As a charter city, the city has the power to set compensation and terms of employment for its employees as an exercise of its municipal powers; and

The city awards contracts to private firms and other businesses to provide services to the public and to city government; and

The city has a limited amount of taxpayer and other resources to manage; and

The use of city funds to promote sustenance and creation of living wage jobs will increase consumer income, decrease levels of poverty and reduce the need for taxpayer-funded social programs; and

When city funds are used to contract for services, such contracts should demonstrate an effort to promote an employment environment that enhances the general quality of life within the community and maximizes the productive effect of the city’s limited resources; and

The city’s use of contractors that do not provide health insurance to their employees can result in imposing the costs of their medical care on the county, state and federal governments; and

Employees are more likely to be healthy if their employer provides reasonable health insurance to them and their dependents; and

The payment of a minimum level of compensation as required by the chapter enacted by this chapter benefits these interests. (Ord. 2259 NCS §1 (part), 2007.)