EVERETT — A $1,250 bonus is on the horizon for many Snohomish County government workers considered essential during the pandemic.
If a new proposal from the executive’s office gains County Council approval, employees would receive payments starting in September.
Last month, council members unanimously approved $2.5 million for the bonuses, intending to pass a second ordinance specifying who is eligible. Earlier this week, county Executive Dave Somers’ office submitted a draft of that criteria to the council.
A public hearing, as well as discussion and a vote on the proposal, are expected later this month, possibly during the council’s July 21 meeting, county spokesperson Kent Patton said.
When the county council OK’d the $2.5 million, the ordinance it approved only specified the money must be used for “permissible expenditures” under the American Rescue Plan Act. It goes into effect Aug. 1.
“These dollars will not be spent at all until the ordinance is passed from council with the actual criteria,” a director from the county executive’s office told council members. “Obviously, we would not have done that either way, but if council wants that assurance on the record, I’m happy to give that so we can vote on this today.”
Ken Klein, the director who spoke to council members during the June 23 public hearing, was not available Friday for an interview with The Daily Herald.
It’s still unclear how many people will receive a bonus, or if the full $2.5 million will go to county government employees.
Somers’ office hasn’t calculated how many of the county’s nearly 3,000 employees would qualify under the proposed criteria. County staff originally estimated that 1,000 to 2,000 employees would be eligible but now believes the number is roughly 1,500.
A $2.5 million allotment — which the council already approved — would cover a $1,250 bonus for 2,000 workers.
“As soon as the council approves the criteria, the Executive’s Office will work with department directors and separately elected officials to determine who is eligible,” Patton said in an email. “Once that is done, the payments will be made according to the ordinance.”
Patton said the executive’s office will release the number of employees who receive the hazard pay after it distributes the money. For any leftover money from the $2.5 million, Somers’ staff would propose an appropriation to the council, Patton said.
The money for the bonuses comes from the American Rescue Plan Act, which gave nearly $160 million directly to Snohomish County, according to an analysis from the National Association of Counties.
The County Council can direct the money toward a wide range of needs, including public health, infrastructure investment and premium pay for essential workers.
Under the current proposal, the payments will go to people like sheriff’s deputies, corrections officers, road crew workers, human services specialists and park rangers, as well as Snohomish County superior and district court employees.
It excludes staff for both the executive’s office and the County Council, as well as elected officials, department directors and deputy department directors.
Employees must have worked for at least six months during the pandemic, with some time spent at the office and in a department that interacted with the public. Both part-time and full-time employees qualify, as long as they worked at least 20 hours per week.
The money is taxed as income and would come to employees through installments, under the proposal.
Employees exempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act would receive two payments of $625, spread over two pay periods. FLSA non-exempt employees would receive an extra $8 per hour (or $12 per hour for overtime) for every hour worked in September and October, until they reached $1,250.
Katie Hayes: katie.hayes@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @misskatiehayes.
Katie Hayes is a Report for America corps member and writes about issues that affect the working class for The Daily Herald.
Joey Thompson: 425-339-3449; jthompson@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @byjoeythompson.
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