Columbus council holds second hearing on Title 39 changes to diversity office, officials cite legal risk and data study

At a Columbus City Council hearing, council members and city officials held a second session to review proposed amendments to Title 39 of the Columbus City Code, which governs the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. City officials said the changes are aimed at reducing legal exposure and aligning city rules with federal guidance while preserving programs to assist small and disadvantaged firms.

The Office of Diversity and Inclusion presented three primary changes being proposed: retain workforce diversity language as a guiding principle while clarifying operational responsibility, treat the new regional business enterprise (RBE) as a verification rather than a certification, and replace specific acronyms (MBE/WBE/SRBE) with a broader “program member” definition that would encompass certified entities when council-authorized programs are activated. "We are retaining references in this language to workforce diversity," AJ Powell, supplier development specialist in the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, said during the presentation. "We decided to right size that as many cities that have done around the country because it's a…