The Durham City Council this afternoon unanimously approved a motion to raise the minimum wage for full-time city employees to $15 an hour, the Herald-Sun reports.
The council had multiple funding possibilities brought to them on Thursday during a special fiscal year 2016-17 meeting, but decided on a model that would have all full-time employees at a $15 minimum by fiscal year 2019.
The plan the council landed on would begin in fiscal year 2017 and continue through fiscal year 2019. However, it would require the city to decrease the average “pay for performance” raises from 4 percent to 3.8 percent, which would save an estimated $119,000.
Starting this July, minimum wage for full-time city workers will be $13.35 an hour. Next year, it will bump up to $14.15 an hour. And by July 2018, it will hit $15 an hour.
Councilman Steve Schewel said the city administration would also, in the coming year, be looking into how to bring part-time employees up to $15 an hour.
