MT. VERNON — With the state’s minimum wage increase now into law, local municipalities are bracing for how it will affect their budgets.

Mt. Vernon mayor John Lewis says the city is looking at increased wages costing between one and three million dollars at least, and he says there’s a lot of uncertainty in those numbers.

In recent years, the city has cut their total number of employees by almost 20 percent from 176 employees to 145. Lewis says the city isn’t taking a stance on the minimum wage increase, but the city’s bills come out of the taxpayers’ wallets.

The state’s new law guarantees minimum wage workers $15 an hour by 2025.