Dawson County commissioners have approved a one-time bonus for government employees.

District 1 Commissioner Gary Pichon made the motion last week to amend the county's 2013 budget and spend money in the general fund to give all full-time and permanent part-time employees a bonus. The motion passed in a 4-0 vote.

The amounts, which range from $270 to $1,082, are based on years of service.

Chairman Mike Berg said the commission has received numerous emails from grateful workers.

"The employees haven't had a [pay] increase in seven years," he said. "We did have enough fund balance at the end of the year to date to be able to afford to spend some dollars for employees and decided to do it based on years of service, because people who have been here longer deserve a little bit more."

For the sixth year, the 2014 budget, which was approved in July, does not include salary increases for employees, though commissioners acknowledge that the cost of living has risen.