AGENDA CATEGORY: General Business
SUBJECT:
Title
An Ordinance of the Board of Trustees of the Town of Erie Amending Title 3 of the Erie Municipal Code by the Addition of a New Chapter 6, to Establish a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Advisory Board
Body
DEPARTMENT: Administration
PRESENTERS: Malcolm Fleming, Town Administrator
TIME ESTIMATE: 15 Minutes
only required for non-consent items
FISCAL INFORMATION: N/A
STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
Approve the Ordinance to formally establish the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Advisory Board
End
SUMMARY AND BACKGROUND OF SUBJECT MATTER:
On August 10th, the Town began soliciting applications for volunteers to serve on the Diversity Equity and Inclusion Advisory Board and by the August 21 deadline received 34 applications. On September 22, the Board of Trustees appointed 7 Founding Members to the Advisory Board.
Each of the Town’s advisory boards has been formally established by the Board of Trustees with an ordinance to amend the Town Code and specify the purpose and duties, membership and other details. In this case, the Board wanted the Founding Members to have an opportunity to comment on the draft ordinance to ensure it reflected the Founding Members’ perspectives on the terms, purpose and duties. The Founding Members reviewed the draft ordinance during their October 14 meeting and confirmed the terms for members, and the purpose and duties for the Advisory Board, which consist of the following:
Purpose: The purpose of the DEI Board is to promote diversity, equity and inclusion in the Town generally and in the Town's municipal policies, procedures, practices and organizational culture.
Duties: The duties of the DEI Board are as follows:
1. To advise the Board of Trustees, by written report, in connection with matters relating to diversity, equity and inclusion and related activities.
2. To occasionally survey the community to understand local perspectives on the status of diversity, equity and inclusion in the Town.
3. To promote and encourage public awareness of and engagement in Town events and activities, or at the request of interested individuals or groups, to promote diversity, equity and inclusion in the Town.
4. To create a diversity, equity and inclusion master plan with the support of the Town staff to be reviewed and approved by the Board of Trustees, updating it every five (5) years, or sooner if needed. The initial diversity, equity and inclusion master plan shall be created by the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Advisory Board on or prior to December 31, 2021.
5. To coordinate with Boulder and Weld Counties and neighboring jurisdictions, Town staff and other Town boards, commissions and committees to identify and promote diversity, equity and inclusion activities.
6. With the support of Town staff, to review and assess the extent to which Town policies, procedures and practices, unintentionally or not, may have a discriminatory effect of marginalizing certain people and maintaining the privilege of others, and if so determined that is the case in any area, recommend, by written report to the Board of Trustees, amendments to policies or changes in practices needed to eliminate any vestiges of such discriminatory systems.
7. To recommend, by written report, grants or other sources of funding diversity, equity and inclusion activities.
8. To biannually prepare a written report, which shall then be presented orally to the Board of Trustees at a public meeting, with the first report and presentation occurring after the first of the year and the second prior to the start of the Town's budget consideration for the following year.
9. To perform such other functions and duties associated with diversity, equity and inclusion as the Board of Trustees may direct.
The Ordinance also specifies the Founding Members would serve for one-year initial terms, with subsequent members appointed to 4-year and 2-year terms to initiate staggered terms, and then after that all members would be appointed to 4-year terms.
Board of Trustees Priorities
ü Engaged and Diverse Community
ü Small Town Feel
ü Safe and Healthy Community
ü Effective Governance
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Ordinance