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RESO 25-121 - Approving Updates to DEI Commission BylawsRESOLUTION NO. 25-121 RESOLUTION APPROVING UPDATES TO DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION COMMISSION BYLAWS WHEREAS, the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Commission Bylaws provides a list of duties and specific direction for the DEI Commission to carry out their work as required in City Code Section 2-128; and WHEREAS, the Commission must review the Bylaws no less than every three years and may review the Bylaws more frequently as needed; and WHEREAS, the Bylaws may be amended at any regular DEI Commission meeting with a majority of members present; and WHEREAS, on September 25, 2025, the DEI Commission recommended approval to amendments to the Bylaws as shown in Exhibit A; and WHEREAS, the City Council has reviewed the revised bylaws as shown in Exhibit A. NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF GOLDEN VALLEY, MINNESOTA that this Council hereby approves the revised Bylaws of the DEI Commission attached hereto as Exhibit A. Adopted by the City Council this 16th day of December, 2025. Gillian Rosenquist, Mayor Pro Tempore ATTEST: _____________________________ Theresa Schyma, City Clerk Docusign Envelope ID: 0091429B-3F80-4023-95AC-5376109D23BA Resolution No. 25-121 (Exhibit A) -2- December 16, 2025 BYLAWS Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Commission (DEIC) Article I: Purpose, Mission, and Prescribed Duties The Commission shall be an advisory commission to the City Council. A. Mission, Vision, Values The Commission’s mission is to promote and nurture a safe and welcoming community dedicated to the values of social equity, inclusion, and justice. The Commission shall advise and make recommendations to the Council in matters relating to diversity, equity, inclusion, and human rights. B. Duties In accordance with its bylaws and annual work plan, and through the collaboration and cooperation of City staff, the DEI Commission shall: (1) Analyze the City’s processes, procedures, policies, and ordinances as directed by the City Council on matters of diversity, equity, inclusion, human rights. (2) Present the results of programs of research and recommend changes to processes, procedures, policies, and ordinances to the City Council based on those results. (3) Regularly review and evaluate the City’s community outreach methods and activities to ensure messaging reaches diverse populations and provides inclusive participation opportunities. (4) Annually provide input on the City’s Equity Plan and, as requested by City Manager, their designee, or City equity staff: a. Analyze City systems to identify systems of inequality (including systemic racism), and b. Make recommendations relating to changes in ordinance, policy, or practice to dismantle those systems. (5) Communicate the City’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) work and facilitate community engagement and feedback. (6) Collaborate with organizations to host and promote events that educate the community on issues of diversity, equity, inclusion, and human rights, and other issues and to promote awareness and appreciation of diversity. Article II: Membership, Appointments, Terms, and Officers A. Membership The Commission shall consist of nine regular members, and two youth voting members. Youth members shall live or attend school within Golden Valley, the Robbinsdale Area District or Hopkins School District and be enrolled in school grades 9 through 12. Docusign Envelope ID: 0091429B-3F80-4023-95AC-5376109D23BA Resolution No. 25-121 (Exhibit A) -3- December 16, 2025 In accordance with the City’s values and Welcome Statement, the Council shall seek to have said appointments reflect the diverse voices and perspectives in the community, including: • Individuals who have professional, volunteer, or personal experiences with communities that have historically experienced or presently experience the stress and trauma of discrimination, for example, individuals with work or volunteer experience in the field of diversity, equity and inclusion, or personal involvement in advocacy or activism; • Individuals who have professional, volunteer, or personal experiences with healing of marginalized communities; and • Individuals with personal experience involving discrimination. At a minimum the DEIC membership shall consist of: • one member with a connection to multi-family or group housing; and • one member of a community group that has demonstrated commitment to the values of racial equity, inclusion, social justice, and human rights. If the City does not receive qualified applications from one of the above categories, the remaining spots may be filled with any person who lives, works, attends school, volunteers, or worships in the City of Golden Valley and passes the interview process. B. Appointments and Terms Appointments are made effective May 1 of each year. The Council shall appoint regular members of the Commission for three-year staggered terms. Youth members shall be appointed for a one-year term. The terms of Commission members shall be fixed and determined at the time of appointment by the governing ordinance. The City Council shall appoint the members of the Commission and to fill vacancies for unexpired terms. A vacancy shall be deemed to exist if a regular member ceases to meet the residency requirements or a youth member who ceases to meet the residency, age, or school requirements. C. Officers The Commission shall elect officers of Chair and Vice-Chair from the Commission membership by its voting members at its regular annual meeting, (no later than the second meeting after May 1 in each year). The Chair and Vice Chair positions rotate, and