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Commission advances living-wage ordinance to second reading, citing MIT calculator
Summary
Commissioners advanced a first-reading ordinance that would allow the county to set a living wage for county employees using the MIT Living Wage Calculator as a benchmark; sponsor said $15/hr is insufficient and urged clerks and elected offices to support the change.
Commissioner Erica Sugarman secured a first-reading vote on an ordinance that would amend county code to permit later adoption of a living wage standard tied to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's living-wage calculator for the FY2026 budget. Sugarman argued that many county employees earn $15 per hour, which she said is below the living-wage threshold for the region.
"The living wage ordinance of $15, it's not enough for individuals to live on," Sugarman told colleagues, urging them to support changing the ordinance language so the commission can later pass a resolution setting an updated rate. The ordinance was advanced to a second reading after questions and an abstention by one commissioner.
