The jury is still out on the living wage bill in DC. Mayor Gray has until next week, Sept. 16, to sign or veto.

Everyone has an opinion , particularly those not directly impacted by the pending legislation. My mother attended her neighborhood civic association meeting this past weekend at which her council member spoke (who opposed the bill). I asked my mom if she talked about the bill, not exactly… Alexander went on about the importance of jobs and employment in the city. Never about Walmart’s policies or more importantly what exactly is in the pending contract that is for district workers/residents.

I wondered aloud if those 300 jobs they keep promoting that Walmart will create, if it is specified that they go to DC residents and further those in that particular Ward. Also, will the jobs be fulltime or just shy, that famous trick so benefits are not earned. My mother brought up the point of utility bills and taxes. I was unaware that sometimes a city will bear the cost of utilities on behalf of an organization/corporation for the benefit of its business. Further, said entity could be excused from paying taxes for a given amount of time. I’m familiar with the tax breaks, more with regard to nonprofits. But if you give away the store, what’s left? What does the city or its residents receive in the deal?

I digress- this was the direction of our conversation. You know how I feel about the bill. Let’s see what the Mayor thinks about it…

A good article from the DC Fiscal Policy Institute.