Speakers urge raising minimum wage in Johnson County

IOWA CITY - Though the state's top labor official contends Johnson County supervisors don't have authority to raise the local minimum wage, the County Attorney said Wednesday she doesn't agree.

The opinion issued by Johnson County Attorney Janet Lyness in the uncharted legal territory came shortly before about 120 people packed a meeting hall Wednesday evening to tell supervisors their opinions - and most who spoke favored an increase.

'No Iowa appellate court has ruled on this issue. While a state official was quoted as saying it was illegal for a county to pass such an ordinance, our research of federal, Iowa, and other states' laws, and court decisions, we cannot conclude that a Johnson County minimum wage ordinance would be unconstitutional or pre-empted by state or federal law,” Lyness wrote in an email to supervisors.

The Iowa State Association of Counties and Iowa Labor Commissioner Michael Mauro have argued the opposite, claiming the proposed ordinance would be unconstitutional.

Scores of residents attended Wednesday's public input session at the Health and Human Services Building, 855 S. Dubuque St. in Iowa City, to talk about the ordinance, which would increase the minimum wage to $10.10 by 2017.

Emotions were mixed, but the large majority of the more than 50 who spoke expressed support.

'Low wages are creating a crisis in our community, ... It's high time that somebody address the root of the problem,” said resident Robin Clark-Bennett.

Only a handful spoke against the proposal, and even fewer identified themselves as small business owners.

That troubled Shueyville resident Mickey Coonfare, who said she was in support of raising the wage but questioned the impact on local businesses.

'You're going to have people out of work,” she said. 'I don't think that's an issue that you're even considering. ... What is it going to do to small business owners?”

Area resident Lisa Green-Douglass contended that increasing the minimum wage would have a positive impact, reducing the need for financial aid while increasing spending in the local economy.

'This is the first step toward doing that,” she said. 'This is hitting the problem at the foundation level and we have to do it.”

Many who spoke in favor of the ordinance said they'd like the see the board take an even more aggressive approach, by bringing the local minimum wage up to $15.

An Iowa Policy Project report released this week forecasts benefits to nearly 20,000 Iowans if Johnson County were to hike the local minimum wage to $15 per hour.

Although the proposed ordinance would raise the minimum wage in the county to $10.10 by 2017, report author Peter Fisher said similar benefits would still be noticed. Supervisors have expressed a desire to create a committee to determine the best approach after 2017, if the ordinance passes.

A tentative timeline has the first reading on the proposal taking place this month, although a date has not been set.

The ordinance requires three favorable votes from the supervisors to be adopted.

Officials have said that municipal governments within Johnson County would have the option to pass a counter ordinance if they do not want a minimum-wage increase within their borders.

Gov. Terry Branstad has said he does not favor having different wage thresholds within the state, saying it could lead to confusion and competitive disadvantages.

Iowa last raised its minimum wage in 2007.

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What's next: At some point the full board will vote on the ordinance, which will require three readings to pass. An official first reading on the ordinance has not yet been scheduled, but a tentative plan has the ordinance going into effect this winter.

How it will work if approved

November 2015: The minimum wage would increase by 95 cents to $8.20.

2016: Another 95-cent increase would bring the minimum wage up to $9.15.

2017: A third increase would put the minimum wage at $10.10.

The board also plans to create a community committee to evaluate potential future increases to the wage after 2017.

Municipal governments within Johnson County will have the option to pass a counter ordinance if they do not want a minimum-wage increase within their borders.