Full-time co. staff may get special bonus

At the Middlesex County Board of Supervisors (MCBS) June 3 regular monthly meeting, the board approved a proposed “bonus payment” ordinance prepared by county attorney Heather Lewis that allowed full-time county employees to receive a one-time salary bonus.

A 1.5% one-time bonus was approved by Governor Glenn Youngkin and the Virginia General Assembly that will fund bonuses for some employees in the sheriff’s office, commonwealth’s attorney’s office, treasurer’s office and commissioner of revenue’s office.

The Virginia General Assembly also approved a one-time $1,000 bonus for teachers and other Standards of Quality (SOQ) funded school staff. The Middlesex County School Board (MCSB) approved this bonus for all returning county school employees, which included those who are not SOQ funded. These funds did not require an ordinance to be dispersed.

The state cost of the school bonus was $142,346 for the SOQ funded employees and the local share of the bonus for non-SOQ employees cost was $93,407, which MCSB found in the current budget. The school board did not have to request additional funds from MCBS to cover the cost of the school bonuses.

Supervisors are expected to approve the “payment of bonuses to certain county officers and employees” at the board’s July 8 regular monthly meeting. The board’s regular monthly July meeting usually would be conducted on Tuesday, July 1, but the board extended it to July 8 in celebration of Independence Day, July 4.