Fiscal Note
Potential costs for this ordinance may fall into three general groupings. First, there will be some staff costs associated with contract monitoring and enforcement. The Civil Rights Director and the Purchasing Manager have both indicated that additional staff resources will be required. The additional resources necessary cannot be quantified at present, and would not be identifiable until some experience is gained with the proposed ordinance. A second economic impact may be related to the pass through of any additional benefits costs from the contractors to the City and other customers. A third economic impact may arise regarding the potential withdrawal of some contractors from the competitive bidding process.
In terms of public works contracts, most of the current contractors employ unionized workers, for whom the unions pay health insurance and other benefits. The proposed ordinance would require only that such contractors agree to propose to the unions an equal benefit provision in the next collective bargaining agreements. Non-union contractors, in contrast, would have to institute the domestic partner provisions in actual practice on July 1, 2012. In terms of service contracts, many of these are with non-union contractors who would be in a similar position. It is not known how many, if any, public works or service contractors would withdraw from the City competitive bidding process as a result of the proposed requirements. To the extent that competition is lost, contracting costs can be expected to increase.
Title
SUBSTITUTE Creating Sections 39.07 and 33.07(7)(k)13. of the Madison General Ordinances to require contractors to provide benefits to employees with domestic partners that are equal to the benefits offered and provided to married employees.
Body
DRAFTER'S ANALYSIS: This ordinance creates a new contracting requirement for doing business with the City of Madison. This ordinance would apply to service contracts over $25...
Click here for full text