A new proposal to set a local minimum wage for anyone who works in Denver would set the minimum at $13.80 per hour starting Jan. 1 and raise it to $15.87 a year later.

After that, the measure by Mayor Michael Hancock and Councilwoman At-large Robin Kniech would change the minimum annually based on the Consumer Price Index, not to exceed 15% or $1.75 an hour, whichever is greater.

Currently, all employers in Colorado must pay at least $11.10 an hour and is set to rise at a slower rate, reaching $12 next year. The federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour, which hasn’t changed since 2009.

A new state law gives cities the right to raise local wages to higher rates, and Denver is the first to propose doing so.

Kniech and Hancock have promised a “robust stakeholder engagement” process. Dates for community meetings will be announced soon. In a written statement, Hancock said a wage hike would help families support themselves and stay in Denver.

The Denver City Council must vote on the proposal, which could happen in November.

Recent academic studies have come to contradictory conclusions about the effect of wage hikes in other cities. One study showed that employers in Seattle may have reduced hours for low-income workers, hurting their pay, while others based on different data have found no negative effects on employment.