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tone for the City at large, but agreed with Ms. Bettman that there needed to be work in the organization and <br />in the community. He said he was not ready to approve the plan as presented and suggested staff take the <br />feedback from council members in order to bring back a modified plan. <br /> <br />Mr. Papd commented that the plan was a good start but was dismayed that there were only tasks for the <br />Mayor and council; the plan should include organization tasks as well. He suggested that the Human Rights <br />Commission could provide assistance in actualizing the council's goal. He suggested one way to measure <br />success was to establish a goal for the organization that no incidents involving race issues occur over a <br />specific period of time. <br /> <br />Ms. Bettman offered specific recommendations for modifying the plan: <br /> <br /> · Outreach to communities of color to identify the issues and obtain feedback on how the issues <br /> should be addressed <br /> · Recruit more diverse candidates for board and commissions <br /> · Diversity training for all employees <br /> <br />City Manager Taylor said that all City employees received mandatory diversity training, and specialized <br />training was provided in those areas such as Library, Recreation and Cultural Services that involved <br />providing services directly to the public, as well as work in meeting affirmative action goals. <br /> <br />Ms. Bettman suggested that part of the action plan could be special diversity training for the council. She <br />agreed with Ms. Ortiz that it was difficult to talk about race relations, particularly some of the high profile <br />incidents that had occurred, but the community wanted the council to discuss them. She said that conversa- <br />tion had not occurred at the council level and should be included in the plan. <br /> <br />Ms. Solomon arrived at 6:07 p.m. <br /> <br />Mr. Kelly said he was pleased that the first item under short-term action steps in the plan was a facilitated <br />dialogue on race at the council level, which spoke to many of the issues raised by councilors. He suggested <br />two phases, with the first phase a facilitated training and the second phase a facilitated dialogue. He agreed <br />with Mr. Papd's suggestion that the council work in tandem with the Human Rights Commission, but <br />cautioned the council to bear in mind the resource limitations of the Human Rights Commission. <br /> <br />Ms. Taylor asked if the team that worked on the plan had reviewed a statement made by the council about <br />seven years ago regarding respect for diversity. Mr. Chouinard replied that the team had used a council <br />resolution from 2002 but could also review the earlier statement. <br /> <br />Ms. Taylor said it appeared the council had already addressed the subject and from her point of view the <br />City organization seemed really committed to diversity and there was no evidence of racial prejudice on the <br />part of any councilor. She asked staff to identify the other race relations allies referred to in the plan. <br />Human Rights Program Director Greg Rikhoff responded that allies included many community organiza- <br />tions that were working on issues of race such as the Eugene City Club and interfaith ministries. He said the <br />communities of color were more than just organizations associated with them. Mr. Chouinard added that the <br />recommendations in plan discussed connecting with both leaders and non-leaders in the communities to <br />provide a broader perspective. <br /> <br />MINUTES--Eugene City Council June 13, 2005 Page 4 <br /> Work Session <br /> <br /> <br />