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09-10-19 Rising TIDES Agenda Packet REGULAR MEETING AGENDA 1. Call to Order 2. Attendance/Roll Call 3. Approval of Agenda 4. Approval of August 13, 2019 Minutes 5. Recommendations A. Vote on draft recommendations: “Process of Reviewing City Contracts and RFP’s to Eliminate Potential Bias” and “Increasing Diversity on Boards, Commissions, Advisory Groups, and Elected Officials” 6. New Topic: Community Outreach and Education 7. Adjournment September 10, 2019 – 5:15 pm Council Conference Room Golden Valley City Hall 7800 Golden Valley Road Rising TIDES Task Force REGULAR MEETING MINUTES Call to Order The meeting was called to order at 5:25 pm by Vice Chair Harris. Roll Call Members present: Amber Alexander, Sheri Hixon, Ajani Woodson, Ruth Paradise, Melissa Johnson, Maurice Harris, Sam Powers (arrived at 5:29 pm) Members absent: Joelle Allen and Tanveer Gulzar Staff present: Tim Cruikshank, City Manager and Kirsten Santelices, Human Resources Director Approval of Agenda Staff proposed an amendment to the agenda adding: 5. Appointments and 6. Staff Employment Update MOTION by Member Johnson to approve agenda as amended. Seconded by Member Paradise. Motion carried 6-0. Approval of Minutes MOTION by Member Paradise to approve the July 13, 2019 regular meeting minutes as submitted. Seconded by Member Woodson. Motion carried 7-0. Task Force Appointments Staff shared the resignation of a member of the Task Force and asked the group if they would like to replace the two open seats. The group discussed whether or not to request individuals to fill the two open positions, and members were supportive of adding members. City Manager Cruikshank shared that should the Task Force approve, staff would bring it to Council for approval. MOTION by Member Johnson to appoint two new members to the Task Force as soon as possible after Council approval. Seconded by Member Powers. Motion carried 7-0. Staff Employment Update Staff shared with the Task Force a proposal to add an employee to the Human Resources department to focus on equity, inclusion, and diversity work, as well as volunteer coordination for the City. Members agreed that this was a great idea and would be very beneficial. The members shared that the title of the position did not fully represent the role and asked how the time would be split between equity, inclusion, and diversity work, and volunteer coordination. The members were also interested in the long- term funding plans for this position. City Manager Cruikshank shared that the position is considered and funded just as all positions within the City. Santelices shared that there is a lot of work to be done, and that this person will have a lot to do upon starting, including supporting Rising TIDES initiatives, and staff training. Members agreed and suggested that to attract the right candidates the job advertisement should be very clear about the two roles of this one position. Members were encouraged to share any additional feedback with Santelices. August 13, 2019 – 5:15 pm Council Conference Room Golden Valley City Hall 7800 Golden Valley Road MEETING MINUTES – Rising TIDES Task Force July 9, 2019 2 Communicating Equity with the Community Update Staff shared the brochure that the Communications department came up with and stated that it can be used at events and activities for members to share RT. Staff will also send the PDF version to members, and they can share at coffee shops, libraries, and on social media, etc. Recommendations: Process of Reviewing City Contracts and RFP’s, to Eliminate Potential Bias Member Powers did not provide written recommendations but shared a verbal recommendation that the City host learning/informational sessions to inform businesses about the City’s RFP process, current landscape of work, and future opportunities. The City would use this opportunity to explain any qualifications and requirements of doing business with the City, which would help eliminate barriers. Furthermore, the City should invite the National Society for Minority Contractors, and the National Society for Women Contractors. Member Powers also offered to support the planning and execution of these sessions if the Council approve. MOTION by Member Alexander to recommend that the City host learning sessions, in particular with the National Societies of Minority and Women Contractors to discuss how to engage in -business with the City. Seconded by Member Paradise. Motion carried 7-0. Recommendations: Diversifying Boards, Commissions, and City Council Vice Chair Harris shared that one of the first challenges of diversifying boards and commissions is getting people to know more about their existence. Some recommendations include making the website more visible and easily accessible, highlighting success stories of commissioners and board members and the benefits of serving, advertising in local papers and high school civics classes, using technology at public events to sign people up for board and commission updates, and making documents visible in multiple languages. Other suggestions from members included using Night to Unite as a