Shelby County votes to restructure Equal Opportunity office, ending MWBE functions to comply with state law
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Summary
Commissioners voted to give a favorable recommendation to a resolution restructuring the Office of Equal Opportunity to comply with a state law effective 05/09/2025; supporters called it a cleanup, critics warned it removes protections for minority businesses and urged stronger race‑neutral tracking under Title VI.
Shelby County’s committee voted to give a favorable recommendation to a resolution that restructures the Office of Equal Opportunity Compliance (EOC) to conform with a recently enacted state law and operationally suspends the county’s MWBE functions.
Shep Wilbon, identified in the hearing as ELC administrator, described the measure as a “cleanup item” intended to bring the office into compliance with state law passed earlier this year. Wilbon said the county had already “operationally suspended” the MWBE program since the law took effect and that the resolution documents that suspension and the removal of racially preferential language from job titles and duties.
Several commissioners expressed alarm about the change. One commissioner said the restructuring represented a “huge, huge setback” for a population that is majority‑minority in the county and pressed staff and legal counsel about whether the county still could collect demographic vendor data and whether litigation remained an option. Legal staff (County Attorney’s Office) said they could not speak to pending litigation and that the law is currently in effect; a county attorney said she believed the time to file a legal challenge had likely passed but would discuss state‑law effects with commissioners.
EOC staff and legal counsel told the committee the office will continue to operate under federal non‑discrimination statutes: staff said the office will comply with Title VI and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and that voluntary Title VI self‑surveys and pre‑award/post‑award reviews will be ramped up as part of the restructured approach. Glenda Pierson of the EOC said the office began collecting Title VI self‑surveys from vendors in January 2025 and will expand pre‑award, post‑award and on‑site monitoring.
The clerk reported six 'aye' votes and the resolution received a favorable recommendation from committee 14.
What it means: The resolution formalizes changes the office said it had already made in response to the state law; supporters framed it as compliance and transparency in how the office will now function, while critics said the removal of MWBE protections risks erasing tools previously used to address documented disparities in contracting.
