Further to Alan’s reply to MattS (because I can’t reply to Alan), here’s a brief history of home rule in Colorado. You’ll notice, starting on page 7 that the author acknowledges that there is and always has been “tension” between state and local control. …that sometimes local seems better, other times the state. Often, it depends on the specific matter at issue.

It’s a 100 year + work in progress….I

http://www.cml.org/uploadedFiles/CML_Site_Map/_Global/pdf_files/09_home_rule.pdf

MattS,

” state law preempts local law unless the state legislature has explicitly provided otherwise.”

Not in Colorado. There are certain areas that cities have sole discretion without interference from the state government. Yeah, it is weird. But it is enshrined in the state Constitution.

Perhaps, on a logical basis, in this one case, but that is not remotely what the law is like.

The relationship between local governments and the state governments are in no way like the relationship between the state and federal governments.

Local governments are creations of/subjects of the state government. Always, in all areas of law, state law preempts local law unless the state legislature has explicitly provided otherwise.

IANAL. but I suspect that, in Colorado at least, your scenario would probably end up in court under the Home Rule provisions of the state constitution. The first link is from 2011, so may have been amended by now (I’m not going to spend any more time looking). The second link is just a search-result court case that may serve as an example of a Home Rule – type case.
https://legisource.net/2011/11/03/when-can-a-local-government-override-state-law-home-rule-cities-in-colorado/

https://www.courts.state.co.us/userfiles/file/Court_Probation/Supreme_Court/Opinions/2011/11SC536.pdf

At the very least, the relative interests of urban v rural would be hashed out locally as opposed to the remote corridors of the U.S. Capitol.

I wouldn’t say never certainly. A number of state legislatures have preempted (or tried to block before court challenges) cities from setting their own higher minimum wages than the state minimum, such as Alabama, Colorado, Arizona, Iowa, Florida, and Kansas. In these cases, where a city government has passed a higher minimum wage that applies only within city limits but the state legislature is preempting them, doesn’t that boil down to rural voters, through their elected representatives, overriding the minimum wage decisions of urban voters?

If the issue is that minimum wages should be set locally based on purchasing power, surely state preemption of local decisions is unjustified?

“From the perspective of the rural areas, minimum wage at the city rate seems to be silly. From the perspective of the urban areas, wages set at the rate that is correct for rural areas is inane. ”

You seem to be missing the point that rarely (never?) are the rural voters attempting to set wages for urban areas.

If there “must be” a national and/or state MW, then how’s about periodic adjustment up/down to reflect localized purchasing power? Somewhat similar to, say, the military’s adjustments for housing allowance in more-expensive locations? …except down as well as up?

This, from the Tax Foundation, is already 3 years old; I wonder what it might look like now?

https://taxfoundation.org/real-value-100-each-state-2016/

Assuming that a “minimum wage” is desirable, we should come up with something that addresses both perspective. Of course, that assumption may have no basis in reality.

The results mirror the Maryland MW situation described in your post. Some Colorado school districts can financially support wages higher than others, given the local employment, commercial activity, tax base, etc., circumstances. Here’s one of those news stories, just as a sample. Check the range between the highest and lowest average salary. Those low-paying districts are not paying so little because they want to cheat their teachers of income or their students of a quality education; they’re paying lower wages because that’s what they’ve determined they can financially afford.

https://www.9news.com/article/news/local/next/interactive-average-teacher-salary-in-each-colorado-district/73-549701960

I’m certainly not an economist, but does not the concept of imposing either a state or (far more insane) a national minimum wage, notwithstanding that we’ve had such since (when?), boggle economic common sense? Why should someone in D.C. presume to know what the “right” minimum wage is for someone in La Plata County, Colorado? …no more than the Colorado state government should mandate what the average teacher salary should be in Bent County, Colorado?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Colorado_locations_by_per_capita_income