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05-12-20 Rising TIDES Agenda Packet REGULAR MEETING AGENDA * All members of the public are welcome to attend This meeting will be held via Cisco Webex in accordance with the local emergency declaration made by the City under Minn. Stat. § 12.37. The public may monitor this meeting by calling 1-415-655-0001 and entering the meeting code 287 799 380. For technical assistance, please contact support staff at 763-593-8007 or webexsupport@goldenvalleymn.gov. If you incur costs to call into the meeting, you may submit the costs to the City for reimbursement consideration. 1. Call to Order 2. Attendance/Roll Call 3. Approval of Agenda 4. Approval of April 14, 2020 Meeting Minutes 5. Complete Recommendations for Council 6. Adjournment May 12, 2020 – 5:15pm Via Cisco Webex Rising TIDES Task Force REGULAR MEETING MINUTES Call to Order The meeting was called to order at 5:17 pm by Chair Allen. Roll Call Members present: Joelle Allen, Ruth Paradise, Alex Moreno, Amber Alexander, Brad Taylor- White, Melissa Johnson, Myat Thanda Tun, Fartun Hussein, and Ajani Woodson Members absent: Sam Powers and Sheri Hixon Staff present: Kirsten Santelices, Human Resources Director Approval of Agenda and March Meeting Minutes MOTION by Member Paradise to approve the agenda. Seconded by Member Johnson. Motion carried 9-0. Approval March 10 Meeting Minutes MOTION by Vice Chair Alexander to approve the March 10, 2020 meeting minutes. Seconded by Member Taylor. Motion carried 9-0. Open Forum Recap Chair Allen led the Task Force through a discussion on the March 11, 2020 Open Forum. Staff Santelices went through the open forum table in the packet, which was a compilation of the topic questions and verbatim feedback from the community. The second table was a condensed table from the October Open Forum by topic and community feedback. The group shared their appreciation for the feedback from the community on the topics. Draft Recommendations for Council Discussion At Chair Allen’s request, Santelices shared next steps, to present a final document of recommendations for each topic to the City Council at the June Council Manager meeting. The format of the final report is up to the Task Force. Staff Santelices shared that the Task Force can expect that the City Council will review the draft recommendations ahead of the meeting, the group would present at the meeting, and open dialogue would likely occur. Additionally, the group can all be at the meeting if they wish to, but typically the Chair and Vice Chair are present to represent the group at the meeting. Chair Allen encouraged the group to be overly prepared and ensure all input from the group is given before bringing the report to the City Council. Chair Allen further encouraged the group to think about all of the alternative items that have been brought up during the course of the past year that were not formally discussed as part of the recommendations, but may need further considerations. Furthermore Chair Allen suggested to the group that a formal recommendation to extend the life of the Task Force for a minimum of one more year. April 12, 2020 – 5:15 pm Via Cisco Webex MEETING MINUTES – Rising TIDES Task Force March 10, 2020 2 Members Alexander and Taylor would like to know the priorities of the City Council and use those to direct the work of the Task Force. The Task Force may also have recommendations on post-COVID-19 response and recovery. The group agreed that a concise introduction, the prioritized recommendations within each topic, and include the full community input reports as appendices. The Task Force broke up into groups and using their own expertise, the initial recommendations, community input, and any other information available to them, they will finalize the recommendations for their assigned topics. • Communicating Equity with the City – Joelle, Alex, Fartun, Sam City Contracts and RFPS – Joelle, Alex, Fartun, Sam • Increasing Diversity on Boards and Commissions – Amber, Brad, Myat Diversifying Recruitment and Retention – Amber, Brad, Myat • Community Outreach and Education – Ruth, Melissa, AJ, Sheri • Process Ensuring Equity in City Programming and Facilities – Ruth, Melissa, AJ, Sheri Staff Santelices will email the group the projected timeline and email distribution list, including the location of all the relevant information (meeting minutes, meeting agenda topics, and open forum data) from all the meetings over the past year. The recommendations will include: 1. Everything that was considered – including community input, areas of expertise, etc. 2. Final Recommendations 3. Why the final recommendations were chosen 4. Ideas for the future – “phase two” of the task force. The groups will send their recommendations to Kirsten to be part of the packet. The entire group will discuss at the May meeting and finalize for the City Council Meeting in June. The group circled back around to the impact of COVID-19 on the community. Including the lack of awareness community members have about the resources that are available. Each group should include their thoughts on this as part of item 4 (above) in their recommendation reports. Adjournment MOTION by Member