Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Racial Equity Committee topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Mebane council appoints two to Racial Equity Advisory Committee; lawyer flags need to review pending state bill on DEI
Summary
The council appointed Deanna Frazier and Dr. Marius Pettiford to the Racial Equity Advisory Committee; a council member raised questions about pending state legislation that could limit use of city resources for diversity, equity and inclusion work and the city attorney said staff would need to evaluate the city's use of resources and facilities.
The Mebane City Council appointed two people to the Racial Equity Advisory Committee during its July 6 meeting and discussed an emerging state-level question about the committee's future operations.
"I move to appoint Deanna Frazier to the 4 year term ending 06/30/2029 and doctor Marius Pettiford to the 2 year term ending 06/30/2027," S10 said, and the council approved the appointments on a voice vote.
Later in the meeting Councilmember S6 asked whether a pending state bill described in the transcript as an "equality in state agencies prohibition on diversity, equity, and inclusion" (pending in the legislature) would affect the city's committee or use of city resources. The city attorney, S11, said the city would need to evaluate what resources, if any, the city was using and cautioned that the city could not commit until staff had conducted a legal review: "We would have to evaluate what resources, if any, the city was using, and we the city would not be in a position to use resources to, facilitate diversity, equity, or inclusion," S11 said.
Why it matters: The appointments fill two vacancies on a locally chartered advisory committee that provides counsel on equity-related policy; pending state legislation could change whether municipalities may support or facilitate DEI initiatives, depending on the law's final language and interpretation.
What happens next: Staff and the city attorney will monitor the proposed state bill and report back to council if the city's authority or use of resources for the advisory committee needs to be adjusted.
