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5 <br /> • New York's code applies to"security, temporary office service, cleaning <br /> and food services." <br /> • Portland's ordinance applies to contractors supplying"janitors, security <br /> guards, parking attendants, and temporary clerical assistance." <br /> In other cities considering a living wage ordinance, the new minimum would apply to businesses <br /> receiving local subsidies or tax abatement. For instance, in Minneapolis, where the proposal has <br /> passed the City Council but is not yet enacted, businesses receiving more than$100,000 in <br /> economic development incentives would be required to pay the locally established minimum wage <br /> to all their workers. Several cities also are considering action which would require businesses <br /> receiving tax abatement above a specified level to comply with a locally adopted living wage. <br /> Another requirement that is usually part of a local effort is to ensure that all of the local <br /> government's permanent and temporary employees earn in excess of whatever minimum living <br /> wage is established. The action is viewed as a declaration of commitment by the local <br /> jurisdictions. <br /> Some questions that should be discussed and agreed upon by Board of County Commissioners <br /> before arriving at any decision on implementation include the following: <br /> 1. What is a contract? Does a purchase of goods qualify as a contract, and if so, at what level <br /> should purchases be considered? Orange County processes 3,000 purchase orders annually, <br /> ranging from $100 to millions of dollars each. <br /> 2. To what type of contracts should the ordinance be applied? <br /> • Construction: To date, living wage efforts have focused on service <br /> contracts and have not applied to construction contracts. <br /> • Legal and Accounting: Should the ordinance apply to legal or accounting <br /> contracts, two of the largest service contracts which Orange County <br /> currently has? <br /> • Non-Profits: Should contracts with non-profit agencies be included? <br /> Many non-profit agencies traditionally pay lower wages. Others, such as <br /> the Triangle Residential Options for Substance Abusers program, use <br /> unpaid or partially paid client labor. Still other non-profits, such as The <br /> University of North Carolina, have little local control over their wage <br /> structure. Most governments, if not all, have excluded non-profits from <br /> living wage ordinances. <br /> • Employee Benefits: Should an ordinance be applied to employee benefit <br /> contracts such as health or life insurance? To date, no community has <br /> included employee benefit contracts. <br />