AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF WEST PALM

BEACH, FLORIDA, AMENDING CHAPTER 66 (PROCUREMENT), ARTICLE I (IN

GENERAL), SECTION 66-9 (EQUAL OPPORTUNITY) OF THE CODE OF
ORDINANCES OF THE CITY OF WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA, TO REQUIRE
ALL PERSONS OR ENTI TI ES PROVI DI NG GOODS, SERVI CES OR
CONSTRUCTION TO THE CITY TO PROVIDE BENEFITS TO DOMESTIC
PARTNERS OF EMPLOYEES ON THE SAME BASIS AS IT PROVIDES BENEFITS TO
EMPLOYEES SPOUSES AND DEPENDENTS; PROVIDING A CODIFICATION
CLAUSE; PROVIDING A CONFLICTS AND SEVERABILITY CLAUSE; PROVIDING
AN EFFECTIVE DATE; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.
*******************
WHEREAS, the City Commission of the City of West Palm Beach, Florida, wishes to
secure for all individuals within the City freedom from discrimination in employment, housing
and public accommodations and to promote opportunity without regard to race, color, national
origin, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, disability, marital status,
familial status, or age; and
WHEREAS, the City provides benefits to domestic partners of its employees on the same
basis as it provides benefits to employees spouses and dependents; and
WHEREAS, the City Commission believes that requiring contractors and businesses that
do business with the City to provide to their employees with same-sex spouses and domestic
partners benefits equal to those provided to employees whose marriages are recognized by the
State of Florida will encourage such contractors and businesses to maintain a competitive
advantage in recruiting and retaining the highest quality work force, thereby improving the
quality of goods and services that the City receives; and
WHEREAS, the City of West Palm Beach has a fiscal responsibility to ensure that it
purchases the best quality goods and services possible within its budgetary constraints; and
WHEREAS, the City Commission finds that it is in the best public interest to require that
persons or entities providing goods, services or construction to the City provide benefits to
domestic partners of employees on the same basis as it provides benefits to employees spouses
and dependents;
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY
OF WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA, that:
SECTION 1: The City Commission of the City of West Palm Beach, Florida hereby
amends the Code of Ordinances at Chapter 66 (Procurement), Article I (In
ORDINANCE NO. 4526-14
Language underlined added, and language stricken deleted.
Asterisks **** indicate language not amended which has been omitted to save space.
General), Sec. 66-9 (Equal Opportunity), to add subsection (b) which shall read as
follows:
ORDINANCE NO. 4526-14
Language underlined added, and language stricken deleted.
Asterisks **** indicate language not amended which has been omitted to save space.
Sec. 66-9. Equal opportunity.
(a) No person or business shall be excluded from participation in, denied
benefits of, or otherwise discriminated against in connection with procurement by the city
on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, genetic
information, national origin, age, disability, familial status, marital status, or sexual
orientation.
(b) When contracting for goods, services or construction in an amount of
$50,000 or more with persons or businesses with five or more employees that also
provide benefits to employees spouses and dependents, the city shall contract only with
those persons or businesses that provide equal benefits to employees domestic
partners. The requirements of this provision shall not apply where:
i. No benefits are provided to employees spouses or employees
dependents.
ii. The business is a government entity.
iii. The contract is for the sale or lease of property.
iv. The contract is an emergency procurement or necessary to respond to
an emergency situation.
v. The provisions of this subsection would violate grant requirements, law,
rules or regulations of federal or state law.
vi. When determined by the procurement official, in the best interest of the
city:
a. where only one procurement response is received;
b. where more than one procurement response is received, but the
responses demonstrate that none of the proposers can comply with
the requirements of this section.
vii. The city commission may waive compliance with the requirement to
provide equal benefits to employees domestic partners where imposition
of the requirement will result in the city not receiving the best value for the
particular procurement. Such waiver shall be made at a duly noticed
public meeting and the record shall contain the commissions findings as
to why best value can only be achieved by such waiver.
SECTION 2: The City Commission of the City of West Palm Beach, Florida hereby
amends the Code of Ordinances at Chapter 66 (Procurement), Article IV
(Procurement Methods), Sec. 66-71 (Selection of respondent; best value), at
subsection (b) which shall read as follows:
ORDINANCE NO. 4526-14
Language underlined added, and language stricken deleted.
Asterisks **** indicate language not amended which has been omitted to save space.
Sec. 66-71. Selection of respondent; best value.
************
(b)Best value means the overall value to the city, in the city's sole discretion, as
determined by consideration of the following:
************
(14) Compliance with the equal opportunity provisions of the procurement code.
SECTION 3: All ordinances or parts of ordinances in conflict herewith are
hereby repealed.
SECTION 4: Should any section or provision of this Ordinance or any portion,
paragraph, sentence or word be declared by a court of competent jurisdiction to be
invalid, such decision shall not affect the validity of the remainder of this
Ordinance.
SECTION 5: Authority is hereby granted to codify the text amendments set forth in
Section 1 of this Ordinance.
SECTION 6: A copy of this Ordinance shall be provided to the Procurement Official by
the City Clerk.
SECTION 7: This Ordinance shall take effect in accordance with law.
FIRST READING THIS
SECOND READING AND FINAL PASSAGE THIS
ORDINANCE NO. 4526-14
Language underlined added, and language stricken deleted.
Asterisks **** indicate language not amended which has been omitted to save space.