Title
Charlotte Business INClusion Policy Amendments
Action
Action:
Amend the Charlotte Business INClusion Policy as recommended by the Economic Development and Workforce Committee.
Body
Committee Chair:
James Mitchell, Economic Development and Workforce Committee
Staff Resource(s):
Cheryl Wright, Contracting and Procurement
Steven Coker, Contracting and Procurement
Lina James, City Attorney's Office
Current Policy
§ The Charlotte Business INClusion (CBI) Policy establishes the city’s business inclusion program and includes provisions for participation goals, registration requirements, contractor obligations, and policy compliance and enforcement.
§ City Council approved the most recent version of the CBI Policy on September 26, 2022.
Proposed Changes
§ The proposed amendments to the city’s CBI Policy will ensure that the Policy conforms to the requirements set forth in Session Law 2026-41, which became effective July 1, 2026.
§ Specifically, the proposed revisions will:
- Remove provisions for Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) and Women Business Enterprise (WBE) participation, goals, compliance, registration, and other race-conscious and gender-conscious considerations;
- Establish a single Small Business Enterprise (SBE) program focused on developing small businesses and strengthening their ability to compete for city contracts;
- Based on City Charter authority, retain the SBE program to include contract goals, good faith negotiation, good faith efforts, contractor participation obligations, and the program’s compliance and enforcement framework;
- Update basis of legal authority for CBI SBE program to include reference to Session Law 2026-41; and
- Clarify roles, responsibilities, and the relationship between the Council Adopted CBI Policy and the city-administered CBI Administrative Procedures Manual.
Background
§ On July 1, 2026, Session Law 2026-41 became effective. Among its changes, the law:
- Amended the statewide public contracting statutes that required MBE and WBE participation, goal setting and good faith efforts;
- Removed race-conscious and gender-conscious elements from considerations in public contracts;
- Abolished the State Office of Historically Underutilized Businesses which certified MBE and WBE firms; and
- Repealed the city’s Charter authority to administer its own MBE/WBE program.
§ Following the enactment of Session Law 2026-41, the city has ceased including MBE and WBE goals and compliance requirements in city contracts.
§ Provisions within the CBI Policy for goal setting and contract participation for SBE firms have not been affected.
§ As of July 1, 2026, the CBI Administrative Procedures Manual was amended to comply with the legal requirements of Session Law 2026-41.
Committee Discussion
§ On October 5, 2026, the Economic Development and Workforce Committee reviewed the proposed amendments to the CBI Policy and voted unanimously by members present (Mayfield, Anderson, Mazuera Arias, and Watlington) to recommend adoption of the amended CBI Policy by the full City Council.
Attachments
Attachment(s)
Charlotte Business INClusion Policy, 2026 Edition