Whoever emerges as the winner of the General Sessions Judge race in Warren County will be receiving a pay raise. The job now pays $145,000 as opposed to the previous salary of $134,377.
Linda Hillis, Warren County director of finance, informed the county’s Budget and Finance Committee that her office was notified by the Department of Justice there was a discrepancy in what the county was paying Judge Bill Locke and what the correct pay should be.
Hillis went back to September 2006 after the budget for that year passed. An increase in the judge’s pay had been allotted in July of that year. A statute came up after the budget was approved increasing the judge’s pay by $10,000.
Hillis and her staff are in the process of going back and determining how much back pay is due former Judge Larry Ross, as well as Judge Locke.
The difference the county will be disbursing is not the full $10,000 because part of the pay increase had been calculated. It is estimated, the judges will receive between $4,000 and $5,000 for each year since 2006.
Judge Ross served the majority of that time before retiring. Judge Locke was appointed by the Warren County Commission in January.