City of Elgin Committee of the Whole met July 15.
Here is the minutes provided by the Committee:
The special Committee of the Whole meeting was called to order by Mayor Kaptain at 9:00 a.m. in the Hemmens Cultural Arts Center, North Lobby. Present: Councilmembers Dixon, Dunne, Gavin, Martinez, Powell, Rauschenberger, Shaw, Steffen, and Mayor Kaptain. Absent: None.
City Manager Kozal provided a brief overview of items to be discussed during the meeting. The main topic would be the diversity and inclusion discussion lead by consultant Denise Barreto from Relationships Matter Now.
Laura Valdez-Wilson, Senior Management Analyst, and Kyla Jacobsen, Water Director, provided an update on the recent flooding in the area.
Discussion of Proposed Diversity and Inclusion Plan
Ms. Barreto, provided her background, reviewed the agenda, and highlighted the proposed outcomes for the session. She next reviewed the results of the questionnaire the councilmembers completed regarding their level of experience in the area of diversity and inclusion.
There was discussion regarding the definition of diversity, the definition of inclusion and cultural competence. The City Council provided feedback on where they felt the city was on the journey of diversity and inclusion.
The Council held a brief recess from 10:50 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Ms. Barreto identified areas that would be assessed: workforce diversity and workplace inclusion, supplier diversity, and program and service delivery. In order to assess the workforce climate a survey will be sent out to employees to provide their feedback. At the end of the summer, an assessment of programs and service delivery and supplier diversity would begin to be conducted. During the assessment, areas that are doing well with inclusion should be highlighted and promoted. Examples of areas that should be promoted included efforts in the Police Department and programs in Parks and Recreation. There was discussion on how to handle the information that the assessments and surveys would provide.
2018 Budget Introduction
City Manager Richard Kozal outlined the upcoming 2018 Budget discussions. He noted that this year, staff would be presenting a three year plan with the budget documents. Mr. Kozal proposed broader discussions over the summer regarding operations and budgeting with a detailed discussion once the budget documents are presented in the fall. During these proposed discussion there would be no final decisions made. Once the budget documents are available the decisions can be made about shrinking the business or ways to maintain current service levels.
There was discussion regarding the impact of the state budget, and utilizing the citizen survey to guide budget discussions. Mayor Kaptain emphasized that if a proposal is brought forward there needs to be a funding source associated with the project.
Adjournment
Councilmember Gavin moved, seconded by Councilmember Shaw, to adjourn. Upon a roll call vote: Yeas: Councilmembers Dixon, Dunne, Gavin, Martinez, Powell, Rauschenberger, Shaw, Steffen, and Mayor Kaptain. Nays: None.
The meeting adjourned at 12:10 p.m.
http://www.cityofelgin.org/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/5535
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