Until a

cost accounting study is completed, clerk of court Joan

Griffies will have to wait for a requested stipend to her

salary.

Griffies

asked the Coweta County Board of Commissioners Tuesday

afternoon to add a stipend to her salary because she also

handles the jury selection process for the State Court.

The clerk

said that state Judge Herbert Cranford agreed with her

and said she was helping out his office a great deal.

County

administrator Theron Gay agreed with Griffies' assessment

and said he asked Cranford what he thought a suitable

stipend would be for the clerk.

Cranford

said he thought $200 a quarter would be a fair amount,

which brought a look of shock to the clerk's face.

"Two

hundred dollars a quarter is not a lot. The bottom line

is I do a lot, but nobody can pay me what I think I'm

worth," she said.

Griffies

told the commissioners about all the effort that went

into jury management, including stamping and addressing

the envelopes.

But

commission Chairman Vernon "Mutt" Hunter

stopped her in her tracks.

"The

items you're talking about are paid for by the county.

What we're talking about here is a stipend for you,"

he said.

Griffies

said she has to deal with about 1,500 jurors a year, but

added she has not done a cost analysis or comparison with

other counties to see what sort of stipend is paid to

other clerks.

Commissioner

Robert Wood suggested the county, including finance

department head Rick Smoot and Griffies, do a cost

analysis and bring back a figure for the commissioners to

discuss.

Hunter

asked that Cranford be included in the study and reminded

the commissioners that Cranford had already suggested an

amount.

"He is

the man," Hunter said.

The

commissioners will discuss the item again after the study

is completed.