Local minimum wage talks in spotlight
June 23, 2016
The minimum wage has increased twice in Johnson County as outlined in a plan approved by the Johnson County Board of Supervisors last fall. So far, the increases have not been challenged.
In the meantime, other counties in Iowa have explored implementing a minimum wage.
Linn County, which is home to Iowa’s second largest city - Cedar Rapids, just recommended an $8.25/hour minimum wage. Cedar Rapids Mayor and former Republican Speaker of the House, Ron Corbett, supports an increase in the minimum wage statewide and has encouraged the Legislature to act.
Polk County has also formed a task force to look at instituting a county minimum wage increase. The group held their first meeting last week and had general conversations about what a county wage might look like and if there would be city opt-out provisions like the other counties have instituted. (Read more in this article from the Des Moines Register.) Recent polling indicates that Iowans prefer a statewide increase to a piecemeal local approach. Staff contact: Nicole Crain, ncrain@iowaabi.org