File Under Unbelievable: County Agrees To Pay “Essential Workers” Time And A Half

So while hospital aids are risking their lives for their regular pay, and thousands are losing their jobs, Saratoga County has agreed to pay its “essential workers” time and a half. Given the current economic meltdown and the major financial problems ahead for local governments it’s hard to imagine the rationale for the county to add $320,000 a week to its budget to pay for this.

It is unclear how this decision was made. I contacted Supervisor Tara Gaston by email, and she responded that she was not involved in the decision. I did not bother to email Matt Veitch because he does not reply to my inquiries. I was told by a source that there was some sort of memo of understanding between the county and its unions. If Supervisor Gaston was not involved then I assume this was never voted on by the entire Board. The whole thing is rather murky. It is hard to understand how such a major decision like this could be made without a vote by the Board of Supervisors, but the history of the County adhering to proper procedures is not a happy one so anything is possible.