SEATTLE — The King County Council considered a proposal Tuesday to set a minimum wage of $20.29 an hour for the county.
Council members heard public comment and received a briefing on the measure. The council is expected to take up the issue again during its May 14 meeting.
The wage matches the city of Tukwila's, which is currently the highest minimum wage in Washington state and one of the highest in the country.
If passed, the ordinance would increase the wages of county employees, employees of businesses in unincorporated King County, and the employees of companies that contract with the county. Small and medium-sized businesses would have more time to raise their wages to the county's standard. The county's minimum wage would then increase every year, starting on Jan. 1, 2025, based on the rate of inflation.
According to data cited within the bill, the proposal would bring wages more in line with what it costs to live in King County, but even then would still fall short. The Self-Sufficiency Standard for Washington state, in partnership with the University of Washington's Center for Women's Welfare and the Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King County, found that a family of four, with two working adults, would need to make $24.50 an hour to meet the basic needs of the household.
The Low Income Housing Coalition's Out of Reach data shows a single employee making Washington state's minimum wage would have to work 103 hours a week to afford a one-bedroom rental at market rate in King County.
The ordinance also establishes a work group to assess the wage increase's impact on the county's labor market, including employment rates, small business labor costs and the ability to attract new businesses to the region.
If passed, the ordinance would go into effect in 2025.