The Little Rock Board of Directors approved a $15-per-hour minimum wage for all nonuniform, full-time city employees on Tuesday in what officials said is a move intended to ensure that all City employees earn a living wage. The change will impact nearly 100 employees. Employees in positions already making at least $15 per hour will also have wages adjusted upward based on equity policy.
The increase, that came via an amendment to the 2022 budget, makes Little Rock one of a handful of cities across the country to recently adopt a $15 minimum wage for municipal employees. The ordinance from the Board was passed with an emergency clause to take immediate effect.
“Improving quality of life is a foundational aspiration for my administration, and that applies not just to people who live in the City of Little Rock, but to those who work for the City of Little Rock as well,” said Mayor Frank Scott, Jr. “I want to thank to Board for their approval of this measure, which will have an immediate and tangible impact on some of our most financially vulnerable people, bringing them up to livable wage and making sure our City remains a competitive employer.”
The change required nearly $300,000 to be set aside for additional salary and benefits, which included $120,000 in the general fund, nearly $130,000 in the street fund and $48,000 in the waste disposal fund. Officials said the departments most widely impacted include the Little Rock Zoo, Parks and Recreation and Public Works.
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