JEFFERSON CITY (AP) The city of St. Louis’s minimum wage could rise to $10 an hour starting next week and to $11 next year, now that the state’s highest court won’t reconsider its ruling upholding it.

The Missouri Supreme Court in February rejected claims by business groups that setting a wage higher than the state’s $7.65 one would spawn regulatory confusion. The court this week refused to reconsider its decision. Mayor Lyda Krewson calls the increase “a win for our city’s working families,” and “good for our city’s economy.”  Critics charge that if St. Louis’s minimum wage is higher than in surrounding areas, local employers will be at a competitive disadvantage and hurt the economy.