JEFFERSON COUNTY, ARKANSAS, Ark. — Update: The county clerk has approved paper checks and employees should receive them by the end of Wednesday, May 1.
On Tuesday, Jefferson County officials hosted a meeting to discuss several topics, including why employees still haven't received their paychecks.
Everyone should have received the money on Tuesday, but County Judge Gerald Robinson hasn't signed off on the payroll.
Several employees came to the meeting wanting answers, including one woman who was in tears. She said she can't afford to buy groceries for her family.
"I cannot work for a county that does not pay me," the woman said. "I have a baby to worry about, and one is on the way. I can't do it."
This woman said she has worked for the county dispatch for four years, but without a reliable paycheck, she said she can't continue to do so.
"I have $700 worth of bills coming out of my account tomorrow morning, and I've got $12 to pay them," the woman said.
All this is happening because Robinson said two employees are being "illegally paid," and he refuses to sign the payroll until the county clerk corrects the issues.
The county clerk said removing those employees from the payroll is not within her power.
As we reported on Monday, one of those employees is Assessor Gloria Tillman's daughter, who works in her office.
Robinson said there are issues of nepotism.
At Tuesday night's meeting, county employee Yvonne Humphrey, the other person in question, gave her side.
Humphrey said she's worked for the county for almost 50 years, but there are disagreements on how much sick leave she has.
She said she took retirement for a month in 2007 and then was elected to the position of Jefferson County Assessor. At that time, county officials said her sick leave had been documented.
Now, Humphrey is sick and said she needs the time off.
"I'm not trying to get over on anything," Humphrey said. "I didn't plan this illness. It's just something that happened."
Most elected Jefferson County officials attended Tuesday's meeting except Robinson and some quorum court members.
As of Tuesday, there is no answer to when employees could receive their checks.
"This is just the most extreme thing the county judge has done," Jefferson County Tax Collector Tony Washington said. "It's affecting a lot more people."
We spoke to Robinson on the phone after the meeting. He said his office did not sanction the meeting, and he has no plans to watch recordings of it.
In a previous statement, Robinson told us, "I'm not going to sit there and stand by and let these individuals take county funds, knowing that they're not legally bound to receive those funds."