Tribune, one of the main points of contention appears to be that clerks in the Superior Court office are compensated less than clerks in other courts in Floyd County. The lawsuit states that Superior Court deputy clerks are paid beginning at pay grade six in the county’s salary scale, while deputy clerks in the Probate Court and Juvenile Court are paid beginning at pay grade nine, a higher amount.
Penson also alleges the county has not reviewed the salary schedule since 2007, a task that should be performed every five years.
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