Fort Worth City Council will vote on suspending diversity programs to secure $277 million in federal grants.
FORT WORTH, Texas — The Fort Worth City Council is set to vote Tuesday on whether to suspend programs within its diversity and inclusion department, including ones that economically incentivize minority businesses.
In a presentation to the city council on June 17, city staff said they must now certify the city does not have programs that benefit classes of people based on race, ethnicity, or gender as a condition of receiving $277 million in federal grant money.
In response, they’re asking Councilmembers to authorize changing requirements for minority or women-owned business participation in city contracts, suspend the Department of Diversity and Inclusion, and stop economic incentives for minority and women-owned businesses.
“If we don’t sign those grant agreements, the grants go away,” said Fort Worth City Manager Jay Chapa. “It’s a predicament that we’ve been put in.”
President Donald Trump has made ending diversity, equity and inclusion programs across the government a key priority of his administration — including the policy in an executive order he signed on his first day of office.
The city’s mayor, Mattie Parker, urged the council to approve the resolution suspending DEI programs set for a vote Tuesday.
“This has nothing to do with the merits of DEI,” she said. “The number one priority we have is to make sure we continue to serve the city of Fort Worth and its residents.”
City staff testified June 17 that if the city were to forgo the federal grant money and seek to maintain the programs they fund, it would require a property tax increase of nearly 20%.
“My job as mayor is to act on fact, and that’s where we are right now, and quite frankly, there is no other financial alternative for the city of Fort Worth,” Parker said.
But not all members of the council are on board with ending the programs.
“It’s going to hurt minority firms who have only gotten a smidgen of the piece of the pie, and if this happens, they may not get a piece at all,” said Councilman Chris Nettles, who said he plans to vote no.
“This vote to me is not just about DEI, it’s about will we stand up as a people to say enough is enough?” he said.
Nettles said he wants the city to find an alternative plan; however, the city staff said they face imminent grant deadlines and need the council to act now.
“This would absolutely cut us off at the knees if we chose to make a bad decision on Tuesday,” Parker said.
City Manager Chapa said the city will work to ensure employees affected by changes won’t lose their jobs.
“[We will] try to find them opportunities in other parts of the city where their skills match up with jobs. So the goal is to not have anyone leave the city if possible,” he told council members.
He said the city would work to create a more robust small business program that would assist enterprises across the board in an effort to make up for any gap left after the suspension of the diversity programs.