Ward Nine Councilman Miguel Luna will introduce a resolution at tonight’s meeting of the Providence City Council requesting that the Director of the Department of Planning and Development comply with the City’s First Source Ordinance and submit the required quarterly reports to the Council.

“By ordinance the Planning Department is required to maintain a ‘First Source List’ and submit reports to the Council containing information about that list,” said Luna. “Yet, since the legislation was passed, the Council hasn’t received a single report.”

The First Source Ordinance was passed in 1985 in an effort to encourage the retention of working, home-owning families, who live and work in Providence and to make evident to employers that Providence has a highly skilled and motivated workforce. The ordinance mandates that companies receiving tax breaks or incentives from the City give preference in hiring to Providence residents.

In 2007, the ordinance was amended to require the Department of Planning and Development to submit reports on the status of the list and on any problems they have encountered getting employers to comply with the First Source Agreement.

Councilman Luna further explained, “The First Source List is a valuable tool to ensure that our city has a healthy and growing economy,” said Luna. “Especially in these tough economic times, it’s important that we know the list is being properly maintained and kept up to date.”

Luna also noted that this isn’t the first instance where the Council has been dissatisfied with the enforcement of the First Source Ordinance.  In fact, in 2005, the Council seriously considered taking legal action to ensure the Department of Planning and Development was properly enforcing the ordinance. He stressed, “All this resolution is doing is formally requesting the department’s director to comply with the law.”

The City Council will hear the resolution tonight at 7 p.m. in the Council Chambers on the Third Floor of City Hall.