ANGOLA — The Steuben County Council spent a great deal of time discussing “bonus pay” for Steuben County employees during its annual budget workshop.

In the end, Council members decided to increase COVID-19 bonuses only for people who worked in departments that were considered on the front lines when the pandemic was at it’s highest level in 2020. The measure passed 6-1 to provide an extra $1,000 per employee in certain departments.

According to KPC media, the Council had previously approved $1,000 for all full-time employees and $2,000 for elected officials (minus members of the Council and the Steuben County Board of Commissioners).

The $2,000 bonuses would go to people who work in Steuben County Communications, Emergency Medical Service, the Sheriff’s Office and Health Department, which is reportedly an estimated 81 employees.

The bonuses are going to be requested of the Steuben County Board of Commissioners on September 20 because they control spending requests from emergency federal pandemic funds. The money would come from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 approved by a mostly partisan vote in Congress and signed by President Joe Biden earlier this year.