PHOENIX (AP) — A judge has blocked Arizona from collecting $1.1 million from the city of Flagstaff to compensate for its minimum wage that is higher than the state's rate.
Maricopa County Superior Court Judge James Smith sidestepped the question of whether the assessments required under a 2019 state law are unconstitutional. Instead, Monday’s ruling says the state missed a deadline for the assessment and was stretching the law targeting higher voter-approved city wages to collect its indirect costs.
Flagstaff workers now get $15 an hour under a 2016 approved by city voters. But state employees are exempt and can be paid the statewide minimum wage of $12.15 an hour.
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