Commissioners vote to increase minimum wage to $20 an hour for Travis County employees

kvue.com

TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas — The Travis County Commissioners Court on Tuesday voted unanimously to raise wage to County employees to $20 an hour.

"A lot of employees have been waiting a long long time to make more and survive in this community," said Precinct 4 Commissioner Margaret Gómez. "Let's make an investment in our employees." 

The new wage is set to go into effect on Oct. 1. Currently, Travis County employees are on a $15 minimum wage.

Commissioners also approved a 5% pay increase for County employees across the board.

Other pay increases include a 3% cost-of-living adjustment for retirees, as well as an increased entry-level salary for corrections officers – up 6.7%, to $50,000. The minimum salary for deputies will rise to $63,000 – a 14.1% increase.

Around $48 million will be dedicated to the costs of all compensation increases.

The move follows an almost identical move by the Austin City Council last week, which also voted to pass a budget that included a minimum wage increase to $20 an hour.

In addition to the increase, the Austin city manager has been directed to develop a plan each year to reach a minimum wage of $22. After that is reached, the average of the annual increases in the Consumer Price Index in Texas will be used to increase the rate each year.