Town staff and leaders are in favor of giving all Wrightsville Beach Ocean Rescue staff a 25-cent increase per hour. But since lifeguard expenses are paid from a limited, separate pot of money, they’re exploring ways to cut costs, like preventing seasonal staff from collecting unemployment.
The town budgeted about $12,500 in lifeguard unemployment insurance last year because any guard that works after Oct. 1 can collect unemployment when they stop working for the winter.
“That makes no sense,” the aldermen said repeatedly.
Ocean Rescue director Dave Baker agreed, and said he’s working to rectify the issue by only scheduling guards with second jobs, like firemen, to work after Oct. 1 because they’re less likely to collect unemployment. He only keeps a handful of lifeguards into October.
When asked why he needed to schedule any lifeguards in the offseason, Baker responded, “With the growth on the other side of the bridge, it’s becoming a year-round use [of the beach].”
Regardless, the aldermen agreed to a 25-cent increase for all ocean rescue staff, meaning a new guard will make $10.25 per hour for a 46-hour week. Life guards as seasonal employees do not qualify for overtime, Blair said. Baker had originally argued for a 50-cent increase this year, saying potential employees are “balking now at the $10 an hour.”
Carolina Beach also lists its starting salary for lifeguards at $10 an hour, but Baker wants to offer competitive pay that helps maintain Wrightsville Beach’s current ocean rescue service standards, which he said “is some of the best service in North Carolina, if not the entire East Coast.”
The final budget will be approved during a public hearing in May.
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