platform and working with the City’s potential new staff member to focus on recruitment efforts. Santelices suggested that Members Harris and Powers send their written recommendations to staff to disseminate to the Task Force. The Task Force will then vote on the official recommendations at the September meeting. Adjournment MOTION to adjourn by Member Powers, seconded by Member Hixon. Motion Carried. Meeting adjourned at 6:21 pm. _______________________________ Maurice Harris, Vice Chair ATTEST: _________________________________ Kirsten Santelices, Human Resources Director Rising Tides Task Force Proposed / Draft Recommendations Report To: From: Topic: Rising Tides Task Force DĂƵƌŝĐĞ,ĂƌƌŝƐ Recommendations for Consideration: Topic of /ŶĐƌĞĂƐŝŶŐŝǀĞƌƐŝƚǇŝŶ ŽĂƌĚƐͬŽŵŵŝƐƐŝŽŶƐ͕ĚǀŝƐŽƌǇ'ƌŽƵƉƐ͕ĂŶĚůĞĐƚĞĚKĨĨŝĐŝĂůƐ Recap /ŶDĂǇϮϬϭϵ͕ƚŚĞTĂƐŬFŽƌĐĞĚŝƐĐƵƐƐĞĚƉŽƚĞŶƚŝĂůƐƚƌĂƚĞŐŝĞƐƚŽŝŶĐƌĞĂƐĞĚŝǀĞƌƐŝƚǇŽŶƚŚĞŝƚǇ͛Ɛ ŽĂƌĚƐĂŶĚŽŵŵŝƐƐŝŽŶƐ͕ƉĂƌƚŝĐƵůĂƌůǇĐŽŵŵƵŶŝƚŝĞƐŽĨĐŽůŽƌ.TŚĞdĂƐŬ&ŽƌĐĞĚŝƐĐƵƐƐĞĚ͗ v tŚĂƚĚŽĞƐƚŚĞĐŽŵŵƵŶŝƚǇǁĂŶƚƚŽŬŶŽǁĂďŽƵƚƚŚĞǁŽƌŬŽĨƚŚĞŝƚǇΖƐŽĂƌĚƐĂŶĚŽŵŵŝƐƐŝŽŶƐ͍ v WŚĂƚďĂƌƌŝĞƌƐƚŽƉĂƌƚŝĐŝƉĂƚŝŽŶŵĂǇĞǆŝƐƚĨŽƌĚŝǀĞƌƐĞĐŽŵŵƵŶŝƚŝĞƐ͍ v ,ŽǁĐĂŶƚŚĞŝƚǇĞǆƉĂŶĚŝƚƐďŽĂƌĚĂŶĚĐŽŵŵŝƐƐŝŽŶƌĞĐƌƵŝƚŵĞŶƚĞĨĨŽƌƚƐ͘ With those questions in mind the task force is putting forth the following recommendations to keep the community informed and engaged Steps to Begin Immediately: •Increase the visibility of Boards and Commissions: o Increase visibility of the "subscribe" and "more information here" links on city website o Ensure drop-downs are easily visible o Highlight work of commissions and boards in quarterly newsletters; providing quarterly updates on commission/board statuses. o Bring laptop/iPad to events to allow individuals to subscribe to the board and commission updates. •Make board and commission documents available in multiple languages o Consider translation services for City Documents •Review and update potential recruitment strategies: o Post openings through local media, i.e. SunPost o Inform community members who can disseminate information by through word-of-mouth. o Conduct outreach with local high schools Civics/Government classes to recruit youth members. o Highlight success stories of board/commission members via the Newsletter. o Advertise by emphasizing the leadership opportunities that come from serving on a board or commission. o Target ethinic/racial group at events such as Sweet Potato Comfort Pie to increase recruitment of underrepresented groups. o Conduct outreach to apartment buildings and complexes RISING TIDES TASK FORCE An advisory body to the Golden Valley City Council FOR MORE INFORMATION Rising TIDES www.goldenvalleymn.gov/about/welcome/rising-tides.php City Equity Plan www.goldenvalleymn.gov/about/pdf/Equity-Plan-Updated-7-16-18.pdf Kirsten Santelices Email-ksantelices@goldenvalleymn.gov Phone-763-593-3989 About RISING TIDE S Inspired by the phrase "a rising tide lifts all boats," the City's equity plan is called GV Rising TIDES, standing for Trust, Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Social Justice. Trust Trust is the assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something. We strive to build and maintain trust with our community. Inclusion and Diversity Inclusion is the intentional effort to transform the status quo by creating opportunity for those individuals and groups who have been intentionally excluded, opressed, or marginalized by dominant groups or individuals. Diversity and inclusion go hand-in-hand. A group can be diverse, but not successful if an individual outside of the dominant group does not feel included. Equity Unlike equality (which is about treating everyone the same), equity is about everyone in a group having what they need to be successful. Social Justice The concept implies many things, but social justice requires resource equity, fairness, and respect for diversity, as well as the eradication of existing forms of social oppression. RISING TIDES Task Force The RISING TIDES Task Force was created to review the City's equity plan objectives and develop recommended action steps to help the City reach the goals outlined in the plan. Meetings When: 5:15 pm, second Tuesday of each month Where: City Hall Council Conference Room, Golden Valley City Hall, 7800 Golden Valley Road Meeting topics include: - Communicating Equity with the Community - Process of Reviewing City Contracts and RFP’s and Eliminating Potential Biases - Increasing Diversity in Boards/Commissions, Advisory Groups, and Elected Officials - Diversifying Employee Recruitment and Retention - Process of Reviewing Community Outreach and Education Initiatives - Process of Ensuring Equity in City Programming, Services, and Facilities Open Forums The Task Force is hosting two open forums to gather community input on the topics listed above. The first forum is scheduled for October 23, 2019 and the second is tentatively scheduled for the end of January 2020. The forums are designed for members of the community to share their thoughts, ideas, and opinons about the work of the Task Force and the topics of the equity plan. Sep 10 – Process of Reviewing Community Outreach and Education Initiatives The City currently