* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:01] TIME? YES. OKAY. ALRIGHT. SIX O'CLOCK. WE'LL CALL THE, UH, WORK SESSION [1. CALL SESSION TO ORDER] FOR THURSDAY, JULY 18TH. TO ORDER START WITH ROLL CALL CUSTOMER THOMPSON. CUSTOMER THORNTON. CUSTOMER CLARK. HERE. CUSTOMER COLAR. HERE. CUSTOMER PORTERFIELD. HERE. MAYOR TIM GORDON HERE. MAYOR'S HERE. FIRST ITEM [3.1. Annual update and strategic plan update from the Diversity & Inclusion Commission (Kristi Barnes)] IS ANNUAL UPDATE AND STRATEGIC PLAN, UPDATE FROM THE DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION COMMISSION. SO THIS, FOR THOSE WHO DON'T KNOW ME, MY NAME IS JACQUE COLEMAN. I'M THE CHAIR OF THE DIVERSITY IS COREY. AND I'LL JUST, UH, MENTION THE PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT HERE. UM, VICE CHAIR TARA SCHOOL, UH, CARINA ZITA, AND ALSO OUR NEWEST, UM, COMMISSIONER ERIC BE ALL, ALL OF US WORK ON THIS. UM, SO WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO IS JUST SHOW YOU THE SUMMARY OF WHAT WE HAVE DONE. SO IT SHOULD TAKE ABOUT 15 OR 20 MINUTES, AND THEN WE WOULD LIKE QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, ANYTHING THAT YOU HAVE, AND WE'LL BE TALKING ABOUT OUR NEXT STEP. GREAT. OKAY. SO THIS IS JUST A SUMMARY OF SOME OF THE PROGRESS THAT HAD BEEN MADE. UM, THERE WAS A TRAINING SESSION THIS YEAR FOR CITY COUNCIL AND ALSO, UM, SOME OF THE COMMISSIONERS ATTENDED. AND, AND IT WAS REQUESTED AT THAT TIME THAT, UM, A DNI COMMISSION THAT WE DEVELOPED, UM, A STRATEGIC PLAN AND WE WORKED WITH THE CONSULTANT STAN KEMMER. AND THAT WAS ON, UM, MAY 14TH AND 15TH. AND THEN ALSO WE HAD A BOARD, UM, ON JUNE 16TH TO FINALIZE THE PLAN AND THEN TO PREPARE IT FOR THIS REVIEW. AND THEN, UM, TODAY, SO HERE WE ARE NOW, AND THEN WE WILL BE TALKING ABOUT THE PROPOSED PLAN, UM, DURING THE SESSION. UM, AND OF COURSE YOU HAVE THE WORD DOCUMENT THAT HAS THE, YOU KNOW, THE DETAILS IN THAT. SO THE CONTENT CONTENTS OF THE PLAN ARE THE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY BACKGROUND, UM, FOUNDATIONAL CONCEPTS AND PRINCIPLES AND FIVE PRIORITY AREAS, AS WELL AS NEXT STEPS. AND THEN WE HAVE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION THAT WE'VE PROVIDED AS WELL IN THE DEPENDENCIES. SO OF COURSE WHEN WE LOOK AT A STRATEGIC PLAN, IT'S, UH, A LIVING ONGOING DOCUMENT AND WE CONTINUE TO EVOLVE AND CHANGE OVER TIME IF WE DON'T MEAN IT TO BE A ONE, ONE AND DONE THING. SO IT'S NOT STATIC. UM, THERE ARE FOUR FOUNDATIONAL CONCEPTS AND PRINCIPLES. WE'LL CONT AND IT WILL CONTINUE TO INVOLVE AND INCLUDE MORE SPECIFIC ACTIONS. SO WE'RE REALLY PRESENTING THE FRAMEWORK HERE. UM, WE MUST SUPPORT AND BE INTEGRATED INTO THE OVERALL HURDLE STRATEGIC PLAN. SO WE DID THAT. UM, OVERLAYING UPFRONT, WE MUST DEFINE WHAT WE MEAN BY DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION, AND BELONGING. AND THE PLAN MUST BE HOLISTIC AND, UM, INCLUDE BOTH EXTERNAL COMMUNITY INTERNAL PRACTICES AND EMPLOYEES. SO THAT'S HOW WE'RE LOOKING AT IT. SO THE FIVE PRIORITY AREAS, ESTABLISHING OUR ONGOING SUSTAINABLE STRUCTURE, UM, FOR PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT AND, UM, ENGAGEMENT FOR ALL CITY INTERNAL PROCESSES, ECONOMIC GROWTH AND EMPOWERMENT, AND ALSO CITYWIDE CULTURE OF COMMUNITY INCLUSION AND BELONGING. SO, UM, JUST WITH THE BACKGROUND, UM, JUST FOR THOSE THAT DON'T KNOW, IT WAS ESTABLISHED BY THE CITY COUNCIL IN 2020, UM, WITH THE ORDINANCE THAT IS LISTED THERE. IT LOOKED AT CREATING, UM, RECOMMENDATIONS TO ADDRESS EQUITY AND EMPOWERMENT ISSUES, DEVELOPING INSTRUCTIONS TO STRENGTHEN POLICIES, PRACTICES, SERVICES, AND PROGRAMS. SO THE FIRST FOUR YEARS ARE SOME THINGS THAT WERE DONE, SUCH AS COMMUNITY SURVEY, RECEIVING TRAINING, INITIATING CULTURAL PROCLAMATIONS AND CELEBRATIONS. AND THE KEY LESSON, UM, AS WE SAID THAT, UM, THE PLAN IS NOT STATIC, BUT WE MUST BUILD, UM, STRONG STRATEGIC FOUNDATION FOR THIS WORK AND EXPAND THE TERMINOLOGY BEYOND JUST DIVERSITY, INCLUSION, EQUITY, AND BELONGING. SO EQUITY AND BELONGING, WARNING AND CONCEPTS ARE ALREADY ON THE HUDDLE'S WEBSITE AND THEY'RE CENTRAL TO THE STRATEGIC PLAN. SO IT'S A PROCESS OF DOCUMENTING THE DIRECTION OF OUR ORGANIZATION AND ASSESSING WHERE WE ARE AND ALSO WHERE WE ARE GOING. UM, COURT RECORD OUR MISSION, VISION, AND VALUES. AND JUST LIKE ANY [00:05:01] OTHER STRATEGIC PLAN, AS I MENTIONED BEFORE, IT'S A LIVING ONGOING DOCUMENT THAT WE WILL CONTINUE TO EVOLVE AND CHANGE OVER TIME. OKAY. SO, UM, THE FIRST, DID I SKIP ONE? NO, I DIDN'T. UM, THE FIRST, UM, OR SECOND, I SHOULD SAY SECOND PRINCIPLE IS, UM, THAT WE WANT TO FULLY SUPPORT AND BE INTEGRATED WITH, UM, HUNTER'S OVERALL STRATEGIC PLAN AND PUBLICLY DISPLAYED VISION STATEMENT. SO SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WERE SAID ABOUT HO AS WE ALL KNOW, IS A FAMILY FRIENDLY COMMUNITY THAT PROVIDES SUPERIOR PUBLIC SAFETY, OUTSTANDING FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY, DIVERSIFIED, ACCOMMODATED, EXCEPTIONAL QUALITY OF LIFE, AND IT, AND WE WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE WITH, UM, ANY, UM, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION PLAN THAT, UM, THERE HAS BEEN A HISTORY OF DEMI DISCRIMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES, AND IT CONTINUES TO AFFECT PRIVILEGE AND OUR LACK OF OPPORTUNITY FOR PEOPLE IN THE CITY. THE CITY OF HU ALSO ACKNOWLEDGES THAT EQUALITY OCCURS WHEN DIFFERENCES SUCH AS RACE, ETHNICITY, RELIGION, GENDER, ECONOMIC, ECONOMIC STATUS, SEXUAL ORIENTATION, GENDER IDENTIFICATION, VETERAN STATUS, MARITAL STATUS, LANGUAGE, AGE, DISABILITY, DO NOT DETERMINE A PERSON'S ECONOMIC, SOCIAL OR POLITICAL ACCESS. SO THIS IS TOTALLY CONSISTENT WITH THE LANGUAGE THAT IS ON THE WEBSITE AND HAS BEEN IN THE OVERALL STRATEGIC PLAN. SO THE PRINCIPLE TWO IS THAT WE MUST FULLY SUPPORT AND INTEGRATE THE OVERALL STRATEGIC PLAN AND PUBLICLY DISPLAYED VISION STATEMENTS. SO THESE ARE THE ONES THAT WE ARE DEFINITELY ALL FAMILIAR WITH, COLLABORATING FOR, UM, EXCELLENCE AND EFFICIENCY, MAINTAIN FINANCIAL STABILITY, GROW RESPONSIBILITY, AND SUSTAINABLE. YEAH. HOW'S YOUR, OKAY. THE, UM, OF COURSE THE PLAN SUPPORTS ALL OF THESE, BUT THE ONE THAT I LIKE THE BEST IS NUMBER FOUR, THAT WE WANT TO CREATE THE HIGHEST QUALITY OF LIFE. THE STRATEGY, UH, INCLUDES CREATING A COMMUNITY THAT IS ENGAGED, TOLERANT, COMPASSIONATE, ABOUT, ABOUT EVERYONE LEVERAGING DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES AND EXPERIENCES AND BUILDING AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE EVERYONE CAN FEEL THEY BELONG AND HAVE THEIR VOICES HEARD. SO AGAIN, THESE ARE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE PART OF THIS STRATEGIC PLAN. SO DEFINING OUR TERMS, YOU KNOW, OF COURSE, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES WE SHORTEN THINGS. WE SAY JUST THE DIVERSITY PLAN OR THAT, BUT WHEN WE ARE TALKING ABOUT THESE THINGS, DIVERSITY IS EVERY PERSON IS THEIR UNIQUE MIX OF DIVERSITY ATTRIBUTES. THEN WE HAVE INCLUSION, BRINGING ALL PEOPLE TO PROCESS ACTIVITIES AND DECISION MAKING AND EQUITY WOULD BE FAIR TREATMENT, ACCESS AND OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL UNDERSTANDING AND ADDRESSING HISTORICAL DIS UM, DISCRIMINATION. AND OF COURSE YOU SEE THEY OVERLAP EACH OTHER. AND THEN IN THE CENTER THERE IS BELONGING. AND WHEN DIVERSITY, INCLUSION AND EQUITY INTERSECT IN THE BEST POSSIBLE WAY, THEN WE CREATE A CULTURE OF BELONGING WHERE EVERYONE IS HEARD, VALUED, AND EVERYONE FEELS TOTALLY A VITAL PART OF THE CITY OF. SO, UM, THAT'S JUST A PICTORIAL ILLUSTRATION. UM, NUMBER FOUR. SO WE WANT TO DEFINE THE SCOPE OF OUR STRATEGIC PLAN, AND THAT WAS A QUESTION THAT WAS BEING ASKED. IT'S A HOLISTIC PLAN. THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN RESIDENTS, ELECTED LEADERSHIP, CITY EMPLOYEES ARE INTERCONNECTED AND ENTWINED. SO WE HAVE STAFF, CITIZENS AND RESIDENTS, COUNCILS AND COMMISSION. SO ALL THOSE, SOME, SOME AREAS OR SOME ORGANIZATIONS ONLY FOCUS ON ONE THING, BUT WE FELT IT WAS IMPORTANT TO HAVE A HOLISTIC APPROACH. SO THIS ONE, UM, THIS, I THINK THIS IS A REALLY GOOD SUMMARY THAT KIND OF BRINGS ALL OF THAT TOGETHER. SO FOR DIVERSITY, UM, EQUITY, INCLUSION AND BELONGING TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN HAS WE TREATED AS BEING A COLLECTIVE EFFORT ACROSS THE MISS MENTAL, I CAN'T SAY THAT WORD, MUNICIPALITY. UM, THIS IS BECAUSE THIS WORD IS NOT A SINGLE PROS, UH, A SINGLE POLICY OR ACTION THAT CAN SOLVE DISCRIMINATION, OPPRESSION, OR INJUSTICE. [00:10:01] SO WE'RE, WE ARE NOT ABOUT THAT. WE, WE DON'T HAVE THAT UNREALISTIC ATTITUDE, BUT IT IS A MINDSET, A SET OF BEHAVIORS THAT HAVE TO BE PRACTICED OVER, OVER IN EVERY DEPARTMENT. AND I LIKE THE WORD FOREVER. IT, I MEAN, IT'S NOT AN ENDING THING, IT'S NOT A START AND STOP. SO TREATING, TREATING THIS WORK AS A COLLECTIVE EFFORT WILL ENSURE THAT BEHAVIORS ARE TAKEN ROOT THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE ORGANIZATION. AND IT WILL MEAN THAT ONE PERSON, WHEN ONE PERSON LEAVES THE WORK, WILL NOT DISAPPEAR WITH THAT ONE PERSON. BUT IT MEANS MORE IMPORTANTLY THAT WE'RE DOING WHAT OUR SITU ASK FOR US. AND THE PRIORITY AREA ONE IS TO, UH, FILL CURRENT OPEN COMMISSION POSITIONS. SO WE HAVE NOW FIVE POSITIONS THAT ARE FILLED. SO WE ONLY HAVE TWO MORE. UM, THE OTHER RECOMMENDATION THAT WE WERE SAYING INSTEAD OF, UM, WE WERE JUST TALKING ABOUT THIS BEFORE, UH, INSTEAD OF JUST CALLING IT OR REFERRING TO IT AS D, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION, THEN WE WANT TO RENAME IT AS DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION AND BELONGING MISSION AND CREATE AN EXPANDED WORKING GROUPS TO, UM, ASSIST US. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WAS, THAT WAS REALLY GOOD ABOUT THE WORK, FOUNDATIONAL WORK THAT WAS DONE, BUT NOW WE'RE READY TO MOVE INTO OUR NEXT STEP. SO WE ARE GONNA NEED MORE WORKING GROUPS, WHICH WOULD INCLUDE STAFF MEMBERS OF THE BUSINESS, COMMUNITY, EDUCATION, ISD CONNECTION, WHICH WE'VE ALREADY REACHED OUT. AND THEY, AND I LIKE THE TERM GENERATIONAL VOICES, WHETHER IT BE YOUNGER, WHETHER IT BE OLDER PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES, ALL TYPES OF RACE. UM, WE HAVE CONTINUED TO USE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE HAVE DONE. I WOULD LIKE THE SURVEYS TO MEASURE OVERALL CITIZEN FEELINGS, BUT WE ESTABLISHED AN ONGOING SYSTEM OF ANNUAL REVIEW OF PRO PROGRESS. SO THIS IS REALLY LIKE THE START OF THAT SAME WHERE WE ARE. AND THEN WHERE ARE WE, WHERE ARE WE GOING NOW? PRIORITY AREA TWO. UM, WE CONTINUE TO USE GENERAL CITIZENS AND THE SURVEYS THAT, YOU KNOW, I JUST TALKED ABOUT PUBLISH RESULTS WITH ACTION PLANS, WHOLE FOCUS GROUPS WITH VARIOUS DIVERSE GROUPS TO ADD QUALITATIVE DATA, UM, IS SUPPOSED TO JUST QUANTITATIVE, PERHAPS HOLD LISTENING POSTS, UH, CONTINUE TO ESTABLISH FOCUS. ADVISORY COUNCILS, AGAIN, GENERATIONAL VOICES. IT IS CRITICAL THAT OUR CITY COMMUNICATION MANAGER, MANAGER PARTNER WITH THIS WORK BECAUSE EVERYONE, UM, MEANS TO UNDERSTAND THIS. SO PRIORITY AREA THREE, IT IS LOOKING AT, UM, THIS IS THE INTERNAL PRACTICES, RECRUITING, ONBOARDING, BRINGING THE VERY BEST EMPLOYEES, EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT, UH, INNOVATION, UH, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, AND ALSO, UM, MARKETING. SO ALL OF THESE THINGS. SO THE, IT IS A COMPELLING BUSINESS CASE AND ALL, UH, IT SHOULD JUST BE PART OF ALL CITY STAFF WORK THERE WOULD BE ENGAGED IN THIS WORK. AND I LIKE THIS. IS THAT WHAT WE WOULD LIKE PEOPLE TO DO? EVERYONE TO DO? EVERY CITY LEADER SHOULD ASK HOW DOES DEIV IMPACT MY FUNCTION AND WORK AND INCLUDES PARKS, RECREATION, POLICE, PUBLIC WORKS, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. AND I ACTUALLY, SOME OF, WE HAVE MET WITH SOME OF THE GROUPS LIKE THAT ARE ON THE COMMISSIONS AND THERE HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH US ASKING LIKE WHAT THEY DOES THERE, THERE'S A GROUP, I THINK IT'S ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT THAT'S, THAT IS DESIGNING THE HOLIDAYS. THEY ASK FOR OUR FEEDBACK ON THERE. SO WE'RE PARTNERING WITH THEM. IT IS NOT DICTATING, IT'S SAYING, OKAY, HERE'S SOMETHING YOU CAN DO. AND THEY, THEY CAME TO US AND ASKED US ABOUT THAT. OKAY. SO, UM, A-D-D-E-I-B FOCUS ON ECONOMIC GROWTH AND EMPOWERMENT. SO IT'S WELCOMING AND INCLUSIVE CULTURE TO ATTRACT BUSINESS AND TALENTS, ATTRACT DIVERSE AND SKILLED WORKFORCE FOR ORGANIZATIONS, EXCELLENT SCHOOLS TO ATTRACT FAMILIES, ASSISTANCE TO SERVE UNDER UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES. HU HUDDLE, CHAMBER OF COMMERCE ENGAGEMENT AND CONSIDER, UM, CITY SUPPLIER DIVERSITY PROGRAM TO ENSURE FAIRNESS AND CITY CON CONTRACTS. SO AGAIN, THESE ARE ALL THINGS THAT WE ARE HAVING A FRAMEWORK. NOTHING HAS BEEN SET IN STONE, BUT WE'RE JUST TRYING TO IDENTIFY THE AREAS. OKAY. AND THEN WITH AREA FIVE, [00:15:01] CONTINUE TO GROW COMMUNITY WITH INCLUSION AND BELONGING AND ALL CU RESIDENTS ARE INCLUDED IN A POSSIBLE WAY. AND, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THESE THINGS WE'RE ALREADY DOING, WE WANT TO CONTINUE LIKE CELEBRATE THE POSITIVE OF DIVERSITY, HIP DAY HOLIDAYS AND HUDDLE, VARIOUS MONTHLY PRESENTATIONS, PROCLAMATIONS, ET CETERA. NOW WE'RE LOOKING AT WHAT WOULD BE OUR NEXT STEPS. SO SOME NEXT STEPS WOULD BE TO REVIEW AND AFFIRM THIS INITIAL STRATEGIC PLAN. WE WOULD LIKE TO HEAR CONVERSATIONS, SUGGESTIONS, ADDITIONS, AND WE ARE ASKING THAT WE RENAME THE D AND I COMMISSION TO THE DIVERSITY EQUITY, INCLUSION AND BELONGING MISSION AND TO, UM, OH YES, HERE'S ONE POINT IS WE WOULD LIKE TO MOVE, SUGGEST THAT WE MOVE THE DISCRIMINATION LAWSUIT INFORMATION THAT COMES UP FRONT WHEN YOU OPEN THE PAGE TO A MORE APPROPRIATE PLACE IN THE CITY WEB WEBSITE, IN THE CITY WEBSITE, STRONGLY AND POLITICALLY SUPPORT OR NOT POLITICALLY, PUBLICLY SUPPORT THE DEIB WORK PROVIDE ONGOING BUDGETARY SUPPORT, WHICH WE HAVE BEEN DOING DIRECT THE CITY MANAGER TO ASSIGN SOME LEADERS AND WE, WE SAY, UM, DIRECT, BUT PARTNERING WITH THEM TO WORK ON THE COMMISSION TO FURTHER THE DETAILS OF THE PLAN. AND UM, AGAIN, WE HAVE LIKE MORE PEOPLE TO ENGAGE IN THIS AND THAT IS ALREADY, UM, HAPPEN. AND I WANTED TO JUST BRING OUT A LITTLE BIT OF DIVERSITY THAT IS ON THE COMMISSION. UM, IT'S, I FEEL IT'S GETTING TO BE VERY STRONG MISSION. WE HAVE FIVE MEMBERS MEMBERS NOW. UM, THERE'S BACKGROUNDS IN HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT, CONSULTING, COACHING, D-D-E-I-V. THERE'S AN EDUCATOR WHO IS BILINGUAL. UM, THERE ARE BACKGROUNDS IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND ALSO, UM, THERE'S A PERSON THAT OUR LONGEST SERVING MEMBER IS PURSUING AN MFA. SO YOU HAVE THE STUDENT, UM, STANDPOINT THERE. SO THERE HAVE BEEN PEOPLE THAT HAVE BEEN HERE FROM 19 YEARS DOWN TO TWO AND A HALF YEARS. BUT THE ONE POINT IS, IS WE ALL LIVE AND LOVE CUDDLE. AND THE LAST THING IS TO AGREE TO SUPPORT THE COMMISSION IN PUTTING TOGETHER A TIMELINE FOR THE FIRST SIX MONTHS OF ACTION. SO WE CAN START IT. SO THAT'S JUST THE BASICS. AND NOW WE'RE READY FOR QUESTIONS, ASSIGNMENTS. SO MY FIRST QUESTION IS, UM, YOU KNOW, YOU WERE SAYING SOME BUDGETARY SUPPORT, I'M ASSUMING, DO YOU HAVE SOME REQUESTS SPECIFIC ASKS OR YOU PUT FORWARD STAFF TO GET A BUDGET AMOUNT OR AMOUNT THAT YOU NEED? BECAUSE WE ARE GOING INTO BUDGET CYCLE. MM-HMM. . AND SO IF WE DON'T PUT ANYTHING IN THE BUDGET, THEN EVEN IF WE TALK ABOUT IT, WE AIN'T GONNA HAVE MONEY TO SPEND IT. SO, UM, I HAVE, YOU KNOW, TILL SEPTEMBER, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE'RE GONNA ADOPT THAT BUDGET. BUT, SO I JUST, THAT'S MY QUESTION. IF Y'ALL REACHED OUT TO CITY STAFF FOR WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO DO, AND I KNOW WE DIDN'T HAVE OUR FEEDBACK OF WHAT STRATEGIC PLANS WE WANT, BUT WELL, THE BUDGETING PROCESS WE REALLY GOT BUDGET FOR TO START THE PROCESS. SO WE HAVE NOT COMPLETED THAT AS OF THAT. BUT YOU KNOW, WE DIFFERENT, WE DON'T HAVE, THE ANSWER IS WE DON'T HAVE SPECIFICS, BUT WE ARE DEVELOPING SPECIFICS. SO, BUT IF YOU LOOK, IT WOULD BE HELPFUL, ESPECIALLY IN THE FIRST YEAR AS WE, UH, BEGIN TO, UH, CRAFT ACTION STEPS AND, AND IMPLEMENT THOSE TO CONTINUE WITH THE, WITH THE EXPERT CONSULTATION OF STAN KILMER. AND, AND SO, AND WE DON'T HAVE A SPECIFIC NUMBER BECAUSE WE HAVEN'T ASKED FOR A SPECIFIC SPECIFIC PROPOSAL FROM HIM FOR CONTINUING TO WORK WITH US IN THE NEXT YEAR. BUT THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE DID DISCUSS. OKAY. YOU DID GOOD JACQUELINE. GO THROUGH ALL THAT. I KNOW THAT WASN'T AT THE LAST BUDGET DEAL, BUT I FORGOT WHAT ONE WE WENT TO. MM-HMM. , I THINK THAT WAS THE BOARD AND COMMISSIONS MEETING. RIGHT. SO I WAS IMPRESSED JUST WITH THE WAY THE DISCUSSION WAS GOING WITH YOU ALL IN TERMS OF NOT BEING THE TRADITIONAL DEI, BUT YOU KNOW, A COMMUNITY THAT HAS SO MANY LANGUAGES AND PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER THAT, I DON'T KNOW THAT PEOPLE WHO'VE LIVED HERE A WHOLE LONG TIME REALLY REALIZE HOW DIVERSE DIFFERENT GROUPS ARE FROM RELIGIONS TO PEOPLE, THE COUNTRIES THEY COME FROM. I MEAN, I MEET PEOPLE ALL THE TIME THAT, I MEAN, I'M AMAZED. UM, [00:20:01] LIKE I WAS HELPING A GUY, UH, FROM AFGHANISTAN, COMPLETELY DIFFERENT CULTURE. GUY WELCOMES ME INTO HIS HOUSE, HE'S MAKING A TEA. I LEARNED ABOUT EVERYTHING FROM THE TEA TO THE CULTURES. MM-HMM. . AND I THINK HIS BIGGEST THING IS, IS HE WAS NOT VERY FAMILIAR WITH LIKE THE CUSTOMS OF THE US IN TERMS OF MM-HMM. . IT WAS ABOUT AN HOA SOMETHING SIMPLE. BUT HE DOESN'T UNDERSTAND THAT MAYBE AS MUCH AS SOMEONE WHO'S LIVED IN AN HOA FOR 20 YEARS IN AMERICA. AND SO I LIKE HOW YOU GUYS ARE GOING TO, WHERE WE GOTTA FIGURE OUT HOW TO HELP EVERYBODY OUT. AND IF EVERYBODY'S GETTING HELPED OUT, THEN WE SHOULD ALL BE FEEL MORE, UM, I GUESS LIKE TO YOUR GUYS' NAME BELONG, FEEL MORE BELONGING BECAUSE WE HAVE DIFFERENCES, BUT THE DIFFERENCES DON'T HAVE TO DEFINE US. SO I, I COULD SEE HAVING, UH, SOME MONEY SET ASIDE, MAYBE NOT IN YOUR ALL IS, UH, CODE IN YOUR BUDGET NECESSARILY RIGHT AWAY AT THE BUDGET CYCLE, BUT TO HAVE MONEY THAT'S UNALLOCATED SO THAT THE, WHEN THE TIME COMES AND WE HAVE A DISCUSSION, BECAUSE I, I PERSONALLY NEVER LIKE JUST PUTTING MONEY IN THE LINE ITEM, NOTHING THERE. BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN WE HAVE TO SPEND EVERY NICKEL OR ALLOCATE IT. WE COULD JUST HAVE SOME IN A FUND AND THEN WHEN IT COMES TIME, THEN WE CAN HAVE DISCUSSION ON WHETHER WHAT KIND OF TRAINING STAND OR SOME OTHER PEOPLE MAY HAVE THAT YOU GUYS BRING TO US AND THINGS WE CAN DO. SO I THINK THAT'S PRETTY EASY TO DO. I GOT A QUESTION AND A COMMENT ABOUT THE SURVEY. SO IT SEEMS LIKE THE LAST SURVEY WE DID, AND CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, IT SEEMS LIKE IT WAS KIND OF TACKED ONTO ONE OF THE OTHER SURVEYS WE DID. DOES THAT SOUND RIGHT? YEAH, THE COMMUNITY SURVEY, THE, THE KIND OF OFFICIAL ONE THAT'S STATISTICALLY YES. VALID. YEAH. I WONDER IF, AND MAYBE YOU NEED TO DO SOME RESEARCH ON THIS, BUT I WONDER IF IT WOULD BE BENEFICIAL TO HAVE A STANDALONE SURVEY THAT'S JUST FOR, UH, DEIB AND NOT KIND OF LIKE BUNCHED IN WITH THE OTHER, IF, YOU KNOW, IF YOU COULD GIVE US A, MAYBE A PRESENTATION FEEDBACK ON THE BENEFITS OF DOING BOTH. 'CAUSE IT'LL COST MORE, RIGHT? SO WE WOULD NEED TO BUDGET FOR AN ADDITIONAL SURVEY. IF WE DID THAT, WE COULD USE PROBABLY THE SAME COMPANY THAT DID IT. SO IT IS STATISTICALLY RELEVANT. UM, BUT I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING YOU SHOULD CONSIDER IS DO YOU WANT TO TRY TO MAYBE TWEAK THE ONE THAT WE ALREADY DID AND DO A COMBINED ONE OR DO A STANDALONE? SO SOMETHING TO CONSIDER THERE. UM, AND THEN I REALLY LIKE IF I, IF I UNDERSTOOD, UH, WHAT YOU WERE GETTING AT IN YOUR PRESENTATION, YOU KIND OF TALKED ABOUT AN INWARD FOCUS AS WELL AS AN OUTWARD FOCUS. YES. I THINK WHEN WE FIRST SET UP THE COMMISSION, IT WAS MAINLY OUTWARD. IT WAS OUT TO THE COMMUNITY. BUT I REALLY LIKED HOW YOU WANT TO, TO DO SOME MORE FOCUS ON WHAT IS STAFF DOING AND, AND HOW IS, HOW IS CITY STAFF AND CITY MANAGER MANAGING, UH, DEIB MM-HMM. WITHIN THE EMPLOYEES. SO I, I WAS REALLY ENCOURAGED TO SEE THAT, THAT THAT'S ONE OF YOUR FOCUSES TOO. I