Johnson. Seconded by Vice Chair Alexander. Meeting adjourned at 6:14 pm. _______________________________ Joelle Allen, Chair ATTEST: _________________________________ Kirsten Santelices, Human Resources Director General Notes The recommendations below acknowledge the unique circumstances of the current environment – Covid-19 has brought on unprecedented times. As such, we understand that the Council may not be able to implement these ideas and practices immediately. We are mindful of that as we share with you our recommendations on the topics below. Please know that members of the Task Force look forward to volunteering their expertise and services in support of implementing these practices (e.g. review communications, etc.) Topic: Increasing Diversity in Boards, Commissions, and City Council Summary: Seeing oneself in senior leadership positions is often critical to engaging a diverse slate for future openings. To do so, the Task Force recommends the following tactics to drive engagement with the community. Recommendations for Immediate Implementation (likely require quicker turn-around): 1. Leadership take a proactive, visible stance on the impacts of Coronavirus and the disproportionate impact on underserved and diverse communities. These communications will help support the City’s values. o Task Force members available as thought partners to review and advise on public statements 2. Further publicize Board and Commission opportunities o Continue “Why I Serve” campaign o Highlight a different Task Force/Commission/Board in each Golden Valley newsletter o Increase social media marketing of opportunities Recommendations for Future Consideration (likely require longer turn-around/additional resources and partnerships): 1. Build connections with local school districts, businesses, and other community organizations to advertise opportunities to serve on Boards/Commissions with city Topic: Diversifying Employee Recruitment Summary: The Task Force was pleased to hear the recruitment policies and protocols already put in place by the HR department at the City. To further support these efforts, the Task Force, with input from the Community, discussed ideas/tactics in the following areas: • Internal Culture • Leader (hiring manager) Ownership • Recruiting Practices • Pipeline Building Recommendations for Immediate Implementation (likely require quicker turn-around):: 1. Build routines to ensure internal employee culture is one of inclusivity o HR Director train leaders of people to conduct a ‘sense of belonging’ exercise with employees – how do we continue to create a culture you want to be a part of? How can we further improve? o Host internal team events to celebrate diverse cultures 2. Explore listening strategy options in order to stay in touch with current city workforce and foster connection/inclusivity in such unprecedented times o Conduct ‘stay interviews’ with current employees – Why do they stay? What do they like about working for the city? o Acknowledge impact of Coronavirus on personal lives Recommendations for Future Consideration (likely require longer turn-around/additional resources and partnerships): 1. Prioritize hiring Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity Manager role 2. Upskill leaders in building diverse pipelines for their roles o Build a forum/venue for leaders to know the skills and interests of their current employees so they can advocate for them as openings occur o Institute a practice of employees completing internal resumes o Provide training for all hiring managers on how to effectively source and recruit talent o Set goals for leaders to broaden their networks/build pipelines for future openings (e.g. meet one new person in my industry per quarter) 3. Update recruitment collateral (job postings, job descriptions, interview guides) to emphasize commitment to Inclusivity o Showcase people of color in recruitment collateral o Include City Values language on all job postings o Review and update required/desires skills to remove any unintended bias/barriers to diverse communities o Update interview questions to include question on how candidates understand/showcase the city’s values of Diversity & Inclusion 4. Review and adjust recruiting practices to ensure diverse outreach o Target colleges with D&I focuses (Augsburg, Hamline) o Build connections with local school districts about careers in Government o Ensure diversity in interview panels for open roles Topic: Eliminating Barriers in Programming and Facilities Summary: The Task Force recognized that the City has a very robust Park & Recreation Program, as well as a wide variety of City wide events and programs. As the city increases in its demographic diversity, the Task Force considered the following issues to insure inclusiveness, accessibility and appropriateness for all members of our community. • Content • Community Involvement • Location • Accessibility • Communication Recommendations for Immediate Implementation (planning can begin even if immediate implantation needs to be postponed due to Covid-19): 1. Consider demographics when planning programs and events. o Create programming to attract different communities o Develop opportunities for multi-cultural education events 2. Utilize residents from diverse backgrounds in planning and implementing community programs and events. o Look at diversity of instructors in recreational activities and other programs o Hold additional informal community social events for bridge building through food, storytelling and music. o Consider who the “presenters” are for programs and events and plan for diversity in activities and venues. o Create programming opportunities to use local resources, people who are entertainers, speakers, teachers, etc. 3. Consider Affordability of programs offered by the City. o Host scholarships and post availability in prominent location in publicity. o Plan for cost structure so it is affordable for people who would not qualify for scholarships. 