In August, council expressed interest in exploring a pay structure that set the lowest wage for City of Northglenn positions at $15 per hour. The state minimum wage is now $11.10 per hour, and is set to increase to $12 per hour in 2020. On Oct. 7, Council reviewed three options:
Raise the City of Northglenn minimum wage to $12.26 per hour in 2020. This amount was determined by a market comparison and would be a $90,000 increase to the 2020 Budget.
Raise the City of Northglenn minimum wage to $15 per hour in 2020. The cost to implement this level of pay would be $286,718 in 2020.
Phase in an increase over two years. In 2020, the City of Northglenn minimum wage would raise to $13.65 per hour, then increase to $15 per hour in 2021. The cost to implement this would be $185,357 in 2020.
City Council decided to move forward with option three, and the Oct. 28 unanimous vote to adopt the 2020 Budget and 2020 Pay Plan confirms the City of Northglenn will increase the minimum wage paid to employees to $13.65 per hour as of Jan. 1, 2020.
City Council members expressed several reasons for the increase, including: to help attract new employees, increase retention of hourly employees, move towards paying a “livable wage,” and the increased cost of living in our area.