Item B: City Council Goal - Enhance Understanding of Race Issues

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ATTACHMENT B Race Goal: Council and Staff Work Plan All items marked with an asterisk were recommended by the Community Committee on Race. Short Term (6-9 months) 1. Create an over arching strategic plan for the organization that addresses diversity and human rights which includes defined mission and goals.* Status: Members of the Diversity Advisory Council and others are engaged in the design work of a diversity strategic plan. They finished a pilot of a community input process with a combined group of City staff and representatives from the disability community. Action Steps: A. Continue work on the plan to include outreach to stakeholders and the formulation of vision, goals, strategies, action steps, and a method to monitor and report on progress. B. Ensure that the plan addresses service gaps to the communities of color. C. Develop plan for reporting progress to internal and external stakeholders. Council Champion: Estimated Cost to Complete: $50,000 2. Enhance outreach efforts to our communities of color to increase ethnic and racial diversity on City boards and commissions. Status: Staff enhanced outreach efforts last time but it did not result in more diverse appointments. For the current selection process taking place in early October 2007, a memo to Council on August 6, 2007 (attached) recommended an increased emphasis in the selection process on racial and ethnic diversification. Action Steps: A. Develop mechanism to ensure that ethnic diversity is weighted in selection of members of boards and commissions. B. The goal team needs to do more extensive outreach with HRC, Diversity Advisory Council, and the communities of color group. C. Create a “Boards and Commission Night” modeled after the career night concept or invite boards and commission members to a ”First Fridays” evening focused on public involvement. Council Champion: Estimated Cost to Complete: $3,500 1