4. Consider access to public transportation when determining location for programs and events and recreational activities for children and youth. 5. Ensure that all staff members are trained to be friendly and responsive to the needs of a diverse population. Recommendations for Future Consideration (likely require longer turn-around/additional resources and partnerships): 1. Programming for new residents to the City that takes into consideration the needs of the resident to help them integrate into the community. o Insure sensitivity to language needs of new immigrants. o Create a new to Golden Valley resident’s packet. o Create a “new to Golden Valley” tab on the City website. 2. Increase the diversity of imagery in publicity put out by the City. 3. Widen the selection of media marketing tools used to reach the broader community. 4. Find way to post notices of Golden Valley events in places where people congregate. 5. As part of the city planning process, consider needs of community for facilities to meet a variety of needs. Consider resources available within the city for possible partnerships. o Are there meeting or recreational facilities available (walking or public transportation) in all areas of the city? o Are there affordable large meeting spaces, with cooking/eating space, available to Golden Valley residents for social celebrations? o Can smaller not-for profit organizational groups find free meeting spaces? o Are the community centers, parks and playgrounds physically accessible? o Can groups such as bands, dance troupes, choral groups find space to practice in? Topic: Community Outreach and Education Summary: The task force focused on how to use community outreach and education to create a relationship built on trust between the City and community members. The Task force discussed the following as strategies to reach that goal: • Outreach and education ensuring that everyone feels that their voice is being hear. • Outreach and education where a diverse mix of people can gather and get to know each other. • How outreach activities and educational goals can overlap. • Communication tools to reach a wider representation of people from diverse groups within the Golden Valley community. Note that the listings below are not placed by immediate implementation or future implementation, since it needs to be determined how to proceed with the suggestions. Recommendations for Immediate Implementation ((initial information gathering and outreach to various groups can begin even if immediate implantation of activities needs to be postponed due to Covid-19): 1. Utilize existing community resources to more quickly implement outreach activities. Suggestions include: ⁰ Schedule regular meetings (yearly or semi-annually) with “Block Party” organizers. a. Arrange for a City Council Member, staff member or city volunteer to attend every Block Party, having materials advertising outreach events plus the Rising Tides brochure for distribution at the Block Parties. b. Initiate a “Welcome to the Neighborhood” program through discussion with the block party organizers ( or after discussion at a block party event). (1) City to develop a “New Resident” Packet. The packet can have information about the city, about social organizations in the city, shopping, libraries, etc. (Note: the city knows when a house is sold. There is a need to look into reaching new apartment residents.) (2) Provide the handouts in different languages depending on demographic needs. ⁰ Schedule regular meetings (yearly or semi-annually) with leaders of not-for –profit civic organizations within Golden Valley. a. Opportunity to learn what they are doing, and discuss how to reach and include their members for city outreach activities. ⁰ Schedule regular meetings (yearly or semi-annually) with appropriate staff from places of worship and social service organizations to discuss outreach opportunities with their members or clients. ⁰ Partner with the Golden Valley Library on educational events. ⁰ Once a year have a City Council member attend a political party district meeting to give a “State of The City” report. ⁰ Meet with businesses to discuss the city’s diversity, equity and inclusiveness initiatives and their possible involvement in outreach efforts and/or diversity training (see “Education below). ⁰ For apartment buildings, especially NOAH properties, schedule a “meet for coffee” party to get to know apartment residents and discuss issues they feel are important to them. 2. Extend Event planning to specifically promote outreach efforts to include a diverse mix of city residents. Possible suggestions include: ⁰ “Pot Luck in the Park” supper (or weekend lunch) ⁰ “Soup & Substance” - meal and specific topic of discussion ⁰ Non- committed events – “pop- ups” ⁰ Monthly “Welcome to the City” meeting at City Hall for new residents. ⁰ Cooking classes to include food from diverse cultures, with city residents taking turns as presenters. ⁰ Consider public transportation availability when scheduling outreach events. ⁰ Music which reflects the cultures of people living in the city. 3. As a specific educational outreach effort offer a class on “Culturally Competent Messaging” training . 