For Immediate Release: Monday, June 20, 2016
The Montgomery County Council at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 21, will hold a public hearing on proposed Bill 12-16 that would increase the County minimum wage to $15 per hour by the year 2020. In 2013, the Council enacted a bill that created a County minimum wage. Since that bill has been in effect, the County minimum wage has increased twice, will increase again to $10.75 on July 1 and will increase to $11.50 per hour on July 1, 2017.
Montgomery County Council to hold
public hearing on proposal to increase
minimum wage to $15 per hour
Also on Tuesday, June 21: Discussion on
relocation of Rockville bus depot, OLO report comparing tax burdens
of several area jurisdictions, meeting with MACo
ROCKVILLE, Md., June 20, 2016—The Montgomery County Council at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 21, will hold a public hearing on proposed Bill 12-16 that would increase the County minimum wage to $15 per hour by the year 2020. In 2013, the Council enacted a bill that created a County minimum wage. Since that bill has been in effect, the County minimum wage has increased twice, will increase again to $10.75 on July 1 and will increase to $11.50 per hour on July 1, 2017.
The Council’s session will begin at 9:30 a.m. in the Third Floor Hearing Room of the Council Office Building at 100 Maryland Ave. in Rockville. The Council’s morning and afternoon sessions, three public hearings scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. and the evening public hearing will be televised live by County Cable Montgomery (CCM—Cable Channel 6 on Comcast and RCN, Channel 30 on Verizon) and also will be available via streaming through the Council web site at http://tinyurl.com/z9982v8 . The meeting will be rebroadcast on CCM at 9 p.m. on Friday, June 24.
At 12:30 p.m., the Council will continue its series of informal meetings with representatives of the Maryland Association of Counties (MACo). That meeting will be held in the Sixth Floor Conference Room and will be open to the public, but will not be televised.
Bill 12-16 would extend the incremental increases set in County law to go up to $15 per hour effective July 1, 2020. Under the bill's transition provisions, the minimum wage would increase to $12.50 in 2018, $13.75 in 2019 and $15.00 in 2020. The bill would require, beginning in 2021, annual adjustments to the minimum wage by the annual average increase, if any, in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPIW) for the previous calendar year.
Councilmember Marc EIrich is the lead sponsor of Bill 12-16. Councilmembers Tom Hucker, George Leventhal, Nancy Navarro and Hans Riemer are co-sponsors.
In 2013, the Council enacted Bill 27-13, which established a County minimum wage for private sector employees working in the County, unless the State or Federal minimum wage is higher. The County minimum wage is being phased in over several years. The rate was set at $8.40 per hour effective Oct. 1, 2014, and increased to $9.55 per hour on Oct. 1, 2015. It is set to increase to $10.75 on July 1 of this year, and will go to $11.50 per hour on July 1, 2017.
The County minimum wage does not apply to a worker who is exempt from the State or Federal minimum wage, is under age 19 and is employed no more than 20 hours per week, or subject to an "opportunity wage" under the State or Federal law. Employers of tipped employees may include in the computation of their wage amount a "tip credit" not exceeding the County minimum wage less $4.00 per hour.
At approximately 10:45 a.m. on Tuesday, the Council will hold a worksession with representatives of the County’s Executive Branch regarding efforts to relocate the Montgomery County Public Schools' (MCPS) Shady Grove / Crabbs Branch bus depot. The Shady Grove Sector Plan and County Executive Ike Leggett’s proposed Smart Growth Initiative call for relocating the current depot to enable private development on the land close to the Shady Grove Metro station.
The MCPS Shady Grove Transportation Depot has parking for about 410 school buses and includes a driver certification training track.
The Shady Grove Sector Plan, adopted by the Council in 2006, calls for redevelopment of the County Service Park that consists of County-owned land on both the west side and east side of Crabbs Branch Way. The plan required relocation of the County Equipment Maintenance and Transportation Operations Center (EMTOC), the County Liquor Warehouse and the Montgomery County Public Schools Food Distribution Facility. Still to be relocated from the east side of Crabbs Branch are the MCPS bus depot and the County radio shop.
During the morning session, the Council will receive a report from the Office of Legislative Oversight (OLO) entitled Individual and Business Tax Burdens in Local Jurisdictions. The report analyzes the tax burden for individuals and businesses in Montgomery County compared to five other local jurisdictions: Prince George’s, Howard and Frederick counties in Maryland, Fairfax County in Virginia and the District of Columbia.
At approximately 1:40 p.m., the Council will receive the report of the County’s Charter Review Commission.
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Release ID: 16-197