Justices of the Peace on Thursday marked the beginning of the giving season when they approved holiday bonuses for county employees who have been there for more than a year.
Full-time workers in good standing employed for at least one year as of Nov. 16 will be eligible for the bonuses.
Per the ordinances JPs passed, those workers who have been employed by the county for one to two years will receive $200; for two years plus one day to five years, $500; for five years plus one day to 10 years, $750; and for 10-plus years, $1,000.
The bonuses are at the same level as those issued by the Quorum Court in 2022. In 2021, workers who'd been with the county for one to two years received $250 bonuses.
District 4 JP Steve Ward asked what the total cost of paying out the bonuses will be.
"For the entire county? For this ordinance, the total amount? I have no idea," answered District 1 JP Mike Dumas, garnering laughs from the table and audience.
Union County Treasurer Jody Cunningham said she estimated it would cost approximately $140,000 for the bonuses paid out of the county general fund, which accounts for most county employees.
"It depends on how long the employees have been here," she said. "I think last year, county general was about $140,000."
Added District 5 JP Cecil Polk, "But that varies this year; we don't know that."
And since many of the county's workers now have another year of employment there under their belts, the total cost of the bonuses will likely be higher than it was last year, Dumas said.
"It should go up a little bit every year," Dumas said. "So if that's in county general ... and then the road department is separate from the general."
"I would say, total, you're spending a quarter of a million dollars," he said. "For all county employees, all departments."
Last year's appropriation ordinance for the bonuses outlines a total cost of $124,351.20.
The bonuses were unanimously approved by present JPs. Once all the checks for county workers have been cut, the Quorum Court will consider an ordinance to appropriate the funds for the bonuses.