TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - Leon County is considering a higher minimum wage for its full-time county employees as commissioners develop the budget for the next fiscal year.
The proposal would ensure that all full-time employees, present and future, would make at least $12 an hour.
If adopted, it would increase wages for nearly 100 county employees.
The commission says this will ensure they'll live above the poverty level.
Commissioners have been discussing "living wages" for several months now considering research from MIT, which puts the living wage in Leon County for an adult at 11 dollars and 15 cents.
The board is proposing raising the minimum wage from 10 to 12 dollars an hour.
Commission chairman John Dailey says it's one way to ensure that those who work for county government are financially able to support themselves and their families.
The "living wage" would only apply to full-time employees who work for Leon County government. Any new hires would automatically make at least 12 dollars a month.
The commission has a long way to go before the budget is finalized.
The expectation is that the "living wage" proposal will be included but the budget likely won't be approved until the end of September.
