Orange County NC Website
8 $ <br /> Chart 4 <br /> Orange County Permanent Employees <br /> With Annual Salary Less Than $8.50/Hour All Earn Above$7.50 <br /> Department Classification Total <br /> Agin CAT Driver 5 <br /> Health Community Health Assistant 2 <br /> Public Works Custodian 7 <br /> Public Works Solid Waste Center Operator 7 <br /> Recreation Recreation Program Assistant 1 <br /> Sheriffs Department Custodian 1 <br /> Sheriff s Department Jail Cook 1 <br /> TOTAL 24 <br /> At What Level Should A Living Wage Be Established? <br /> Establishment of a specific monetary value for a living wage can be approached in many ways. <br /> Each community which has enacted"or tried to enact legislation has established a formula, picked <br /> a number, or empowered a local commission- and each has arrived at a unique"living wage," <br /> ranging from $6.10 per hour to $11.25 per hour. Some calculations have included: <br /> • The amount needed to keep a family of 2, 3, or 4 above the federal poverty <br /> level <br /> • The amount needed to keep a family at a certain percentage(such as 10 <br /> percent or 20 percent) above the Federal poverty level <br /> • Prevailing wages, similar to the Davis-Bacon requirements <br /> • Historical Federal Minimum Wage inflation-adjusted to reflect today's <br /> dollar value <br /> • Budgeting actual local costs to try to determine the actual salary needed to <br /> live locally, including factors for local housing costs <br /> Orange County could develop a living wage amount using many different methods. Four different <br /> methods are outlined below. <br /> Method 1 - Federal Poverty Level <br /> One method would be based on the federal poverty level. The 1997 Health and Human Services <br /> Poverty Guidelines established the annual earnings needed for a family of specific size to meet the <br /> threshold. Chart 5 provides the hourly rate for various size families using 2080 working hours <br /> annually, assuming there is a single wage earner. <br />