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Asheville City Council Considers Living Wage Proposal

A living wage is based on information about what it costs to afford basic necessities in a particular geographic area, taking into consideration the HUD standards for fair market housing costs, and is based on the premise that no one should pay more than 30% of their gross monthly income on housing. This formula is: [HUD Fair Market Monthly Rent] divided by .3 multiplied 0.006 (12 months salary divided by 2000 average yearly hours).

Two proposals concerning a living wage have been submitted to the Asheville City Council By the Asheville-Buncombe Living Wage Campaign, an initiative of Just Economics. The first proposal, approved by the City Council on May 22, 2007, was an ordinance recognizing a living wage for City employees only. Wages for City employees are currently $10.86 hourly (or $9.50 with employer-provided healthcare).