4. To enhance communication: ⁰ Continue remodeling of the City website, being sensitive to the following issues: a. Offer important information in more than one language. b. Revise the “event” tab to include sub-tabs to Include events being held within the city that are not city sponsored. It could be open to postings by civic groups, social service organizations, library, etc. Enable the listings to go to a fuller advertisement with pictures, and more details if available. c. Be sure the imagery on the website reflects the diversity of residents in Golden Valley. ⁰ Use of postcards to advertise outreach events , so as to reach people who don’t go to the city website. TOPIC: Communicating Equity with the City Summary: Below are a list of short term and long term recommendations the committee feels will be helpful for the city Council to implement in order to increase participation and engagement with underrepresented communities. The committee feels that all communication efforts should be rooted in data and therefore recommends that both short and long term initiatives be put in place to collect data about the racial, cultural, gender, lifestyle makeup of residents to effectively develop messaging, programming and beyond that are culturally relevant. It is important to emphasize to residents that all data collection is voluntary and that at any time they can see how the data is being used as well as remove themselves from lists. As one of the first topics, a few of our short term recommendations have already been completed. See our ongoing recommendations below Completed • Hold two community listening sessions in order review the work and recommendations the task force has done around specific topics. This would include: October Session – Discuss 1) Ongoing community engagement, 2) diversifying employee recruitment and 3) Inclusive RFP processes. January Session – Discuss 1) Equity in Programming, Services and Facilities, 2) Reviewing Outreach and education initiatives and 3) Increasing Diversity in Boards/Commissions, elected officials, etc. Short Range: • Gather Data on communities of color, LGBTQIA, differently abled, religions, immigrant / first gen, languages and associated socio-economic data, education levels, current level of engagement, family structure / size, age, associated mediums of engagement, other to determine population size within the city and to begin understanding how their needs may differ. • Put into place various opportunities for gathering data and insights including surveys, events, etc. being sensitive to the reality that some groups including immigrants may be resistant to sharing personal information due to a lack of trust. Providing in person and anonymous ways of sharing data may help as will building trust over time. • Additionally, use various mediums to reach and inform diverse audiences about events, programming and other issues that impact the city. In addition to the city website and social media, Mediums can include where appropriate: schools, churches, mosques, synagogues, apartments, ethnic food markets. • Prioritize social media, which provides an avenue to share ideas, helps eliminate language barriers through built in translation, and allows people to connect with their networks on topics of importance. The task force notes that digital outreach will remain increasingly important and that the task force can play a significant role in identification and outreach to communities beyond those who regularly “tune in” to the city’s existing social, web, mailing list. • Distribute the Rising TIDES task force meeting packet through social media in addition to the website – to keep audiences apprised of the work we are doing – providing contact information so that they can send suggestions to the committee for consideration. • Be mindful of closing the communication loop after each major event and/or activity to circle back to let people know what we’ve done and how their feedback was used. A regular and prominent place on the website and/or through social would be helpful. Additionally, creating email and/or SMS lists and associated campaigns for building community is advised. • Assign a representative of the task force to attend city events as availability permits • Continue to create materials to distribute at City events explaining the mission purpose and relevant information. Long Range: • In addition to twice yearly forums, consider creating an annual event similar to PRIDE