Harris County Commissioners voted 3-1 to raise the minimum hourly rate for county employees to $20, while contractors will now be paid $21.65.
The only Republican on the court, Tom Ramsey, voted no.
The new minimum wage will cost taxpayers an additional $5 million a year, according to Ramsey. The previous minimum wage for county employees was $15 an hour.
Harris County is currently facing a $130 million budget deficit.
“We’ve given $22 million worth of increases already this year,” Ramsey told KTRH. “We need to slow this thing down. There was not one public meeting on this topic. I wasn’t even briefed.”
Ramsey emphasized that the change was not only for government workers but for county contractors as well. “People will lose their jobs,” Ramsey said. “They will not be able to afford these significant increases.”
Democrat Commissioners Lesley Briones and Rodney Ellis advocated for the plan.
“Today’s historic measure to establish a living wage in Harris County is a step toward justice for all working people, especially the Black and Brown workers and working women who power our economy,” stated Ellis.
Harris County employs over 20,000 workers. The new wage policy is based on the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Living Wage calculator and was praised by labor unions representing government workers.
