A motion to remove Lexington’s minimum wage ordinance from the books failed in a Tuesday council meeting. It took two votes before the matter was addressed at the work session.
Council rejected a motion to repeal minimum wage wording from Lexington list of laws
The Kentucky Supreme Court ruled last week that Lexington and Louisville’s minimum wage increases were invalid. A motion seeking to repeal the minimum wage statute ultimately failed on a 5-9 vote.
Vice Mayor Steve Kay cast one of the "no" votes. He said afterwards he thought it was important to preserve the message sent by council’s previous action to raise minimum wage. “I want that to stay in the record,” explained Kay.
Council Member Kevin Stinnett, who made the motion, said it’s an ordinance the city can’t enforce, one that’s unconstitutional, saying similar statutes have been taken off the books in the past.
An initial vote brought a 7-7 tie. When Mayor Jim Gray began to offer an explanation for breaking the tie, a motion was made to reconsider. It passed and a second motion was rejected by a 5-9 vote.
After the meeting, Gray reaffirmed his backing of a minimum wage hike, “I support an increase in the minimum wage. If they aren’t gonna do it at the federal level, I believe it was the appropriate thing to do at the city level."
The mayor said Congress' inaction on minimum wage puts the burden on cities and states across the country and causes an unlevel playing field.
Copyright 2016 WEKU
