A proposal to increase the minimum wage in Lexington is up for a final vote by city council on thursday. An eight to six vote in late October put the plan on the docket. Council member Jennifer Mossotti is the proposal’s sponsor. She says she’s unaware if any members have since changed their minds. “I have not heard from any of my colleagues that were supportive before that they’ve changed their position,” said Mossotti.
The plan would boost the minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10 over three years. Commerce Lexington President Bob Quick says there are unintended consequences of upping minimum wage. “As you lift the wage on the lower end, it’s gonna have ripple effects throughout your whole wage structure,” said Quick.
The original proposal was changed to remove tipped workers from the ordinance and delete a provision to tie future increases to the consumer price index. Quick says a higher minimum wage could equate to job loss. “We’ve had a number of businesses who just say ‘let us know what the cost structure of the community is, then that will determine what kind of business we do here or if we have to move to another location,’” added Quick.
Quick says the long term solution to raising the standard of living for all workers can come from re-training and re-educating the workforce.
Mossotti says there’s been a push leading up to the vote by some in small business to urge defeat of the ordinance. But, she says not all business owners feel that way. “I’ve received emails from small businesses saying ‘we paid our employees over $10.10 for a long period of time’ and they think this is overdue,” explained Mossotti.
The veteran council member says her main objective is to put more money in people’s pockets.
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