Is the city of Monroe aggressively trying to include minorities and other disadvantaged businesses in its procurements?
That question was raised again Tuesday night as the council considered whether to approve a request from the engineering department to advertise for bids for air conditioning chillers at an estimated cost of $1.1 million. What struck a nerve with Black community leaders is that the city only expects to spend about $10,000 on disadvantaged businesses.
The question was raised by Marie Brown, an announced candidate for city council. Brown said the city’s goal of only 1.01 percent DBE participation indicates that the city is not serious about trying to give minorities…
