Register of Deeds Farthing says she will not appeal ruling on lawsuit over raises

Dickson County Register of Deeds Jackie Farthing says she has decided not to appeal a chancellor’s ruling in her lawsuit against the county over raises. Currently in her fourth and final term as register, Farthing said she filed the lawsuit to emphasize the plight of county employees who have not had a raise in almost five years. In the suit Farthing sought the five percent raises for the three clerks in her office that she had submitted in her original budget proposal but other elected county officials were in the courtroom watching the outcome of the trial on Feb. 8. After Chancellor George Sexton ruled in the county’s favor, saying he agrees county employees deserve raises but would not order them from the bench, Farthing said she had not decided whether to appeal. But Farthing said this week she would not appeal the decision. Testifying during the trial, Mayor Bob Rial said he hopes the county will be in a better position to include raises for county workers when the 2013-14 budget is presented this spring. Farthing, who has said she will not run again when her term expires next year, said she will be watching to see what the county commission does when it begins discussions on the new budget.