members may only serve two consecutive years as the Chair or Vice-Chair. Should the office of Chair or Vice-Chair become vacant, the Commission shall elect a successor from its membership at the next regular meeting and such election shall be for the unexpired term of said office. Officers may also delegate the duties of their position to other Commissioners as deemed appropriate by the Commission. Chair responsibilities include: • work with staff liaison to develop meeting agendas • conduct and preside at all meetings in a productive and time-efficient manner • ensure the Commission conducts its activities within the stated mission and bylaws of the Commission • appoint Commissioners to participate in subcommittees • monitor and ensure the progress of the Commission • report to the City Council Docusign Envelope ID: 0091429B-3F80-4023-95AC-5376109D23BA Resolution No. 25-121 (Exhibit A) -4- December 16, 2025 Vice-Chair responsibilities: • perform the duties of the Chair in the absence or incapacity of the Chair • perform all other duties as prescribed by the Commission Article III: Meetings and Attendance A. Meetings All meetings of the Commission shall be conducted in accordance with the Minnesota Open Meeting Law and City code. This means all business and discussion occurs at a meeting which has been posted and is open to the public. The presence of a majority of all regular members currently appointed to the Commission shall constitute a quorum for the purpose of conducting its business and exercising its powers and for all other purposes. In the event a quorum is not reached, a smaller number of members may meet to have informal discussion, however, formal action shall not be taken and must be reserved for such time as when a quorum of the Commission is reached. A quorum of the members should not discuss Commission business by email, forms of social media, telephone, or informal meetings. Commission meetings may be cancelled by the staff liaison if there are no items on the agenda for discussion. Commission members may only share documents under discussion with comments to less than a quorum of members prior to the meetings. The proceedings of meetings should be conducted using standard parliamentary procedure. i. Regular Meeting The regular meeting of the Commission shall be held on the fourth Tuesday of the month at City Hall at 6:30 pm. The Commission may, by a majority vote, change its regular meeting dates for any reason provided proper public notice of the changed meeting. ii. Annual Meeting The Annual Meeting of the commission shall be a regular meeting, typically the first meeting after May 1 of each year, in which new commissioners are sworn in. Elections of executive roles are announced at this meeting and elections will happen within two regular meetings. iii. Special Meetings A special meeting of the Commission may be called by the Chair or two commissioners, or by the City Council, for the purpose of transacting any business designated in the meeting notice. The notice for a special meeting shall be posted in compliance with the Minnesota State Statutes governing public meetings. The staff liaison shall notify Commissioners at least three days prior to the meeting of the date, time, place and purpose of the special meeting. A special meeting must also be posted in accordance with the requirements of the Minnesota Open Meeting Law. a. Year in Review and Community Input Meeting The Commission will hold a meeting in the fourth quarter of the calendar year to share progress to date, proposed annual work plan, and gather community input. B. Attendance Members are expected to attend all meetings, including the annual board and commission joint meeting. If a member is unable to attend a meeting, they should contact the staff liaison, who Docusign Envelope ID: 0091429B-3F80-4023-95AC-5376109D23BA Resolution No. 25-121 (Exhibit A) -5- December 16, 2025 will inform the chair. If a quorum cannot be attained, the meeting may be canceled. Staff liaisons will track attendance at each meeting. Each April, the City Manager’s office will review attendance records for the preceding calendar year (April-March) and send a standardized letter of warning to any member that has missed: • two consecutive or three total meetings for groups that meet once a month; or • two consecutive or five total meetings for groups that meet twice a month. Because attendance is so important to the work of the City’s boards and commissions, the City Manager may ask the member to explain the reasons for their absences. If circumstances prevent the member from committing to consistently attending future meetings, the member may be asked to step down. The City Manager will not ask the member to step down if their inability to attend meetings is due to health reasons. If the member’s attendance does not improve within 3 months after receiving a warning, the City Manager or their designee shall ask the member to step down. If the member chooses not to step down, the Council may take action to remove the member. Article IV: Rules A. Agenda The agenda for regular and special meetings of the Commission shall be prepared by the staff liaison. Items to be placed on the agenda may be proposed by the Chair, a Commission member, the staff liaison or at the request of the City Council. Residents, businesses, or other interested parties may contact the staff liaison to request that an item be placed on the agenda for consideration. All agenda topics presented by the City Council will be placed on an appropriate agenda; requests from other parties will be placed on an appropriate future agenda at the discretion of the staff liaison. The agenda shall be approved at each meeting prior to discussion of any item on the