Proposal Would Bump Indy Employee Minimum Wage

Maggie Lewis is president of the City-County Council in Indianapolis.

Listen to this story

Subscriber Benefit

As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe Now

This audio file is brought to you by

0:00

0:00

Loading audio file, please wait.

Speed
1.00

• 0.25
• 0.50
• 0.75
• 1.00
• 1.25
• 1.50
• 1.75
• 2.00

The City-County Council in Indianapolis will hear a proposal Monday night calling for a minimum "living wage" for Marion County employees. The measure, which comes from Council President Maggie Lewis and Vice President Zach Adamson, would boost hourly wages of nearly 360 workers to $13 per hour. The proposed ordinance says the figure is determined by various poverty measurements and cost of living calculations for the area.

It would also delete salary schedules and charts that would be deemed outdated should the ordinance be approved. The City-County Council will be introduced to it Monday night. The $13 per hour minimum would kick in October 1 if approved.

Though the measure only involves city employees, other cities such as Chicago and Seattle, have enacted minimum wage requirements for all businesses located in the city. Another approach in recent years has been for cities, like Boulder, Colorado and Gainsville, Florida, to approve a minimum wage increases all city workers, not just part-time as the proposal in Indianapolis calls for. In January, the city council in Raleigh, North Carolina approved a wage regulation similar in scope to the one pitched in Indianapolis.