Council defers omnibus HARC and minority/women-owned business ordinance after questions about DEI language and federal grant certification
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Summary
Council voted Dec. 2 to defer an omnibus ordinance amending minority/women-owned business provisions and HARC reauthorization to community development for further review amid concern over executive-order/DEI certification language that may affect federal grant eligibility.
Council considered an omnibus ordinance on first reading intended to update the city’s minority- and women-owned business code and reauthorize HARC to ensure compliance with federal grant requirements. Mayor Cogswell said the timing was driven by federal grant application deadlines and asked council to give first reading with a commitment to a special community development meeting to refine the language.
Several council members raised concerns. One council member said they could not support the draft as written and asked how certification would function; another said the ordinance appeared to incorporate an executive-order-related definition of DEI without clear guidance and warned of potential downstream risks if the city’s certifications are misunderstood by federal agencies or private litigants. A staff member noted that some grant applications require certification that the applicant does not operate programs that advance DEI and that federal guidance has been limited.
After debate, council voted to defer the ordinance to community development for further review at a special meeting next week so the language can be clarified before second reading. Council members asked staff to publicly post the materials they are relying on and to include a clear explanation of what the city is certifying in grant applications.