that celebrates culture, highlights the culture and contributions of underrepresented groups and promotes a friendly welcoming environment for people of all backgrounds. This “Ethnic Pride Event” would feature city partners, local businesses – with a spotlight on minority-owned and/or centered business, music, food and fun. • Use the data collected in near range phase to determine focus and resource allocation of ongoing equity and inclusion work. • Complete hiring process for the Equity Coordinator as soon as timing and budget allows • Provide additional focus around ethnicity, culture and language vs a focus solely on race. TOPIC: Process For Reviewing City Contracts And RFP’s And Eliminating Potential Biases Summary: The task force believes that creating opportunities for minority, women and veteran-owned business enterprises strengthens both the city and its citizens. Short Range: • Create a list of small and minority-owned businesses in Golden Valley and make a good faith effort to keep them informed of opportunities and timelines, utilize diverse businesses in all sourcing initiatives and purchasing events. • Create opportunities for small and minority-owned businesses by revisiting how contracts are awarded. Begin with contracts under$ 175, 000 where the City is not required to meet the public bidding law requirements; or ( 2) by requiring larger contractors to subcontract parts of the bid to underrepresented business. • Host information sessions / Lunch and Learn supplier diversity series which includes how to do business with the city of Golden valley. • Compile sample procurement policies from other municipalities. Such procedures are established to give traditionally underutilized businesses a competitive advantage and meet customer and government requirements. The guidelines can spell out in the broadest terms the philosophy that diversity is good for the business. They also articulate the need for regional, cultural and social diversity to access global skills and markets, offer varied viewpoints and styles, and benefit different communities and local economies, respectively. Building diversity into procurement policy also gives procurement managers more flexibility, empowering them to work with new and more sustainable suppliers. Long Range: • Establish/renew a supplier diversity policy that provides minority-owned businesses with system wide opportunities for contracts – either independently or in conjunction with other contractors. • Instill Accountability for meeting supplier diversity objectives through annual review/audit of supplier diversity performance against objectives. • In the medium term, consider Adopting (modified or not) NMSDC guidelines for best practices in supplier diversity as a more comprehensive program is built out: o Establish corporate policy and top management support o Develop a corporate minority supplier development plan o Develop comprehensive internal and external communications o Identify opportunities for diverse owned businesses in strategic sourcing and supply chain management o Establish a comprehensive minority supplier development process o Tracking, reporting and goal setting mechanisms • Among other things, a comprehensive policy should acknowledge and address as appropriate the following: o Past Discrimination: Policies should state the intent to create contracting equity. Policy and programs should impact behaviors and practices of the jurisdiction as much or more than the behaviors of prime contractors and prime vendors. o Flexibility: A strategy should match the conditions and laws of the jurisdiction and should be flexible – if a strategy is not working, a different approach should be tried. o Unintended Consequences: Regulations and practices should be examined in a careful and detailed way to ensure that unnecessary barriers are eliminated for small and diverse firms. o Multi-faceted: Programs should be comprehensive and multi-faceted to match the complex systemic barriers. o Cultural Change: Strategies should create a framework for cultural change in addition to change stemming from regulations. A cultural change permeates all structures related to the procurement and contracting process so that all people involved are thinking equity and non-discrimination. Over time, this cultural change begins to be embraced by the prime contractor and prime vendor communities. o Capacity Building: Contracting equity programs should contain or should connect to capacity building programs. In this way the jurisdiction is dealing with availability (expanding the vendor pool) not just utilization. o Expand and Replicate: Contracting equity programs should collaborate with other jurisdictions, expand their principles into other areas of the jurisdiction, and when they have arrived at a successful strategy, replicate it with other jurisdictions. o Short turn-around on payment to subs. Sub-contractors can often be the last ones paid and are least able to afford the wait. Seattle requires primes to pay subs before the primes can invoice and get paid themselves. o Redefining large contracts. When possible, master contracts can be designed to allow several MWBE/DBE firms to collaborate and win larger contracts.