Beginning next week, county employees will see their paychecks go up.
Hamilton County Commissioners Wednesday approved the first pay raises in nearly six years for non-union workers.
Board member Greg Hartmann says he's convinced the county's finances are stable enough to sustain the increases.
"The need has been demonstrated that we need to do it," he says. "Can we? Can we afford it? The conclusion that I've come to is yes, that we can. We can do it. Without raising taxes, we can do it, without layoffs. I'm convinced of that."
The raises will be merit-based and are not to exceed three percent of what the county spends in total on wages.
The increases are being funded through better-than-projected revenues, some restricted funds and, for Job and Family Services (JFS) employees, several federal grants. JFS employees will have the raises applied retroactively to the first of the year. The other raises begin June 20.
