In response to a proposed increase in the minimum wage in Indiana, the Starke County Chamber of Commerce has decided to survey its membership.
The survey, sent out earlier this week, asked member businesses their thoughts on Indiana’s current minimum wage rate of $7.25 per hour. While there are multiple proposals filed in Indianapolis, the latest proposes to raise the minimum wage to $10.10 per hour.
Starke County Chamber of Commerce Director Deb Mix says there were certain responses that surprised her.
“22-percent had said that it should be raised to at least $9 per hour and that surprised me,” says Mix. “Because I really thought that everybody was going to either have it as it is, or maybe a little bit more.”
52-percent said the current rate is appropriate.
The results did not include every Starke County Chamber member, only those that replied to the survey. The Pulaski County Chamber of Commerce is asking similar questions of its membership. In an e-mail sent to WKVI, businesses in Pulaski County consistently expressed the need to balance paying quality workers well with keeping the lights on.
Answers provided in the Starke County survey allowed businesses to respond whether the wage was too high, appropriate, or if it needed to be raised to 8, 9, or even 10-dollars per hour. 7-percent said the rate needed to be raised to the $10 per hour figure.
Mix says the results will be sent to state elected representatives to aid in any potential decision making.
The Pulaski County Chamber of Commerce is asking similar questions of its membership. In an e-mail sent to WKVI, chamber officials there said businesses in Pulaski County consistently expressed the need to balance paying quality workers well with keeping the lights on.
