Minimum wage to increase
By Diana Royal Staff Writer

Some Burke County employees will see a slight increase on their paychecks when the new minimum wage goes into effect July 24.

Currently, minimum wage is set at $5.15 per hour, and Congress has increased that rate to $5.85.

According to county administrator Merv Waldrop, this will only affect the 16 steps in grade 1 of the county's pay plan, which starts at $5.30.

"This only affects workers in a few positions," Waldrop said, adding that the county does not have many minimum wage jobs. Those affected include 32 employees, 29 of them at the recreation department, mostly summer workers. Other positions in grade 1 include library aides and part-time tax clerks.

Waldrop said he does not expect the minimum wage increase to have any adverse impact on the county's budget.