Summit County Council on Monday approved 1.5 percent raises for many of its nonunion employees.
The workers include employees of County Council, the executive’s office, fiscal office, prosecutor’s office, sheriff’s office, clerk of courts, engineer’s office, internal audit department and the Human Resources Commission.
It is the first salary increase the 616 employees have seen since March 31, 2008.
The county will have to pay $313,755 a year for the increase.
Officials say the money is in the general budget to cover the expense with the expectation of some attrition to offset some of the cost.
Although there were no raises in the past several years, employees making $50,000 or less received a $500 cost of living stipend in 2009.
The raises will go into effect May 20.
Council also approved the same wage increase with two bargaining units.
The Ohio Council 8 and Local 1229 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO, represents 57 employees in the fiscal office. It will cost $26,000 a year.
Ohio Council 8 and Local 1032 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO represents 86 employees in the county engineer’s office. It will cost $41,000.
There are four more bargaining units negotiating raises.
In other action:
• Council also approved the last piece of legislation that will place a renewal levy for the Akron Zoo on the November ballot. The zoo will ask voters to renew the 0.8-mill, seven-year levy. It is not an additional tax but the continuation of a levy already in place. The levy costs the owner of a $100,000 home about $23 a year. The Akron Zoo receives about 70 percent of its overall revenue from taxpayers.
• Council renewed a contract with the YMCA for drop-in child care services at the Job Center on Tallmadge Avenue. The services allow anyone who uses the Job Center up to three hours of free child care. The new contract is from July 1, 2013, through June 30, 2014 for $67,000.
• Council approved a contract with Language Line Services Inc. for phone interpretation services for non-English-speaking clients at Job and Family Services at a cost of $55,000 for a year, May 1, 2013, through May 31, 2014. The service is used about 150 times a month.
• Council authorized the county executive to accept an award of $70,000 from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services for the Connecting the Dots program that will provide temporary assistance for youths in foster care who turn 18. The money is to help with job training and independent living and will work in conjunction with Summit County Children Services. The money must be used by June 30, 2013.
Marilyn Miller can be reached at 330-996-3098 or mmiller@thebeaconjournal.com.