Broward County Commission Regular Meeting

MOTION TO DIRECT Office of the County Attorney to draft an Ordinance amending Chapter 26, Article VII, of the Broward County Code of Ordinances (the “Living Wage Ordinance”) to increase the living wage paid to covered employees, increase the health benefit amount, and amend the indexing of the living wage to the appropriate category. (Commissioner Rich)

(Per the Tuesday Morning Memorandum, Commissioner Holness requested being a cosponsor to this item.)

ACTION:  (T-12:53 PM)  Approved, as amended, with direction to the County Attorney's Office and County Administration to look at the Living Wage in its totality to increase the Living Wage.  (Refer to minutes for full discussion.)

VOTE:  7-0.  Commissioner Ryan was out of the room during the vote.  Commissioner LaMarca was not audible.

Board direction is required for the Office of the County Attorney to draft an Ordinance amending the Broward County Code of Ordinances.

Directs the Office of the County Attorney to draft amendments to the Living Wage Ordinance.

Research has linked low wages with high levels of worker turnover, poor performance, and employee unrest. The County’s Living Wage Ordinance is lagging behind other living wage Ordinances in South Florida. Currently, the County’s Living Wage Ordinance provides that covered employers pay covered employees $12.03 per hour with qualifying health benefits amounting to at least $1.56 per hour or $13.59 per hour without qualifying health benefits.

In contrast, Miami-Dade’s Living Wage Ordinance provides that contracts entered into after October 2017 pay covered employees $12.99 per hour with qualifying benefits amounting to at least $3.16 per hour or $16.15 per hour without qualifying health benefits.

The proposed Living Wage Ordinance would provide that covered employers pay covered employees $13.01 per hour with qualifying health benefits amounting to at least $3.09 per hour or $16.10 per hour without qualifying health benefits. The proposed Living Wage Ordinance would further amend the Ordinance to provide that the living wage amount be adjusted in accordance with the appropriate category of the United States Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics.