Oxford City Council unanimously adopted an ordinance on second reading to prohibit source-of-income discrimination in housing, adding a new chapter to the city’s codified ordinances.

The ordinance, which the council moved to adopt during its Nov. 5 meeting, adds a new chapter titled “prohibition of source-of-income discrimination and housing” and expands the definition of protected “source of income” to explicitly include emergency assistance, veterans benefits and disability benefits, city staff said.

City staff and council members said the measure is intended to increase rental access for households that use housing vouchers or other nonwage benefits to pay rent. “We did add emergency assistance, veterans benefits, and disability benefits, as requested from the last council meeting,” Jessica, a city staff member presenting the ordinance amendments, said during the discussion.

A Lane Library employee and Oxford resident, Sarah Gifford, told the council the library has seen “an increase in issues of poverty and homelessness” and urged city officials to remove barriers to rental opportunities. “I hope you have a commitment to make housing security more attainable for some by opening more rental opportunities through vouchers or removing sources of income discrimination,” Gifford said during public comment.

Council members asked how complaints under the new ordinance will be handled. The ordinance text does not specify an intake office or a single enforcement body; staff said the city intends to develop procedures and will refer callers to existing partners. “I would guess they’ll probably come to the city manager’s office, and we’ll have to sort it out,” Doug, the city manager, said. Staff and council members said the city expects to work with Home Scentsy and TOPS — local partners that assisted drafting the ordinance — to provide referrals and fair-housing help.

The ordinance was adopted by roll-call vote with all members present voting yes. The council did not specify a complaint submission method in the ordinance; staff said procedural guidance (for example, a web-based “report” button or remote intake options) will be developed after adoption.

The measure was presented as one piece of the city’s broader housing work. During the meeting, city staff also announced that the housing stability program — run in partnership with TOPS and Home Scentsy and supported by an Interact for Health grant — will be funded through 2027 after the funder located additional resources. Staff said the program had applied for nearly $300,000 for a three-year program, was initially awarded an 18-month grant, and has now received additional funding to extend the award through 2027.

City officials said they expect complaints to be fact-sensitive and to vary in how they are handled; severe cases may prompt a different response than straightforward referral and mediation. Implementation steps, including intake routes, referral procedures and public guidance, will be developed by staff and partners and brought back as operational policy rather than as changes to the ordinance itself.

What happened next: The council adopted the ordinance by roll call. Staff were directed to develop complaint-handling procedures and referral pathways with Home Scentsy and TOPS and to provide public-facing information about how to report alleged discrimination.