Candidates urge tying tip-credit changes to minimum-wage planning; many seek stakeholder talks

Candidates responding to a question about the state law permitting municipalities to change the tip credit said any local adjustment should be part of a coordinated approach that includes tipped workers and restaurant operators.

Anne Marie Johnson, a candidate and former member of planning and land-use working groups, said the tip credit “fits in” with minimum-wage benchmarking and noted the forum-cited tip-credit rate of $3.05 per hour, established in 2019. “If we’re going to look at an increase in minimum wage, we should also look at the tip wage credit,” Johnson said.

Several candidates said they did not have enough information to immediately endorse a change and asked for formal stakeholder outreach. “I would want to have a conversation with tipped workers in our community and see how they feel about it,” said Adam Gianola. Rob Glenn, who described frequent conversations with restaurant owners, said he supports reviewing the tip credit if a minimum‑wage increase is on the table.

The forum did not record any municipal action. Candidates uniformly recommended listening sessions and targeted outreach with restaurants and service workers before considering a local change to the tip-credit policy.