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t' <br />T~ <br />ORANGE COUNTY <br />BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br />Action Agenda <br />Item No. ~,.~,~ <br />ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br />Meeting Date: November 3, 1999 <br />SUBJECT: Personnel Ordinance .Revision -Living Wage Increase <br />DEPARTMENT: Personnel PUBLIC HEARING: (YIN) No <br />ATTACHMENT(S): <br />1-Method Used To Establish Living Wage <br />2- Draft Personnel Ordinance Revision <br />INFORMATION CONTACT: <br />Elaine Holmes, Personnel Director <br />TELEPHONE NUMBERS: - -ext. 2550 <br />Hillsborough 732-8181 <br />Chapel Hill ' 968-4501 <br />Durham 688-7331 <br />Mebane 227-2031 <br />PURPOSE: To consider a revision to the Orange County Personnel Ordinance to update <br />the living wage required for County employees from $8.00 an hour to $8.20 an hour <br />effective January 10, 2000. <br />BACKGROUND: Effective July 1, 1998, the Board of County Commissioners established <br />a living wage for County employees. The Board set the amount of that wage at $8.00 per <br />hour.. In follow up to that, the Board has asked to revisit the living wage amount and <br />consider any necessary update to take account of changes since the Board established <br />the living wage in 1998. <br />The Board based its decision to establish the living wage at $8.00 an hour on the <br />1997 Federal poverty level for a family of four as adjusted for the Raleigh-Durham <br />Region based on the American Chamber of Commerce Research Association's cost <br />of living index. Based on that same index updated to 1999, it is recommended the <br />living wage. be increased to $8.20 an hour. Attachment 1 shows the Federal poverty. <br />guidelines adjusted for the Raleigh-Durham cost of living along with related information the <br />Board considered in 1997. <br />Attachment 2 is the draft revision to the Orange County Personnel Ordinance. Cun-ently <br />the minimum hourly wage for a permanent Orange County employee is $8.61. Thus, the <br />proposed living wage increase would have no impact on permanent employees. There are <br />48 temporary .employees who would be impacted. They presently are at wages ranging <br />from $8.00 an hour to $8.20. <br />FINANCIAL IMPACT: The estimated cost for implementing an $8.20 living wage increase <br />effective January 10, 2000 for the remainder of the current fiscal year (1999-00) is about <br />$4,000. The estimated, annual cost for the .increase is about $8,000. Funds are available <br />within approved budgets for 1999-00. <br />