Seven alders want to see more New Haveners working on New Haven government-funded construction sites — by law.
To achieve that goal, they will officially submit a proposed new city ordinance at Monday evening’s meeting of the Board of Alders.
The new ordinance would require developers who benefit from city assistance to complete their new buildings using at least 50 percent New Haven construction workers.
The proposal will be assigned to a committee for scrutiny, including a public hearing, before a vote by the full board.
Alders from the breakaway People’s Caucus are putting the bill forward, joined by Upper Westville Alder Darryl Brackeen. The Peoples Caucus supporters are Alders Michael Stratton, Anna Festa, Richard Spears, Brenda Foskey-Cyrus, Claudette Robinson-Thorpe, and Carlton Staggers.
A jointly signed letter to the board President Jorge Perez explains the details of the ordinance proposal. Read the letter here.
For construction projects receiving city support:
• 50 percent of construction workers would have to New Haveners, and have lived in New Haven for at least six months prior to the signing of the construction contract.
• Preference would be given to construction bids “submitted by any general contractor whose principals all reside in the city and have so resided for at least two years prior to the contract being put out to bid and whose headquarters is in the city and who promises by contract to utilize 90 percent of the project labor from New Haven residents.” The preference means that the city would have to accept the bid even if it’s 20 percent higher than the lowest bid, as long as the contractor is qualified.
• Developers violating the ordinance would be “subject to fines of 1 percent per day of the value of the total contract for every day the general contractor remains out of compliance with these residency requirements. ”