Lexington’s proposed fiscal folly: What you can do to stop a 39-percent minimum-wage hike

The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council apparently plans on moving ahead with a vote this Thursday, Nov. 19, that could force a whopping 39-percent wage increase on small businesses by raising the city’s minimum wage from the current $7.25 per hour to $10.10 per hour.

What can you do to stop this nonsense?:

• If you are a Lexington resident, contact your representative on the council and tell them you oppose a minimum-wage increase.

• Send an email to all councilmembers at once by emailing councilmembers@lexingtonky.gov.

• Attend the next Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council meeting this Thursday at 6 p.m.at 200 E. Main St., Lexington, KY 40507

• Sign up to speak at the meeting, especially if you’re student or business owner who will affected by this fiscal folly

• Click here and here to read Bluegrass Institute statements and columns opposing this move by some on the Urban County Council.

• Click here to join “Stop Lexington’s ‘minimum wage’ tax increase,” a Facebook site created to share information and strategy.

If passed by the council and signed by Mayor Jim Gray, it would give Lexington the highest minimum wage of any city in Kentucky. Louisville raised its minimum wage to $9 an hour in December. However, the move is being challenged in court.

Business Lexington reported that Kentucky Retail Federation president Tod Griffin claimed a minimum-wage increase “was among the top five concerns” of respondents to a recent survey of the federation’s members.

“While many are already paying well over the current minimum wage, increasing the entire wage scale would certainly have a financial impact on the business community,” Griffin said.