Living Wage Policy Amendments

At a glance

What: An amendment to the City's Living Wage Policy (Resolution No. 15-2141, first approved November 10, 2015) to revise the policy's threshold, applicability, wage floor method, contract terms and review schedule.
Where it stands: Adopted as amended on September 9, 2026 on a divided vote, with Roth and Mendelsohn voting no and Mayor Johnson absent. It was deferred on August 25 and briefed on September 2.
What changed: The October 1, 2026 increase in the MIT living wage figure is paused, keeping the City's living wage rate at $23.06. The policy now applies to competitively solicited, labor-intensive general service contracts over $300,000, must be reviewed at least every two years, and sets a standard initial contract term of three years with up to two one-year renewals.
Next: The two-year policy review is the next scheduled checkpoint; no date is stated in the minutes.

August 25: West moved to adopt the amendment and Blair seconded. Bazaldua offered a subsidiary motion (seconded by Cadena) to make the wage floor the greater of the MIT living wage or the Bureau of Labor Statistics 50th percentile rate. During discussion Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Johnson moved to defer the item to the September 2 briefing; Blackmon seconded. The deferral carried on a record vote of 9 to 5 with Cadena absent (the printed lists name West on both sides, an apparent clerical error in the minutes).
September 2: the city manager briefed the Council on the policy review and proposed amendments. Seven open-microphone speakers addressed the Living Wage Policy Review, including representatives of Workers Defense, North Texas Labor and Bridge North Texas.
September 9: eleven registered speakers addressed the item, including representatives of Texas Organizing Project, North Texas AFL-CIO, IBEW Local 20 and YALLTX, Workers Defense and Sunrise Dallas. Their positions are not recorded in the minutes.
West moved to adopt with the changes above, seconded by Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Johnson. Roth moved a subsidiary motion to raise the applicability threshold to $1 million (seconded by Mendelsohn); it failed 1 to 13 with Mayor Johnson absent. The amended main motion passed on a divided vote, Roth and Mendelsohn voting no.

Adopted as amended on a divided vote (Roth and Mendelsohn no). Roth's $1 million threshold motion failed 1 to 13.

City manager briefing on the policy review and proposed amendments; seven speakers.

Deferred to the September 2 briefing, 9 to 5, after a subsidiary motion on the wage floor was offered.