Bilingual Pay Incentive For City Employees

Springdale departments reward translators

Last updated Wednesday, January 24, 2007 9:34 PM CST in News

By Steve Caraway
The Morning News

The City Council authorized incentive pay at its Tuesday meeting for bilingual city employees. City workers who use their skills in performing their jobs at least 10 percent of their work time will be paid $100 extra per month.

The resolution makes department heads responsible for deciding if the position would qualify for bilingual pay and if the person is fluent enough in the needed foreign language to be effective as a translator.

"I think this is a good thing to leave it up to the department heads," said Mayor Jerre Van Hoose. "A different level of fluency might be needed from one department to another. The department head would know best what would be needed."

The council approved bilingual incentive pay for the Police Department last year, with one difference. Passing a bilingual test is required. The new resolution leaves a test requirement up to the department head.

The Police Department will continue to require a test for the incentive pay, said Kathy O'Kelley, police chief, on Monday. She prefers having a benchmark to show the expertise of the translator.

About 12 Police Department employees took the test for bilingual pay, said Capt. Mike Peters. All but one passed the test, given by Larson's Language Center in Rogers. The one who did not pass was so close, he is studying for another try.

"It's a long test, but not that hard if you are bilingual," Peters said. "You can't memorize phrases and pass."

Christie said she would require a test in her department for bilingual pay, as would Denise Pearce, city clerk. Pearce does not have a person who would qualify, she said. When translation services are needed, the clerk's office uses a bilingual worker from another department, as does the mayor's office.

Two popular places to call are the district court office and the building inspection office. Judge Stanley Ludwig asked for the incentive pay for three of his employees, without a test. The council expanded the program to cover all city departments.

"I think it's great," Ludwig said. "All of my people are proven performers. They know how to translate."

The inspection office has two employees who will be given the incentive pay, said Mike Chamlee, office director. The two women translate at the department office and go into the field to translate for inspectors and code enforcement officers.

The department has two openings for code officers and Chamlee hopes to hire at least one who speaks Spanish. A bilingual code officer would keep the office workers from going into the field so much, Chamlee said.

Public Works, the City Attorney's Office and the Fire Department do not have an interpreter. Public Works does not have a large need for one, said Sam Goade, director. The translating needs of the Attorney's office are met by interpreters from the Police Department or the courts, said Jeff Harper, city attorney, but he would like to have one.

The Fire Department does not have anyone who speaks Spanish well enough to qualify, said Duane Atha, chief. Bilingual fluency would be helpful, Atha said, and he would probably require a test.

"I don't speak Spanish and I couldn't tell if someone was fluent enough to qualify," he said.

Alderman Bobby Stout cast the only vote against the bilingual incentive pay. A lack of accountability was his problem with the resolution, he said.

"I would like to see a bilingual requirement added to the job description of those who get the pay," Stout said.

Adding the bilingual requirement to job descriptions would give the council an idea of how many jobs would eventually be eligible for incentive pay.

Under the resolution, Stout said, there is no cap for the number of incentive pay jobs.

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