plans and executes a number of community outreach and education initiatives throughout the year. The goals of each initiative are to build positive, meaningful, and trusting relationships with community members, and often to share important intervention and prevention messages to keep the community a safe place in which to work, live, and play. Spanning back decades, City departments, have initiated opportunities to engage with community members in a variety of ways. While “community outreach” and “community education” may be considered two separate topics, the City believes in using all engagement opportunities as a way to meet the goals listed above. Community Outreach Events and Activities Public Safety Open House Public Safety in the Parks Coffee with a Cop CounterAct (D.A.R.E.) Night to Unite Water Days Station Tours Shop with a Cop Be a Santa to a Senior Ice Cream Social Penny Carnival Concerts in the Parks Puppet Wagon Adopt a Hydrant Beyond specific events, the City connects with the community in a number of other ways, including but not limited to, Neighborhood Watch, Apartment Manager Meetings (which include Fire, Police, Planning, and Public Works), offering Volunteer Opportunities, and assisting communities like Cornerstone Creek host fire drills and prepare for emergency response. Public Safety staff also partner with schools to host events like an Open House for Families with Special Needs and Shop with a Cop. Additionally, several City departments have a presence at community events. Examples include: Market in the Valley, PRIDE Festival, the Humane Society Walk for Animals, and the West Metro Home Remodeling Fair. Community Education Events and Initiatives The City has a number of regular, ongoing programs to inform the community on important topics. The Police department offers GVPD University, which gives individuals the chance to go “behind the scenes” with GVPD and learn things like patrol, use of force, investigations, crime lab, etc. The GV Fire department leads “Heart Safe Community” initiatives, including offering Hands-Only CPR and AED training. Additionally, the City regularly sends out educational materials on the topics of safety, public utilities, environmental initiatives, etc. The City also strives to inform and educate the community on local issues like recent crime statistics and prevention techniques, severe weather preparation, and changes in state laws (like the hands-free law). Locations and Timing The City continually evaluates events and considers feedback from community members when determining dates and times of future events. For example, in 2018, as a result of such feedback, for the first time Public Safety personnel successfully hosted two Public Safety in the Parks events in the evening, which allowed individuals with day-time commitments to participate. The City also makes every effort to consider the needs of the community members and “meet people where they are” to meet those needs. For example, several Coffee with a Cop events are scheduled at assisted living and senior living facilities where transportation options to attend the other Coffee with a Cop events may be limited. Communication The City uses a variety of communication channels to share events, programs, and initiatives. These channels include: City Website, Social Media (Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram), CCX Media, City Newsletter, and printed materials. Community members are also encouraged to provide feedback, offer suggestions and ask questions of City staff through social media, email, or directly on the City website. Example: GVPD Ask a Cop: https://goldenvalleymn.wufoo.com/forms/ask-a-cop/ Further Considerations The City conducts a variety of programs and provides a number of services to the Community that often provide opportunities to engage and inform the community. A future topic of the Task Force is “Process of Ensuring Equity in City Programming, Services, and Facilities.” While considering that topic many of the Parks and Recreation programs, services, events will be shared. Recommendations Please consider and come prepared to discuss the following questions at the September meeting: • What items (or potential barriers) should the City consider when evaluating current initiatives and when considering new outreach and education opportunities? • What communication methods or channels are recommended to extend the City’s reach? • Beyond building awareness, how might the City expand its community outreach and education opportunities? Website Descriptions GV Fire Community Outreach: http://www.goldenvalleymn.gov/fire/community-outreach GV Fire Safety: http://www.goldenvalleymn.gov/fire/education http://www.goldenvalleymn.gov/fire/prevention/ GV Police Community Outreach: http://www.goldenvalleymn.gov/police/communityoutreach GVPD U: http://www.goldenvalleymn.gov/police/gvpdu Parks and Recreation Puppet Wagon: http://www.goldenvalleymn.gov/events/puppetwagon Parks and Recreation Ice Cream Social: http://www.goldenvalleymn.gov/events/icecreamsocial Parks and Recreation Concerts in the Park: http://www.goldenvalleymn.gov/events/concertsinthepark