The minimum wage for City of Monroe employees is going up.
Mayor Jamie Mayo announced the increase Monday. He says the three-step plan will bring minimum worker pay to $10 an hour by May of 2016.
"It needed to be step increases. We wanted to make sure we could give raises, but also sustain them," said Mayo.
The administration began reviewing an increase plan in April.
Employees at the current minimum of $7.25 an hour will see their pay rise to $8.75, beginning August 27. The next step moves the wage from $8.75 to $9.00 in February 2016. The last step, effective next May, brings the minimum to $10 an hour.
The plan would altogether increase the pay of 111 city workers at a cost of nearly $234,300. Monroe’s Director of Administration David Barnes says the numbers released Monday are estimates, but feels the plan is secure.
"This is a financial decision based on sales tax. We've had two good, strong months, May and June. I anticipate things continuing that way," he said.
Barnes says employees with a salary of $10 an hour are not subject to a wage increase, but may qualify for any cost-of-living increase that may be made in the future. Mayo has given 2 percent increases to city workers for the past five consecutive years.
