Opponents of the minimum wage hike in Springfield warned the legislation would impact non-profits and entities and not the least among them are agencies like DeWitt County's Encore Services.
Formerly the DeWitt County Human Resource Center, Director Stephanie Coonce says the state rate they get reimbursed with is just not enough to pay their clients minimum wage.
According to Coonce, plans are underway with their administration and board to begin planning for the $15 an hour minimum wage that will gradually and over time go into effect. There's an additional challenge for Encore Services in that they have quite a waiting list for people to come in and work.
While Encore Services did get more funding from the state in the last fiscal year which was able to go towards salaries, Coonce indicates their reimbursements for services is very low. She says it has been a decade since they have had an increase in their funding.
You can learn more about Encore Services by visiting encoreservices.org, call them at 935-2218, or visit their location at 10840 Route 10 East in Clinton.
