The Fountain Hills Chamber of Commerce board of directors has decided to oppose Proposition 206, which aims to raise the statewide minimum wage to $12 per hour.

Earlier this year, the chamber’s public policy committee heard from Garrick Taylor of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Bill Scheel from Javalina, the agency promoting the minimum wage hike, who presented their group's views on raising the statewide minimum wage.

The Arizona chamber, which has called the initiative bad for the state, has fought against minimum wage hikes, stating that people seeking entry-level positions may actually be shut out of the job market because employers will not be able to afford new hires.

“Arizonans are interested in seeing their fellow citizens maintain a standard of living that covers their basic needs,” Scheel, the campaign manager for Arizona Healthy Working Families, which wants the minimum wage raised, said. “This survey voices what Arizonans already know about our current minimum wage of $8.05 — that it simply isn’t enough for working families to get by. A gradual increase to $12 an hour and the provision of earned sick days is a step in the right direction to improving the lives of our working citizens.”

Several Fountain Hills business owners who are also chamber board members said a minimum-wage increase may cause them to consider streamlining positions or opting for more automation.