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Resolution to Support One Community Initiative and Ongoing Equity Work
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Whereas, The City of Ann Arbor is committed to equitably providing a high quality of life to all of its residents;
Whereas, The City of Ann Arbor Non-Discrimination Ordinance (Title IX, Chapter 112), states “It is the intent of the city that no individual be denied equal protection of the laws; nor shall any individual be denied the enjoyment of his or her civil or political rights or be discriminated against because of actual or perceived age, arrest record, color, disability, educational association, familial status, family responsibilities, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, height, HIV status, marital status, national origin, political beliefs, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, source of income, veteran status, victim of domestic violence or stalking, or weight;”
Whereas, Despite its commitment to equity, many members of our community continue to see disparities in employment, housing, education, contact with law enforcement, health, and other outcomes on the basis of race, gender, identity, and disability;
Whereas, Policies, procedures, and actions that are intended to be race-neutral may have racially and other disparate outcomes that particularly disadvantage people of color;
Whereas, In 2018 the City joined with its partners in Washtenaw County to develop the “One Community: Advancing Racial Equity in Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County” initiative to accomplish the following goals:
• Build organizational commitment and infrastructure across functions of Washtenaw County and the City of Ann Arbor, including clear action steps for implementation.
• Understand that advancing racial equity is the leading edge of addressing forms of disparate treatment for all at-risk and marginalized members of our community.
• Develop skills at operationalizing racial and other forms of equity, including using Equity Tools, development of an Equity Action Plan, inclusive outreach and public engagement, workforce equity, and communicating about race, gender, identity, and disability.
• Develop, propose, and secure passage of equity ordinances for Washtenaw County and the City of Ann Arbor.
Whereas, The City of Ann Arbor partnered with Washtenaw County to engage the Government Alliance on Race & Equity (GARE) in 2017 and 2018.
Whereas, City leadership and additional staff from Ann Arbor attended seven GARE training sessions providing training on introduction to racial equity, development of equity toolkits, leading for equity, workforce progress, and community engagement in 2018; and
Whereas, City staff have begun developing equity plans and performance measures, identifying training opportunities, and expanding data collection;
RESOLVED, That the City Council reaffirms its commitment to dismantling institutional inequities and biases to ensure that race, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, gender identity, or disability does not determine someone’s chances in life;
RESOLVED, That the City Council affirms its leadership of the One Community initiative and supports the City Administrator in advancing programs in the following areas:
• Offering equity-focused training for all staff, Council, and boards and commissions beginning in the fall of 2018 and to be completed by the end of FY2020, including integration into orientation for new-employees, Council Members, and board and commission members.
• Identifying opportunities to gather ethnically-disaggregated data when possible, including in the 2018 National Citizen Survey.
• Creating a vision statement and an Equity Plan that includes goals, measurable outcomes and strategies, and the resources necessary to effectively, openly, and responsibly address equity in the City enterprise by the adoption of the FY2020 budget, including actions taken in the areas of administration, personnel, operations, and outreach.
• Administering a staff assessment similar to GARE’s Racial Equity Employee Survey to assess employee understanding of and commitment to advancing all aspects of equity.
• Coordinating with Washtenaw County and other local units of local government as part of the One Community initiative to support interagency work to address the impacts of inequity on minority and marginalized members of the community.
• Including legislative measures that promote and advance equity initiatives in the City’s Policy Agenda for action at the state and federal levels.
• Developing and sustaining long-term partnerships with communities of color and other previously marginalized communities to develop, implement, and assess equity plans.
• Providing leadership to and the exemplifying the standards of participation in the One Community initiative.
RESOLVED, That the City Council directs the City Administrator to provide quarterly status updates to Council on relevant measures and outcomes concerning community equity initiatives and issues.
Sponsored by Mayor Taylor and Councilmembers Warpehoski and Westphal