LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Jeffersontown city employees are getting extra pay for working through the pandemic.
Friday morning, Mayor Bill Dieruf and Jeffersontown City Council agreed to provide premium pay for the people who kept the city running during the pandemic.
By late afternoon, the news was out and there was a lot of excitement.
"Everybody's excited. Everybody's just like, thankful," said Clarissa Reed, a city employee, said. "There's people behind the scenes, we still have to keep the wheels turning for everybody on the front-line to be able to do their job."
Reed is an auditor for the city of Jeffersontown and one of the many people who has helped navigate the city in Jefferson County through the pandemic.
"I kept working, I never stopped. I kept working, every day," she said.
After a few months of discussions, on Friday, Dieruf and council members moved forward with the plan to reward city workers.
"It takes a village to run a city. It's not any one person over another person," said Dieruf (R). "So, whether it's a person going out and issuing permits, or the officer, public works, or city hall worker who is simply writing the paychecks, everybody is important in a city to get it running efficiently and keep it going during a pandemic."
Although the amount may vary, everyone employed by the city will get something.
"Every full-time city employee that is currently working for the city of J-Town and also the part-time employees," Dieruf said. "The pay is based on how many months you've been working here, during the pandemic. Some people got 22, some people got six, some people got 18."
People who have been on the job from the start of the pandemic will get $5,000 before Christmas.
"The bonus at the end of the year is just saying 'thank you' for being here and keeping the city going," said Dieruf.
The bonus will be deposited into employees' accounts next Tuesday.
And for some employees, the timing is perfect.
"I have a 15-year-old son. So, I mean, the grocery bill alone for him is outrageous," Reed. "So, that definitely will help me out. It gives me a little bit more security."
The premium pay does not include people who have been elected to office.
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