Gov. Doyle kept the Madison City Council’s attempt to raise the city’s minimum wage alive March 16 when he vetoed legislation that would have prohibited municipalities from setting a wage higher than the statewide limit.

Although Doyle expressed support for a statewide minimum wage, he acknowledged that the current $5.15 wage is inadequate for many localities.

“Substantial minimum wage disparities between communities may adversely impact economic development and foster uncertainty among businesses trying to plan investments and create jobs,” Doyle said in his veto message. “However, with a minimum wage of $5.15 an hour, I can understand why localities believe that they need to raise the minimum wage. Until Republicans in the Legislature join with the consensus of business, labor and community leaders and support raising Wisconsin’s minimum wage, I see no reason to sign this bill.”
The state legislature passed the bill March 9 along partisan lines, with many Democrats criticizing the bill for forcing localities with widely different economic situations to accept a uniform minimum wage. However, a veto from Doyle remained uncertain due to his stated support for a binding minimum wage statewide.

Doyle’s decision came as a relief to many members of the Madison City Council, which has proposed increasing the city’s minimum wage from the current state limit of $5.15 to $7.75 an hour. The proposal would increase the minimum wage incrementally through 2007, with a longer phase-in period for small and non-profit businesses.

“I was very pysched that Doyle did the right thing,” said Madison City Council President Mike Verveer, who co-sponsored the wage hike with Ald. Austin King. “His veto was important for several reasons. There is no denying that the cost of living in Madison is higher than in other parts of the state. And this was an important victory for home rule in Wisconsin; it preserves the tradition of local municipalities having control over these issues.”

The City Council was ready to vote on and approve the proposal March 16 but decided to delay the vote in light of Doyle’s veto. Currently, the proposal is being debated in Madison’s Equal Opportunities Commission. From there it will return to the council, where Verveer is confident there are enough votes to pass the proposal.

Doyle’s veto comes on the heels of a recommendation March 1 from the Minimum Wage Advisory Council to raise the state’s wage to $6.50 over the next two years. The Council, which Doyle appointed as part of his “Grow Wisconsin” plan, aimed to find a feasible compromise that could pass through the Republican-led state legislature.

According to the Department of Workforce Development, the adaptation of the $6.50 wage would benefit more than 250,000 individuals within two years if enacted into law. Verveer indicated that $6.50 would be a “critical step in improving the quality of life for thousands,” but said he believes the minimum wage in Madison needs to be raised higher to cover for the city’s higher cost of living.