Pahoua Yang Hoffman spent two months interviewing employers and workers about a possible increase to St. Paul’s minimum wage. An interview with a woman who cleaned retail shops stood out.

Speaking through an interpreter, the woman said her employer kept prices low to lure clients, and she felt that government action would be the only way she’ll ever make more than $21,000 per year.

“She wanted me to let you know if not for a mandate, she may never get to $15 (an hour),” said Hoffman, executive director of the Citizen’s League, in a presentation to the St. Paul City Council.

On the other hand, after 14 years of service to her employer, her interviewee was still offered no more than five hours of work per day, and it’s unclear how her employer would adjust to growing labor costs.

“She would like more hours, but she cannot get them,” Hoffman said.

Would a hefty increase to St. Paul’s minimum wage help lift her out poverty, or reduce her hours? Would an increase to her income mean she no longer qualifies for certain public assistance programs?

At the request of the St. Paul Foundation, the nonpartisan Citizen’s League spent two months exploring those topics and others. Hoffman presented a compilation of studies to the council Wednesday, setting the stage for a nuanced discussion about likely changes to St. Paul’s minimum-wage policies.

Minneapolis recently mandated that virtually all employers, large and small, must pay workers $15 an hour by 2024, and “$15 Now” advocates have encouraged St. Paul officials to pass similar wage requirements by summer.

St. Paul officials say they’ll work fast, but not quite that fast.

“We do need to pause and ask those questions in the context of St. Paul,” said City Council President Amy Brendmoen. “Our plan … is to have an ordinance in front of us by fall. … We’re definitely on the right path.”

COUNCIL REACTION

Hoffman noted that one full-time and one part-time worker would need to earn roughly $19 per hour to cover the $60,000 annual cost of child care, health care, transportation, housing and other expenses associated with raising one child.

In Minnesota, the state minimum wage is nowhere near that — $9.65 per hour for large employers and $7.87 for small employers.

St. Paul leads the metro — and not in a good way — in residents living in poverty as defined by the Metropolitan Council. Between 2011 and 2015, more than 40 percent of St. Paul residents were found to be living on annual incomes within 185 percent of the federal poverty level, or $44,875 for a family of four.

St. Paul’s 40 percent poverty rate is higher than that of Brooklyn Center, Columbia Heights and Minneapolis.

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St. Stanislaus’ longtime priest the Rev. John Clay leaves legacy of love. He died Sunday at age 94 “This is ultimately about our values as a city,” said council member Rebecca Noecker, who represents downtown St. Paul and surrounding neighborhoods. “The minimum wage in the ’60s and ’70s kept people at or a little bit above the poverty level, and now it keeps people at 30 percent of the poverty level.”

Council member Dai Thao, who represents low-income areas in Frogtown and Summit-University, said he’s keeping an open mind.

“Policy is sort of science and art mixed together,” Thao said. “I look forward to having those discussions.”

CALLING ON CARTER

After the council discussion, dozens of advocates chanted and rallied in the lobby between Mayor Melvin Carter’s chambers and the City Hall hearing room.

Celeste Robinson, coordinator of $15 Now Minnesota, said that in the lead-up to the November election, Carter had promised swifter action.

“We’re echoing Melvin Carter’s call for a policy to be passed by this summer and take effect for Jan. 1, 2019,” Robinson said.

Liz Xiong, a spokeswoman for the mayor’s office, said Carter would like a minimum-wage increase approved before the end of the year.

Jeffrey Crandall, a bartender at the Eagle Street Grille, said advocates were misguided in asking for no exemptions for tipped employees. With tips, many bar and restaurant workers make well above $15 an hour.

In all, “43 states have a ‘tip credit,’ ” said Crandall, who worries a higher pay rate will lead to higher food and alcohol prices, resulting in fewer tips. “It’s not a wild concept. … Let us keep our tips.”

Hugh Healow, who is also a St. Paul bartender, disagreed and said City Hall should not try to predict customer behavior with regard to tips.

“The $15 minimum wage is a first step toward raising people out of poverty,” Healow said.