As reported in the Rhino Times on Monday, Aug. 30, the Greensboro City Council is holding a special “fix up” meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 31 at 5:30 p.m.

That article, “City Council To Hold Special ‘Fix Up’ Meeting Tuesday,” left out one of the items that had to be continued from the Aug. 17 City Council meeting. 

The agenda for the Aug. 31 meeting includes item E.2, “2021-217 Ordinance Amending Chapter 12 Discrimination.”

This ordinance was continued because the wrong ordinance was included in the agenda packet for the Aug. 17 meeting.

At that meeting Assistant City Attorney James Dickens said, “Due to a technical error the ordinance that you have in your agenda that is attached to your agenda is not the one that has the amendments in it.”

Mayor Nancy Vaughan said, “I know that Mrs. Thurm had actually brought that up last week.  She had noticed that the amendment she had made was not reflected in the ordinance that was attached to the agenda.”

Dickens said, “Right.  I think what happened is that when that correction was being made what happened is that instead of the ordinance with that correction along with all of the other amendments being put back into the agenda, somehow the original Chapter 12 was placed in the agenda so there are no amendments.”

Vaughan suggested that the item be readvertised and heard at the next City Council meeting.

So at the Aug. 31 meeting, in addition to holding the public hearings on the $135 million in general obligation bonds and on refinancing the Coliseum bonds, which were continued because they had not been properly advertised, and rescinding the resolution for a property exchange with Guilford County that was passed on July 20 and passing the correct resolution, the City Council will also consider the proposed amendments to Chapter 12 of the Greensboro Code of Ordinances that deals with discrimination in public accommodation and employment.

One amendment redefines the terms used in the ordinance stating, “Throughout this Chapter, term ‘sex’ shall explicitly include sexual orientation, gender expression, or gender identity.  Throughout this Chapter, the terms ‘race’ and ‘national origin’ shall explicitly include discrimination on the basis of hair texture and hairstyles that are commonly associated with race or national origin.”