The Longmont City Council expressed interest in a regional minimum w…

The Longmont City Council expressed interest in a regional minimum wage during its regular meeting Tuesday but was by no means ready to commit to one.

Several people with the Boulder County Consortium of Cities and the Boulder County Self Sufficiency Wage Coalition presented to the council about the need for a regional minimum wage Tuesday.

Advocates proposed increasing the minimum wage to $15.41 an hour in 2024 and to increase it by 12.9% annually until reaching $25 an hour by 2028.

The federal minimum wage is currently $7.25 an hour, and the state minimum wage is $13.65 an hour.

The council was not asked to vote on the matter Tuesday and instead agreed to continue having conversations with the appropriate groups and stakeholders about a possible regional minimum wage.

“I think to do nothing is equivalent to sticking one’s head in the sand, so to speak,” Mayor Pro Tem Aren Rodriguez said. “I’m a big proponent of analysis.”

In 2019, the Colorado General Assembly passed House Bill 19-1210, which authorized local governments such as Longmont to implement their own minimum wage.

Some council members expressed concerns that raising the minimum wage too much might deter young people, especially, from pursuing higher education or professional training.

“When you talk about a $25 an hour job for a teenager at a drive-thru restaurant … I’d need to think about that,” Mayor Joan Peck said. “I would hate for a wage to be a determination as to whether a high school student wants to continue to go to high school.”

Denver adopted its own minimum wage in 2019, and as of this year workers in the capital city earned no less than $17.29 per hour.

In May, the Fort Collins City Council rejected an ordinance to raise the local minimum wage and instead directed staff to explore a more regional approach.

Longmont Area Chamber of Commerce Chief Executive Officer Scott Cook also spoke to the council Tuesday concerning the regional minimum wage, but with a less enthusiastic tone. Cook made clear that the chamber was not opposed to having a conversation about a regional wage but wanted to proceed with such a dialogue very carefully.

“We have all seen … the many help wanted signs at many businesses around the community,” Cook said. “There is tremendous market pressure to raise wages, however there is a limit.”