PORTLAND – The Portland City Council has put off its final decision to send a proposal to voters this fall asking to boost the city’s minimum wage.

The council tabled its second and final vote Monday night to move the proposal to the November ballot. The proposal, according to city documents, calls for raising the city’s minimum wage from the current rate of $15.50 for hourly employees to $20 an hour by 2028. 

The council has already voted once on sending the proposal to voters, but has now put off the final vote until Aug. 11. 

During past public hearings on the subject, proponents have argued that a higher minimum wage is necessary to ensure hourly-wage workers can afford to still live in Portland. Councilor Kate Sykes, who supports the measure, has also noted that spreading the raised wage out over a period of three years means it will actually be going up at the rate of inflation. 

Critics have argued that business owners will be tempted to pass on the cost to consumers, particularly in the restaurant industry. Raising the minimum wage, they said, will only lead to higher menu prices.