"Give me five minutes to think about it," joked Republican Councilman Jeff Allen, who had chastised the mayor's office hours before for giving the council too little time to consider budget changes.
That's about all the time it took for Democrats to win a six-vote majority and do away with pay grades that afforded part-time workers an hourly earning between $7.51 and $8.49.
County employees now will make a minimum of $8.69 an hour.
"It reaffirms our commitment that if you are going to be an employee and commit yourselves to the county, we are going to give you a living wage," said Councilman Joe Hatch, a Democrat.
Councilwoman Jenny Wilson - a Democratic front-runner in the Salt Lake City mayoral race - pitched the pay hike, saying the wage problems had only recently come to her attention.
Republicans Marvin Hendrickson and Michael Jensen joined with Democrats to support the measure, while Allen, Mark Crockett and David Wilde voted no.
"They want every decision made on a snap," Allen said. "I worry about what message this is sending for future policy decisions."
The county now will beef up the paychecks of about 68 employees - a measure that will cost about $70,000 a year. Wilson says it's money well-spent.
"It is a nominal amount to our budget," she said, "but it is a big deal to these people."
jstettler@sltrib.com
