John Matthews
WMAL.com

ROCKVILLE — (WMAL) Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett has vetoed a bil that would make his county Maryland’s first to require a $15.00 minimum wage.

A split County Council voted last week for the measure, adding in compromises in hopes of avoiding Leggett’s veto pen, but the County Executive said he worried that residents would be largely left holding the bag for increased costs brought on by the higher wages, and that it would harm the local economy..

“My difference [is] not that we should not get to the $15.00 an hour, but [rather] the time, circumstances and conditions,” Leggett said Monday.

Leggett did leave the door open for a revised bill that would establish new wage increase guidelines after a comprehensive study is performed to examine the county’s ability to absorb higher wages in the private, public and nonprofit sectors. Leggett says he also wants to stretch out the increase’s phase-in period to 2022 – two years longer than the timeline set for D.C.’s $25 minimum.

“My reservations are reservations,” said Leggett. “I can only respond to them at this point by vetoing the bill.”

Leggett’s veto was opposed by a coalition of local groups, including Service Employees International, CASA, Jews for Justice, Progressive Maryland and the Metro Washington Central Labor Council, all of which argue that low-income residents cannot afford to live in Montgomery.

Copyright 2017 by WMAL.com. All Rights Reserved. (PHOTO: Montgomery County Government)