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Budget subcommittee defers living-wage resolution until wage study and cost estimates are available
Summary
Commissioners deferred a resolution sponsored by Commissioner Erica Sugarman that would raise Shelby County employee minimum pay to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's living-wage calculation level; final consideration was deferred to Feb. 26 pending a county wage-study and fiscal cost estimate.
A resolution sponsored by Commissioner Erica Sugarman that would raise Shelby County employee minimum pay to the level calculated by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) living-wage calculator was discussed by the budget subcommittee and deferred for more information.
Commissioner Thornton moved the resolution with a second by Commissioner Mills. Thornton reviewed MIT's living-wage figures cited in the proposal, saying the living wage for a single adult with no children in Shelby County is $20.29 per hour and that the figure rises to $33.66 per hour for a single adult with one child, figures he attributed to the MIT calculator.
Gerald Thorn, director of human resources, told the subcommittee the administration intends to complete a formal wage and compensation study by April 16, 2025, and cautioned that adopting the MIT living-wage figures as presented could place some temporary employees or lower-level county staff above mid-level managers without analyzing benefits and total compensation. Thorn asked for time to model the fiscal impact and total compensation implications.
Because commissioners wanted cost estimates and the pending wage-study results before moving ahead, the subcommittee amended and approved a motion to defer consideration of the resolution to the February 26 subcommittee meeting so the sponsor and administration can present additional detail. The amendment to defer was seconded by Commissioner Mills and carried without objection.
