City Council Work Session

Melvin Municipal Building

300 W. Washington Street

Greensboro, NC 27401

City of Greensboro

Meeting Minutes - Final

City Council Work Session

3:30 PM Plaza Level Conference RoomTuesday, July 16, 2019

I. Call To Order

This City Council Work Session of the City of Greensboro was called to order at 3:30 p.m. on the above date in the

Plaza Conference Room of the Melvin Municipal Office Building with the following members present:

Present: 8 - Mayor Nancy Vaughan, Mayor Pro-Tem Yvonne J. Johnson, Councilmember

Marikay Abuzuaiter, Councilmember Sharon M. Hightower, Councilmember Michelle

Kennedy, Councilmember Justin Outling, and Councilmember Tammi Thurm and

Councilmember Goldie F. Wells

Absent: 1 - Councilmember Nancy Hoffmann

Also present were City Manager David Parrish, City Attorney Chuck Watts, and Deputy City Clerk Tebony Rosa.

II. Presentations

1. ID 19-0187 M/WBE Status Update

City Manager David Parrish extended greetings; recognized Assistant City Manager Kim Sowell to provide a

Minority and Women's Business Enterprise (M/WBE) Status Update presentation.

ACM Sowell introduced the 5-Part M/WBE plan changes; discussed marketplace expansion; spoke to inclusion of

additional minority groups; to goal-setting on professional services; to good faith efforts; to M /WBE staff changes; to

the role of the Office of Equity and Inclusion; and outlined recommendations in the Griffin & Strong disparity study .

ACM Sowell spoke to staff training; to identifying eligible participants; to implementing contract review procedures;

to creating prime and subcontractor relationships; to greater M /WBE oversight; to multi-county education; to new

tracking software; to creating a discrimination investigation procedure; and to a vendor rotation process.

Councilmembers Outling and Hightower reiterated M/WBE changes were a department-wide requirement.

ACM Sowell spoke to the Office of Equity & Inclusion determining compliance with new procedures; to public -private

partnerships; to training opportunities; to launching new B 2GNow software modules; and to the implementation

timeline.

Councilmember Outling voiced concerns regarding discrimination investigation procedures.

Councilmember Hightower voiced concerns regarding vendor rotation; and spoke to the North Carolina Department

of Transportation contract procedures.

Discussion took place regarding comparing the goals set by the state as compared to the local M/WBE process.

Councilmember Kennedy entered the meeting at 4:08 p.m.

ACM Sowell explained M/WBE goal setting as a priority; spoke to staff training; to future department meetings; and

to an upcoming certification workshop being publicized through media outlets.

Page 1City of Greensboro

July 16, 2019City Council Work Session Meeting Minutes - Final

Mayor Vaughan voiced concern regarding multi-county outreach.