Portland city staff have certified a referendum petition that would limit the city's emergency minimum wage ordinance.
The ordinance originally passed in 2020, and requires that the minimum wage for Portland's non-remote workers increase by 50% whenever a state of emergency is declared that affects Portland.
But the new proposal would limit its application only to times when city leaders declare an emergency.
Some businesses say that would help fix situations like this winter, when wages were boosted for about a week during a storm that didn't significantly impact the city.
City staff certified the petition late last month. The Portland City Council is scheduled to hold a public hearing on the referendum in August, and would then send the question to voters in November.
