MACON, Ga. — County employees may soon get a little extra cash in their paycheck. Mayor Lester Miller says he's proposing increasing the county's minimum wage.
We're seeing a countywide push for a higher minimum wage by some Bibb leaders.
Remember back in June when Mayor Lester Miller, some commissioners, and other county leaders hopped on the back of garbage trucks side-by-side with county employees?
Well, Mayor Miller says it was eye opening for him and other Bibb leaders.
"We learned it was a very hard job. Rain or shine. Cold or heat. Those men and women are working there each and every day. They're unsung heroes in our neighborhoods," Miller said.
"It's a hard job and a tough job. Again, those employees have hung with us and worked throughout the pandemic. It's just right to pay them the $15," said Commissioner Bill Howell.
Miller says there's been talk of raising the minimum wage for county employees before, but now, Miller says the county is in a safe spot financially to make the jump. The Mayor wants to bump it up gradually-- $14 an hour by this January and $15 by the beginning of 2023.
"The reasons we're doing that is as a compression piece. For those who are making $15 at that point, putting a distance between them and the ones you just moved up, so we think we'll be financially secure enough at that point to do that," Miller said.
Miller says the minimum wage for county employees is around $12.33 an hour right now.
"Right now, that's just not sufficient enough," Miller said.
Mayor Miller hopes the increase will help retain employees and bring in new ones-- particularly after what the county saw during the pandemic.
"What we saw is that we had to shut down a large part of our government. Part of it COVID-related. Part of it not having enough staff," Miller said.
Howell, who serves on the Water Authority as well as the Board of Commissioners, says staffing was also a reason why the Macon Water Authority agreed to bump up their minimum wage last week.
Beginning in September, their employees will earn no less than $15 an hour.
Howell says after MWA took over stormwater maintenance from the county this year, hiring more employees has been "a real challenge."
Now, this proposal is expected to go before the county committee next Tuesday. Mayor Miller says he's planning for the commission to have a final vote on it that day as well.