by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

Washington County Commissioner Chairman Chris Gardner says union employees of the county will receive a 20 percent pay increase over the next three years, roughly broken out to 10 percent the first year, and five percent for each of the following two years.

Gardner says the pay increases were done in negotiation with the unions that represent different aspects of county government and in response to the county’s lagging pay rates, especially relative to wage inflation. For instance, an entry-level dispatcher can earn $17 per hour.