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LINCOLN — The Lincoln City Council voted 6-1 Monday in favor of maintaining a $15 minimum wage standard for all workers and allowing for higher annual increases.
The ordinance, introduced by City Councilman James Michael Bowers, will allow for Lincoln to go beyond the cap set by Legislative Bill 258 during the 2026 legislative session. The ordinance also will raise the minimum wage for teens from $13.50 an hour to $15.
Bowers previously expressed the need for the ordinance after the November 2022 Initiative 433, which established a path to a $15 minimum wage by 2026. Lincoln voters supported the statewide initiative, with 67% supporting the measure.
This past legislative session, however, senators passed a new law that allows employers to pay 14- and 15-year-olds $13.50 an hour. Sixteen through 19-year-olds can also be paid at that lower rate for a 90-day training period. The law also caps yearly increases to a maximum of 1.75%, with lower increases for teen workers.
The Lincoln vote is the latest move in an ongoing battle between lawmakers and constituents over voter-approved legislation. Nebraska’s minimum wage is one piece in a growing group of legislation — also including medical marijuana, paid sick leave and school vouchers — that has been getting reworked by the Nebraska Legislature. It’s sparked some frustrated constituents to run for legislative seats in the 2026 midterm elections.
Now, with the approval of the Lincoln City Council, the ordinance will go into law July 18. The city’s finance director will calculate and publish the minimum wage rate, which will take effect January 1, Bowers said.
The council saw an overwhelming amount of support for the ordinance at a public hearing last Monday, with dozens of Lincolnites talking about the potential impact of the ordinance.
Those in opposition of the ordinance include the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce, the Lincoln Independent Business Association and former Lincoln City Council member and current Lincoln State Sen. Jane Raybould, who pushed for the lower level minimum wage.
Council member Tom Duden, voting no, said raising the wage could hurt businesses. He also raised the question of whether the City would be spending taxpayer money defending the decision if a lawsuit were to challenge it.
“What I’m unsure of is how well-informed were the voters when they voted,” Duden said. “Just as voters will always outnumber businesses, employees will outnumber CEOs.”
Last Thursday, Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers weighed in on the ordinance, writing that he believes the city lacks the legal authority to impose a local minimum wage.
“While I have a great deal of respect for our attorney general, it is an advisory opinion, and it is not binding authority, and I believe that based off of that, I will still feel comfortable voting for this ordinance,” Councilman Brodey Weber said.
Weber voted in favor of the ordinance.
“I think the question is a democratic question, especially on the eve of an election day, that the will of the voters matters and should be respected,” Weber said.
Bowers added to Weber’s comments, saying that “several other municipalities in the nation have set a minimum wage that differs from the state.”
Bowers also commented on Lincolnites support of the November ballot initiative.
“This measure passed by higher margins than many of us sitting up here on the than all of us sitting up here on the dais when we won our elections,” Bowers said. “And it’s a bizarre way to look at it, that we’re going to only trust the voter when they give us power, when they give us office, but we’re not going to trust them when it comes to an issue that we disagree with.”
Lincoln Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird shared her support for the ordinance.
“Lincolnites spoke with a decisive voice by overwhelmingly approving Initiative 433 to raise the minimum wage in Nebraska,” Gaylor Baird said in a statement. “If passed by the Council, I intend to sign Councilman Bowers’ ordinance to reflect the will of the people of Lincoln and Nebraska.”
This story was originally published by Nebraska Public Media News, a network of local reporters working with a National Public Radio station based in Lincoln.
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