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KC Judge Orders Minimum Wage Proposal Removed from Ballot

A mural in the historic 18th and Vine jazz district in Kansas City, Mo.
A mural in the historic 18th and Vine jazz district in Kansas City, Mo.

A proposal that called for Kansas City's minimum wage to increase to $15 per hour won't appear on the November ballot.

The Kansas City Star reports that a Jackson County Judge on Tuesday ordered the measure's removal. Presiding Circuit Judge Justine Del Muro said a new Missouri law clearly prohibits Kansas City from adopting its own minimum wage.

A citizen group had collected enough signatures to force a minimum wage vote.

Assistant City Attorney Sarah Baxter told Del Muro that Kansas City shouldn't be forced to spend $500,000 for an election on an issue that state law forbids.

But backers of the petition initiative argued the new state law is flawed and can be challenged in court, if Kansas City voters signal their approval for a higher minimum wage.

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