NEWBURGH – City Councilwoman Gay Lee proposed a plan to create jobs for Newburgh residents.
Lee said the unemployment rate in the city is 6.2 percent, but almost 37 percent of eligible people are not in the labor force.
“Every day when I walk out of my office I see able bodied people who want a job and are ready to work, but there are few opportunities in Newburgh,” she said. “The city government needs to take every opportunity and create every chance to provide jobs for our residents.”
On Monday, Lee called for a multi-pronged strategy:
For real estate projects involving city-owned land or projects that secure a payment in lieu of taxes, a requirement that 30 percent of all new jobs created by the project are reserved for city residents;
For contractual agreements for services, develop a sliding scale based on the amount of the contract for the number of jobs to be awarded to0 Newburgh residents;
For all projects and agreements, mandate coordination with Best Resources, Inc., the firm that is currently under contract with the city to provide job training to city residents.
