18. All Workers to be Paid a Living Wage

WHEREAS there are private contractors and service providers receiving Federal, State, and County financial assistance and support in the form of grants, contracts, loans, and bond financing, and

WHEREAS tax abatements and other development subsidies need to be leveraged for the public good, and,

WHEREAS when subsidized employers are allowed to pay their workers less than a “Living Wage” and taxpayers end up footing a double bill in emergency medical, food stamps, housing and other services that low wage workers may need to support themselves and their families even minimally, now,

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that public dollars be reserved for those employers who demonstrate a commitment to providing decent family-supporting jobs, and a “Living Wage”, currently at $17 to $18 per hour, in our local communities.