Wyandotte County’s Unified Government did Thursday what Kansas officials have for years refused to do: It raised the minimum wage.

The county’s Unified Board of Commissioners unanimously approved an ordinance that boosted the minimum wage in Kansas City, Kan., to $6.55 an hour. The hike is the first of its kind for a city in Kansas, and it came as a federal law raising the minimum wage to the same amount also went into effect Thursday. Until now, the city has been under the state’s minimum wage of $2.65 an hour — the lowest among states that have minimum-wage laws.

Although most employees are covered by the federal law, there are some exceptions, including those who work on small farms and for small newspapers, and companions for the elderly.

Heidi Zeller, who has helped organize a Raise the Wage campaign for the Kansas Action Network, said she would like to see the Unified Government’s efforts duplicated by the state and by other cities in Kansas.

“Our hope is that it is definitely more than a symbolic gesture,” Zeller said. “The idea is to protect all workers at a certain baseline.”

Commissioner Mark Holland, who introduced the ordinance with Commissioner Mike Kane, called it a historic opportunity, and he implored the state to follow suit.

“We believe it is unfair and unjust for people of our community to labor for such a low wage,” Holland said. “… A higher minimum wage is a win-win for everyone.”

The Unified Government has said the ordinance would affect about 1,700 employees in the city who don’t fall under the federal law.

That figure, however, was questioned by Commissioner Mark Mitchell, the owner of a small business. Although Mitchell eventually voted for the ordinance, he said he doubted whether anyone in the city really works for a figure as low as the state’s minimum wage.

“I can’t imagine what kind of job pays that little,” Mitchell said. “We are passing something that does have a ramification on certain businesses. How will this affect these companies? How will this, in turn, affect the employees?”

Commissioner Pat Huggins Pettey countered that it doesn’t matter whether the ordinance affects one or 101 employees. The state, she said, should do more to signal that it values families.

Mayor Joe Reardon, who was not required to vote in the matter, nevertheless expressed his support for the ordinance.

He said it should be a “priority to support families in our county struggling to make ends meet.”

To reach Mark Wiebe, call 816-234-5995 or send e-mail to mwiebe@kcstar.com.