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PROPOSED ORDINANCE
COOK COUNTY JOBS COUNCIL
BE IT ORDAINED, by the Cook County Board of Commissioners, that Chapter 2- ADMINISTRATION, ARTICLE VI- BOARDS, COMMISSIONS AND COMMITTEES, DIVISION 5- COOK COUNTY JOBS COUNCIL, is hereby enacted as Follows:
ARTICLE VI. - BOARDS, COMMISSIONS AND COMMITTEES
DIVISION 5. - COOK COUNTY JOBS COUNCIL
Sec. 2-528.-Cook County Jobs Council
(a) There is hereby created a Cook County Jobs Council which shall consist of the following nine (9) individuals: the President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners; the Chair of the Cook County Board of Commissioners’ Committee on Finance; the Chair of the Cook County Board of Commissioners’ Committee on Workforce, Housing and Community Development; the Chair of the Cook County Board of Commissioners’ Committee on Business and Economic Development; the Chair of the Cook County Board of Commissioners’ Committee on Human Relations; the Chair of the Cook County Board of Commissioners’ Committee on Roads and Bridges; the Director of Cook County’s Bureau of Economic Development; the Director of Cook County’s Highway Department; the Director of Cook County’s Office of Contract Compliance.
(b) The Members of the Cook County Jobs Council shall, at their first meeting, designate among them two (2) co-chairs for the Council. The co-chairs shall have an established, professional background from either the private or not-for-profit sector. No public official may serve in the role of co-chair. It shall be the role and responsibility of the co-chairs to facilitate the strategic efforts of the Council to reduce unemployment in the areas designated by the Council.
(c) It shall be the duty of the Cook County Jobs Council to meet not less than once per month from the effective date of this ordinance in order to accomplish the following objectives on a regular and ongoing basis:
(1) Identify the geographic boundaries of and designate the areas within Cook County where unemployment among those between the ages of 16-24 is equal to or greater than 10%;
(2) For each of the above designated areas, craft a plan to expand employment opportunity for that area’s residents, utilizing the revenue generated by the Special Use Gasoline and Fuel Tax to finance partnerships with private sector employers, and with an emphasis on incentivizing the hiring of unskilled labor in order to provide work opportunities for individuals without high school and / or college diplomas or trade certifications;
(3) Where appropriate, identify highway and infrastructure projects in Cook County, and develop plans to hire unskilled labor and clerical staff from the high-unemployment areas to work on such projects. The scope of such projects should include but not be limited to:
a. Building and maintenance of public access spaces including parks and community gardens;
b. Roadway maintenance;
c. Sanitation projects;
d. The Cook County Jobs Council, via the Bureau of Economic Development and the Cook County Office of Contract Compliance shall have oversight over the hiring practices of business and contractors who are engaged by Cook County to perform public works projects to ensure that eligible individuals from the high-unemployment areas are provided an opportunity for employment.
e. The Cook County Jobs Council may develop jobs training and employee education programs designed to assist individuals from high-unemployment areas who do not qualify for unskilled labor and clerical work, with the goal of connecting those individuals with meaningful work opportunities in such other fields as food service; hospitality; retail employment; and technical or mechanical work.
f. The number and compensation of the clerical staff and other assistance to be engaged by the Cook County Jobs Council and the amount of expenses to be incurred by the Council shall be annually fixed by the County Board from the proceeds of the Special Use Gasoline and Fuel Tax. Where possible, clerical staff should be hired from the communities contemplated by Sec. 2-528(b)(1).
g. The County Jobs Council shall, at the end of each quarter of the fiscal year, make a report on its activities and progress and present that report to the Cook County Board of Commissioners.
h. Effective Date: The effective date of this ordinance shall be June 1, 2016 or upon passage and publication, whichever date is later.
Effective date: This ordinance shall be in effect June 1, 2016 or upon passage and publication, whichever date is later.
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