agenda. At the time of agenda approval, items may be removed and the order of business may be modified by a majority vote of members present at the meeting. No items shall be added to the agenda unless deemed as urgent by the staff liaison. Prior to adjournment, members present may communicate items recommended for inclusion on future agendas. B. Recordkeeping All minutes and resolutions shall be in writing and shall be kept in accordance with City procedures, Minnesota Statute and Rules regarding preservation of public records and the Minnesota Data Privacy Act. C. Work Plan The Commission will draft an annual work plan that details activities and projected timelines for the upcoming year. • The Chair may appoint Commissioners to be primarily responsible for each work plan activity. • The Commission may establish subcommittees to oversee work plan activities. The subcommittees will be chaired by Commissioners who express interest and are appointed by the Chair. See “E” below for additional information. • The Commission’s work plan will be submitted to the City Council, typically during the first quarter of the calendar year. The Chair and/or Commissioners will attend a Council/Manager meeting to discuss the annual work plan with the City Council. Docusign Envelope ID: 0091429B-3F80-4023-95AC-5376109D23BA Resolution No. 25-121 (Exhibit A) -6- December 16, 2025 • The Commission’s work plan must be agreed upon by the City Council. The work plan is a living document that may be adjusted as deemed necessary by the Commission with subject to reapproval. D. Annual Report The Commission shall submit an annual report to the City Council summarizing the past year's activities. The report may highlight information the Commission feels appropriate to convey to the City Council. • The Chair or Vice-Chair will prepare the report for approval by the Commission. Commission members may submit signed addenda presenting alternative conclusions or perspectives. • The report and addenda are submitted to Council with the current year work plan in the first quarter of the calendar year or as soon thereafter as possible. E. Subcommittees The Commission may create subcommittees to plan and direct activities related to topics of interest to the Commission and to oversee work plan activities. • Subcommittees will be chaired by Commissioners appointed by the Chair and shall not consist of a majority or more of currently appointed Commission members. • A majority of the subcommittee must be present to conduct business, including the subcommittee chair. • The Commission may consolidate or dissolve subcommittees at any time. • The subcommittee chair may appoint other Commissioners and representatives from the broader community to the subcommittee, provided that the subcommittee at no time consists of a majority or more of currently appointed Commission members. • The subcommittee chair shall report back to the Commission about its activities as an agenda item at regular Commission meetings. • Subcommittee meetings shall be held at a date and time that does not conflict with the Commission’s regular and special meetings. The staff liaison shall be notified of the date, time, location and topic of all Subcommittee meetings. F. Performance of Duties Commissioners are expected to adequately prepare for meetings. Commissioners unable to complete an assigned task should notify the commission chair or subcommittee chair as soon as possible. The Commission staff liaison may ask the City Council to review a Commissioner’s appointment based upon its assessment of significant lack of performance. Article V: Amendments and Revision The Commission will review these bylaws no later than the second meeting after May 1 every three years. Members may present recommendations for changes and amendments. These bylaws can be altered or amended at any regular monthly Commission meeting with a majority of members present, provided that notice of the proposed changes and amendments is provided to each member at least 10 business days before the meeting. The Council must review and approve any changes to, and has final authority regarding, these bylaws. Docusign Envelope ID: 0091429B-3F80-4023-95AC-5376109D23BA Resolution No. 25-121 (Exhibit A) -7- December 16, 2025 Appendix: Glossary This glossary is a set of terms adopted by the City to ensure common language and understanding regarding diversity, equity and inclusion. When discussing the diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, use these terms and definitions in all contexts: Accountability: The ways in which individuals, communities, leaders, systems, and institutions hold themselves individually and collectively to their stated goals, responsibilities, and actions. Barrier(s): Individual, interpersonal, structural, and systemic obstacles that prevent individuals and communities from accessing resources, services, opportunities, and rights, leading to inequality and disparities. BIPOC: Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) is both an acronym and umbrella term used to recognize the collective experiences of systemic racism. Use of this acronym recognizes the collective experiences of systemic racism. It is meant to emphasize the hardships faced by Black and Indigenous people and to acknowledge that not all People of Color face the same levels of injustice. Bias: A disproportionate weight in favor of or against an idea, thing, person, or group, usually in a way that is prejudicial and unfair. Biases can be innate or learned. • Unconscious/Implicit Bias Attitudes and stereotypes that influence judgment, decision-making, and behavior in ways that are outside of conscious awareness and/or control. Typically expressed automatically without much awareness. • Conscious/Explicit