D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser cut the ribbon on an Eastern Market shop that just opened at Reagan National Airport. But while that was happening, the D.C. Council was getting ready to move ahead with major money moves impacting the city鈥檚 budget.
Admitting she hadn鈥檛 been able to take a close look at many of the changes, the mayor did stress attracting and retaining businesses in the city continues to be a top priority, and she argued at least some of the proposed changes to Initiative 82 will help with that.
鈥淲hat the initiative has done to the restaurant industry is devastating. We have seen a loss of jobs, and we have seen workers see a reduction in pay,鈥� Bowser said. 鈥淚 think it was really incumbent upon us as policymakers to make some changes. I think some things that they have proposed are new and haven’t really been vetted, so I want to spend some time seeing what those impacts are as well.”
Under the council’s adjusted proposal, the tipped minimum wage would be set at $8 an hour. Employers would be required to cover the difference between the employees鈥� earnings, including tips, and $20 an hour. It also allows for automatic adjustment of the tipped minimum wage for inflation.
That could be seen as a compromise from Initiative 82. That legislation was expected to raise the tipped minimum wage from $10 to $12 on July 1.
“What I can say wholeheartedly that I support is them freezing the tipped wage at $8 and making sure there’s no sunset on that freeze,鈥� Bowser said.
RFK deal’s deadline looms
Also included in the budget is money for the new football stadium being proposed at the old RFK Stadium site in Northeast. But Bowser doesn鈥檛 see that as a win.
鈥淚t’s not really significant because without the terms of the deal, there is no deal,鈥� Bowser said. 鈥淭he council has already stripped out the terms related to the deal, so the money without terms is kind of meaningless.鈥�
At least publicly, she doesn鈥檛 see the council’s inclusion of stadium funding as reason for optimism just yet.
鈥淭he only thing that will give me confidence is the approval of the deal,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e have an exclusive agreement with the team that ends tomorrow, and we need the deal done.鈥�
Bowser said there鈥檚 been no talk of an extension, and said she 鈥渙bviously鈥� is worried about what might happen with the council likely to consider the terms into August or even September.
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