The Glendale city council could take another step toward adopting an anti-discrimination ordinance during a city council workshop Tuesday.

Feedback from a series of summer meetings showed mixed feelings on whether it would stop prejudice.

About four in five Glendale residents and business owners who attended the meetings believe adopting an anti-discrimination ordinance would not effectively address unequal treatment. But, more than 85 percent of them believe discrimination is a problem, and only 13 percent say it can be solved through education.

Participants repeatedly attempted to gauge a need for the ordinance by asking how many discrimination complaints the city has received. That number is unknown because Glendale does not currently document them.

Evidence of a single complaint shows need for the ordinance, Glendale City Councilman Gary Sherwood said.

“Gay folks can go out and get married, and then they could get fired from their job the next day,” Sherwood said. “There really is no protection.”

And passing it would send the right message to outsiders, Sherwood said.   

“It just communicates to the state and the nation that Glendale is a welcoming community,” Sherwood said. “Please come do business with us.” 

There will likely be at least one more council workshop before an official vote on the ordinance, Sherwood said. He thinks the vote will happen before the end of the year.