Two counties in New York’s Finger Lakes region have considered using portions of their funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to offer incentives to county employees.
By now, the majority of counties in New York State have received their first of two ARPA payments. Using its ARPA money, Ontario County offered its employees $7,000 for 2022, $5,500 for 2023, and $4,000 for 2024, according to Wayne Times.
Related: High turnover impacting local governments across New York
Related: Wayne County considers stipend for employees to combat rising prices, inflation
Smaller Wayne County proposed using some of their funds to offer $1,800 stipends to full and part time non-elected employees. The county would do so in an effort to prevent employees from leaving for higher-paying jobs. Wages have failed to keep up with inflation, which presents an ongoing challenge for small local governments across the state.
Related: BUILDING STRONGER COMMUNITIES: Regrouping on ARPA (podcast)
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