Bias Overt negative attitudes and stereotypes expressed openly and knowingly held. Capacity Building: Organizational and institutional efforts to strengthen the skills, knowledge, and resources of individuals, community, and external organizations. Community Engagement: The process of co-creating solutions in partnership with people. It is grounded in building relationships based on mutual respect and that acknowledges each person’s added value to developing solutions. Community/Community-Level Indicator(s): Measurements used to track and assess social, economic, and environmental well-being of communities. Indicators help institutions, organizations, and communities understand current state of well-being, identify disparities, and inform planning and decision-making. Disparity: A pattern of differences in outcomes and impacts across social identity groups. Diversity: A range of human differences and complexity, whether shared or individual, across thought, beliefs, experience, and identity (including, but not limited to, race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, class, language, physical ability/disability, religious/spiritual beliefs, and education). Equity: The proactive and ongoing reinforcement of policies, projects, attitudes, and actions that distribute power, access, and opportunity, and where outcomes are determined by how provided services are structured rather than identity or lived experience. Equality: Providing the same opportunities, access, and resources to all groups, regardless of their identity and lived experience, to reach a common goal or outcome. Human Rights: Human rights are rights inherent to all human beings, regardless of race, sex, nationality, ethnicity, language, religion, or any other status. Human rights include the right to life and liberty, freedom from slavery and torture, freedom of opinion and expression, the right to work and education, and many more. Docusign Envelope ID: 0091429B-3F80-4023-95AC-5376109D23BA Resolution No. 25-121 (Exhibit A) -8- December 16, 2025 • Minnesota Human Rights Act: State law prohibiting discrimination in Minnesota and is enforced by the Minnesota Department of Human Rights. The state law prohibits discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations, public services, education, credit, and business based on protected class, such as: race, religion, disability, national origin, sex, marital status, familial status, age, sexual orientation, and gender identity. Inclusion: Actively empowering and bringing individuals or groups to be participatory in projects, actions, and decision/policy making that shares power as well as honors nuance and authenticity. Inequity: A pattern of differences in outcomes and impacts that are systemic, avoidable, unnecessary, and unjust across social identity groups. These patterns or differences ultimately create negative impact and effect across various life determinants, especially when coupled together Oppression: The systemic and pervasive nature of social inequity woven throughout social institutions as well as imbedded within individual consciousness and action. Combination of institutional and systemic discrimination, personal bias, bigotry, and social prejudice in a complex web of relationships and structures. • Individual/Interpersonal Oppression: Conscious or subconscious biased beliefs, attitudes, and actions that influence interactions and perception of other people. • Institutional Oppression: Implicit and explicit policies, practices, and procedures within an organization/institution (i.e., City of Golden Valley, University of Minnesota, Department of Human Services, HealthPartners, Affinity Plus Credit Union, etc.), that create different outcomes for different groups. Typically, this is to the benefit of those who hold societal power to the detriment of those who hold less or none. • Internalized Oppression: Conscious and subconscious acceptance or belief in negative messages, stereotypes, and biases about one’s own marginalized or minoritized social identity. • Structural Oppression: Implicit and explicit inequities across organizations/institutions (i.e., city government + bank + realtor + insurance + racial covenants = structural) inclusive of policy, practices, procedures, history, and culture. This creates an interconnection of inequities reinforced by organizational/institutional norms (past and present), which can also reproduce old and create new forms of oppression. • Systemic Oppression: Implicit and explicit policies, practices, and procedures that are within and across organizations/institutions (i.e., K-12 school + university = educational system, or primary care physician + pharmacy = healthcare system), which create and perpetuate inequities. Racial Equity: A condition in which the race of an individual and/or group is no longer a predictor of outcomes. It is also a process and practice with which intentional and continual changes are made to eliminate disparities across both race and ethnicity. Racialized Violence: Any act of violence, whether overt or systemic, that is driven by or rooted in racist beliefs, practices, and structures Racism: Belief and action, based on skin color, that one group of people is superior to others. Social Identity: Categorization based on physical, social, and mental characteristics of individuals and groups. These can be visible or hidden, self-chosen or assigned by others, and shaped or defined by society and policy. For example: race, socioeconomic status, gender/gender identity, sexuality/sexual orientation, ability, national status, family status/structure, marital status/structure, age, religion, immigration status, and more. Docusign Envelope ID: 0091429B-3F80-4023-95AC-5376109D23BA