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HomeMy WebLinkAbout210111 WS MINUTES – Eugene City Council Work Session January 11, 2021 Page 1 MINUTES Eugene City Council Virtual Work Session Eugene, Oregon 97401 January 11, 2021 5:30 p.m. Councilors Present: Emily Semple, Alan Zelenka, Jennifer Yeh, Mike Clark, Claire Syrett, Matt Keating, Randy Groves, Greg Evans Mayor Vinis opened the January 11, 2021, work session of the Eugene City Council. 1. WORK SESSION: Equity in Community Engagement, Policy Development and Policy Delivery Human Rights and Neighborhood Involvement Manager Michael Kinnison, and Associate Planner for Neighborhood Involvement staff Lorna Flormoe provided information about the Equity in Community Engagement, Policy Development and Policy Delivery work of the City organization. Council Discussion: • Councilor Syrett – thanked staff for the presentation; emphasized that prioritizing the integration of the equity lens into the work was very important; expressed appreciation for the initiatives for the Spanish-speaking population to engage and open their access to City services. • Councilor Yeh – thanked staff for the presentation and listing all of the resolutions in the council materials; inquired about the Felt Hat project and voiced enthusiasm about its progress; asked how the City can assess the impact of trainings and would like more information on options; requested information on how to maintain Spanish-language resources for community despite loss of grant funding; spoke about ideas from staff about how to bring this effort to Boards and Commissions; expressed concern about staff having enough resources to keep up with Council requests. • Councilor Evans – inquired about development of the equity program and contracting with minority firms, particularly how many businesses owned by people of color are contracting with the City right now and how many are working on the Riverfront project; expressed concern about minority-owned businesses not getting enough projects with the City; discussed issues about hiring and retention for equity within the City and how it would be executed; requested departmental breakdown of people of color staff within the City and how to build support structures for employees of color within the City. • Councilor Clark – expressed appreciation to staff for the presentation and their work; asked about how the City defines the difference in culture and community, how to equalize outcome in culture, and what defines a difference in culture; said Council has a goal to make the community as welcoming to all communities as possible, and to make sure everyone belongs here in their heart and to keep that big picture in that mind. • Councilor Groves – thanked staff for the presentation; said he considered the work a waypoint, not an endpoint, on the journey towards true equity and referenced the significance of this initiative; spoke about recruitment and retention and efforts to ensure that everyone is welcomed to the community as well as the organization; spoke about integrating people into the community to set them up for success and how Council can help. • Councilor Zelenka – impressed by the matrix for equity initiatives and work within the City; remarked how Council has upheld its resolutions. • Councilor Keating – thanked staff for the presentation; inquired about bilingual pay for staff and other gaps in communication between the City and non-English speakers that Council can help MINUTES – Eugene City Council Work Session January 11, 2021 Page 2 with; asked about an intensive coaching seminar for equity and if it was available widely to staff and councilors; supported providing incentives for employees to learn a second language and asked what percentage of City employees are bilingual. •Councilor Semple – thanked staff for presentation; inquired if Council can take equity trainingsoffered to City staff. •Councilor Evans – inquired if City staff leaving the organization had exit interviews and if theCity is asking the right questions about why employees are moving on if they’re dissatisfiedwith the organization; asked if City staff are prepared for unrest in the next couple days andwhat protections BIPOC people can depend on from the City. 2.WORK SESSION: Annual Report from Police CommissionAnalyst and Staff Liaison to the Police Commission Jeremy Cleversey and Police Commission ChairSean Shivers presented the annual report and work plan of the Police Commission.Council Discussion: •Councilor Zelenka – thanked commissioners for their work; explained the unique nature of thePolice Commission’s work going over police policy word by word and making recommendationsto the Police Chief; commented the Police Commission can review the recommendations of the AdHoc Committee on Police Policy. •Councilor Syrett – expressed appreciation for the commission and how the community cancommunicate directly with EPD and go over police policies; appreciated outreach efforts of thecommission through tabling at community events. •Councilor Groves – thanked commissioners for their work; asked how the findings from the AdHoc Committee will be reviewed by the Police Commission and how it will impact thecommission’s work; asked what they had learned from the process that would be helpful toconvey to councilors. •Councilor Keating – thanked commissioners on their work; recognized efforts to incorporategender neutral pronouns in police policies; said minor tweaks can have major impacts; inquiredabout policies in place to protect trans community members and allow officers to hold them inplaces appropriate to their gender identity. •Councilor Clark – thanked commissioners for work; appreciated their choice in newcommissioners and said that the commission represented the community; said he looksforward to their review of the Ad Hoc Committee on Police Policy recommendations. •Mayor Vinis – thanked commissioners and their work, especially this year, in helping guide thecommunity.The meeting adjourned at 7:13 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Julie Adams Deputy City Recorder Link to the webcast of this City Council meeting here.