ROCKVILLE, Md. — Montgomery County Council members will hear from the public on a proposal to raise the county’s minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2020.
Tuesday night’s public hearing starts at 7:30 p.m. and will be held in the Montgomery County Council Office Building.
The bill would phase in the higher wage in increments. Council member Marc Elrich proposed the legislation, citing the region’s high cost of living. Four other council members — Tom Hucker, Nancy Navarro, Hans Riemer and George Leventhal — have supported the change.
Currently, the county’s wage is $9.55 an hour; on July 1, it will increase to $10.75. That’s a result of legislation enacted in 2014 that called for an $11.50 hourly wage.
Montgomery County’s not alone in proposing a $15 minimum wage — D.C. is considering similar legislation.
While opponents worry that businesses could be chased out of the region by the higher wages, supporters argue that it would provide workers with more disposable income, eventually adding fuel to the local economy.
