The purpose of this chapter is to improve the quality of services to beneficiaries of city-contracted services and to assure that city employees, employees of city service contractors, subcontractors, and employees of recipients of city financial assistance earn an hourly wage that is sufficient to live with dignity and to achieve economic self-sufficiency. The city contracts with many businesses and organizations to provide services to the public, and provides financial assistance to developers for the purpose of promoting economic development and job growth. Such public expenditures should also be spent to set a community economic standard that permits workers to live above the poverty level. The city council finds that the use of city funds to provide living wage jobs will decrease poverty, increase consumer income, invigorate neighborhood businesses and reduce the need for taxpayer-funded social service programs.

This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the "City of Petaluma Living Wage Ordinance." The purpose of this chapter is to protect the public health, safety and welfare. It does this by requiring that public funds be expended in such a manner as to facilitate individual self-reliance by employees of city contractors, lessees, recipients of city financial aid and their respective subcontractors. (Ord. 2259 NCS §1 (part), 2007.)