Howard County Council Chairman Calvin Ball is taking steps to require county contractors to pay its workers a sufficient minimum wage ? a move he calls “the right to do.”
“We should set a higher standard,” said Ball, D-District 2.
He plans to file legislation this week that would require contractors to pay employees at least 125 percent of the federal poverty line, which is about $12.41 an hour.
Companies with five or more employees would have to comply to work with the government. Nonprofits, public utility contracts and companies under an agreement with another government or organization would be exempt, Ball said.
The legislation comes amid debate on how to tackle what advocates call an affordable housing “crisis.” The median cost of a single-family detached house in Howard in 2005 was $505,128, according to the county.
Ball said he wasn?t aware of “many complaints” about contractor wages, but “part of our responsibility as government is to do the right thing, whether it?s 200 or 2,000 people who have indicated concern.”
Ball said the legislation would allow the county to better collect information about contractors and workers.
“There weren?t a lot of numbers I could look at and see what is going to be the exact impact,” he said.
Gov. Martin O?Malley recently signed a measure requiring state contractors to pay employees in urban areas at least $11.30 per hour and those in rural areas $8.50 per hour. Baltimore City and Montgomery and Prince George?s counties also have living wage legislation.
Opponents of similar legislation have said it hurts the business community, and the Maryland Chamber of Commerce opposed the state bill.
“We think the marketplace is the proper place to set the wages,” spokesman Will Burns said.
He also said governments will end up spending more money on projects by insisting a certain pay level.
Howard County Chamber of Commerce representatives could not be reached for comment.
The legislation will be introduced at the July 2 Howard County legislative session, and a public hearing will be held on July 16.
