One councilor proposed decreasing the tipped minimum wage. Now she’s urging her colleagues to slow down.

Albuquerque city councilors are expected to revisit the debate regarding lowering wages for tipped employees when they convene for their meeting on Aug. 19. 

However, councilors Brook Bassan and Renée Grout have already said they support withdrawing the measure and plan to vote to temporarily pull the proposal “to give the Council time to confer with workers and the business community for a solution that would be acceptable to both sides of this issue.” At the last meeting, Grout had proposed a controversial amendment to lower the minimum wage for employees who work for tips.

Mayor Tim Keller — flanked by advocates and councilors Nichole Rogers and Tammy Fiebelkorn at a press conference Thursday — said he is still pushing to modernize Albuquerque’s minimum wage. He emphasized that he wants to do so without cutting wages for tipped workers.

At Keller’s request, Rogers sponsored a proposal to update Albuquerque’s minimum rate of $8.50 an hour to the state’s minimum wage rate of $12.00 an hour at the last meeting. Albuquerque workers already earn $12.00 an hour per state law but the proposed legislation would ensure that the city’s minimum wage adjusts and increases as costs do.  

However, Grout then proposed amending Rogers’ proposal to lower the city’s tipped minimum wage to match that of the state’s. Grout’s amendment would have kept the city’s minimum wage at $12 per hour, but wages for tipped employees would have dropped from $7.20 an hour to $3 an hour.

Rogers said she was not in support of Grout’s proposal because it would be “taking away pay from workers.” Rogers tried to withdraw the measure but instead the council voted 5-4 to defer the discussion until Aug. 19.

In a statement on Wednesday, Grout and Bassan said they are now also in favor of withdrawing the measure.

“The City’s current tipped minimum wage structure has created inequality in our restaurant workforce and hurt small businesses, and it’s just not sustainable,” Grout said. “The Minimum Wage Ordinance needs a thorough examination to make sure it’s working for employees and employers alike. I’m eager to hear from the community about how we can make this ordinance fair and equitable.”

Bassan said the councilors want to work with the business community to write an ordinance that “works for many without causing a huge problem for most.”

“Albuquerque needs to be business friendly while also supporting our employees,” Bassan said. “One cannot work without the other if we want an inviting city with a thriving economy.”

Housing initiatives

City Councilors are also likely to decide whether to approve $2.4 million in tax incentives from the Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency for four housing projects totaling 300 units. 

One of the projects up for approval is a well-known eyesore: the vacant 10-story office building at 300 San Mateo Blvd. NE. Once completed, it would feature 101 apartments and be known as Park Central.