? Minimum wage earners who are contracted by Nassau County will soon see an increase in pay, thanks to a new living wage law.

Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi signed a bill into law Monday that increases their wage to at least $9.50 per hour by next year. That?s good news to Joe Louis Brown, a retiree who started working for the county?s parks department four years ago. Brown says it has been hard living off his current earnings. Under the law, the wage will go up to $10.50 in 2008 and $12.50 two years later.

The Nassau Interim Finance Authority (NIFA) questions whether the county can afford the millions of dollars for the increases. Suozzi says the money may come from budget cuts to public safety, projects and health and human services.