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Howard County approves local minimum-wage ordinance after marathon debate
Summary
After nearly six hours of amendments and public testimony, the Howard County Council approved a local minimum-wage ordinance (CB 82) that phases county wages to a $16 floor over several years with CPI adjustments and multiple exemptions. Supporters said it helps 40,000 workers; opponents warned about business costs.
Council Chair Opal Jones and Councilwoman Christiana Rigby led a lengthy floor debate that ended late Monday night with passage of council bill 82, a local minimum-wage ordinance that phases the county’s wage floor upward and adds an annual consumer-price-index adjustment.
The bill, introduced by Opal Jones and Christiana Rigby, drew hours of discussion on pacing the increases, exemptions for small employers and seasonal workers, a capped CPI adjustment and changes to the county’s tipped-wage credit. “If we pass this legislation, employees in Howard County will see tangible benefits in as few as four months,” Councilwoman Christiana Rigby said during the debate in urging…
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