Funding for Warren’s chief equity, diversity and inclusion officer has been eliminated in Mayor Lori Stone’s proposed 2026 fiscal year budget.

The 2025 budget included $126,721 designated for salary for the position. This year, the proposed budget, which is posted on the city website, calls for the position to be eliminated. It states the current funding for the position is $131,790.

Since the City Council created the position and the city Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Commission in 2023, no one has been appointed to the commission or to the position of Chief EDI officer.

Warren City Controller Richard Fox said the position was not funded last year and so Mayor Stone opted to just continue not to fund it.

Fox said the decision was not related to President Donald Trump’s executive orders seeking to roll back DEI initiatives in the federal government, but stated in view of federal funding being pulled back from schools that did not eliminate DEI programs, not moving forward with Warren’s program might be the right thing at this time.

“Given the situation with President Trump and seeing that federal funding has, in some cases, been taken away, it seems like it would be a good thing to let the unfilled chief EDI officer position stay as is for now,” Fox said.

Fox said Stone has been pushing to find grant dollars to fund park improvements, police initiatives and other city improvements.

“No one has really brought this up about the commission or the chief officer,” said Fox.

Fox said he was not sure if there is a timeline to appoint people to the commission or if an EDI officer would be hired in the future. Per the City Charter, the commission is to have nine members:

• Five residents

• Two civil service employees of the city

• Ttwo representatives of businesses or nonprofits in the city

The chief EDI officer position was supposed to be part of the Human Resources Department.