DELTA TOWNSHIP, Mich. — One township wants to give its part-time workers a big raise.
Delta Township has a plan that would bring their hourly rate up to $15 an hour as soon as next year.
Their budget for the 2020 fiscal year was approved more than a month ago but there's still some money to spend.
The township decided that extra cash should go right back to the people working there.
"It's costing more to provide rent and basic necessities for a family," said Delta Township Supervisor Kenneth Fletcher.
A lot of part-time workers in Delta Township aren't making enough to support themselves.
The township is looking at increasing their hourly pay.
"We want to be able to attract employees and retain employees that have worked in the past and have them come back summer after summer if possible," said Fletcher.
Lots of part timers within the township are working in the fire department and parks and recreation, as well as other seasonal jobs, working in services that many of us take for granted.
"You don't think of the sewer system and it running properly, you just want to know it's there when you need it," said Fletcher.
And according to Fletcher there's no worry that the increase will set the township back financially.
"There's not that many people on there, and to bring everyone up to $15 an hour would only cost us about $40, 42 thousand a year, in addition to what we've already budgeted," he said.
When looking at the budget, fletcher says he noticed all of the township's full-time employees were making at least $15 an hour.
He adds their part-timers do enough to deserve that same kind of pay.
"They're important to that quality of life in our township, so we want to make sure that all of our employees are valued, respected and earning a wage where they can support themselves and their families if need be," Fletcher said.
The board is meeting behind closed doors tonight to talk about the wage increase.
If they agree on it they'll work on amending the budget for the next fiscal year.
The township board will need to approve the new wage schedule at its next meeting.
That's scheduled for next Monday, December 16th.
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