Judge weighs law that hits Flagstaff for higher minimum wage

A judge in Phoenix is weighing whether the Legislature’s decision to charge the city of Flagstaff $1.1 million this year because city voters raised its minimum wage is legal.

The city asked Maricopa County Judge James Smith at a Monday hearing to declare that the Legislature's actions violate the Voter Protection Act. That law blocks lawmakers from making substantial changes to voter-approved laws. The city also said the state did a sloppy job of coming to that $1.1 million assessment. Lawyers for the state say the Legislature did nothing wrong by billing Flagstaff for its added costs of hiring home health aides and providing others services. Smith says he hopes to have a ruling by the end of the month.