I THINK THAT'S, I LIKED THAT. SO I THOUGHT THAT WAS GREAT. AND WE DID TALK ABOUT THE NEED TO GET SOME THAT WE'D LIKE TO HAVE SOME SPECIFIC DATA FROM THE COMMUNITY FOCUSED, UH, ON THE TOPIC. AND, UH, SO WE CAN BE, THAT WE CAN BE BETTER INFORMED AND THAT CAN GUIDE OUR STEPS OR NEXT STEPS. HEY JACQUELINE, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU CAN GO BACK LIKE QUITE A FEW SLIDES, BUT YOU MENTIONED I GUESS LIKE FOCUS GROUPS AND, AND GETTING SOME INFORMATION, RESEARCH, THINGS LIKE THAT. MM-HMM. , I DON'T KNOW IF YOU CAN EXPAND ON THAT MORE, BUT I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT'S REALLY GREAT, UM, THAT Y'ALL CAN REALLY DO IS REACHING OUT TO SPECIFIC COMMUNITIES, SAY, YOU KNOW, AFGHANI, UM, COMMUNITY MEMBERS RIGHT. FOR EXAMPLE. BUT MAYBE EXPLAIN THAT, UH, I GUESS WHAT Y'ALL'S VISION FOR THAT IS BECAUSE I'M, I'M REALLY INTERESTED IN THAT. I THINK IT'S BENEFICIAL AND I LIKE IT. SO, UM, YEAH, GO AHEAD. WELL, UM, WE, WE DISCUSSED THAT, BUT AGAIN, WE ARE STILL LIKE, THIS IS JUST A FRAMEWORK, SO WE HAVEN'T GOTTEN TO THE DEEP, UM, STEP BY STEP RULES, BUT JUST GENERALLY LIKE HIGH LEVEL SPEAKING I GUESS, YOU KNOW, YES. WE ALL LIKE MAYBE ENVISION IT BEING, WELL THAT'S BENEFICIAL FOR THE ADMISSION AND THE CITY. OF COURSE. SO JUST LIKE YOU SAID, LIKE TO HAVE AT LEAST THE ONES I HAD BEEN INVOLVED WITH, WITH OTHER COMPANIES, WHAT WE WOULD DO IS YOU WOULD GO AND, YOU KNOW, GATHER LIKE IN A ROOM LIKE THIS AND THEN YOU, UM, WOULD BE PARTNERS WITH LIKE SPECIFIC GROUPS THAT WE HAVE. AND I LIKE TO START WITH ASKING, YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE THE THINGS THAT THE INDIVIDUALS LIKE ABOUT LIVING IN HUDDLE? AND THEN, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, I, I LIKE TO START IN THAT WAY BECAUSE YOU JUST LISTENING TO THEM THAT, SEEING THAT AND THEN YOU, WE WOULD PHRASE QUESTIONS AND WE WANTED TO ASK THE SAME QUESTIONS OF EVERY GROUP. YOU KNOW, UM, WHAT ARE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT YOU FEEL COULD IMPROVE? UM, AND THEN ALSO, LIKE WE TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT IT WITH THE SURVEY, YOU KNOW, KIND OF LINKING THEM TOGETHER, YOU KNOW, WHAT [00:25:01] THINGS WERE NOT COVERED IN THE SURVEY OR IS THERE ANYTHING YOU HAVE THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO OFFER? WHAT RECOMMENDATIONS THAT YOU WOULD HAVE? MM-HMM. . YEAH. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE, I GUESS, UH, LIKE A GOOD, LIKE, BECAUSE I KNOW YOU SAID THIS IS VERY PRELIMINARY, RIGHT? YES. LIKE JUST MAYBE A FOCUS ON THIS. 'CAUSE I THINK OUTREACH IS IMPORTANT AND YOU KNOW MM-HMM. GETTING THEIR VOICES AND THEIR INPUT AS WELL IN, IN THE PROCESS AND YOU KNOW, 'CAUSE SOME PEOPLE ARE JUST LIKE, AH, GOVERNMENT, WHATEVER, YOU KNOW, AND IT'S, IF THEY'RE IN A DIFFERENT CULTURE, YOU KNOW, THEY MAY NOT, YOU KNOW, WANNA BE INVOLVED BECAUSE OF THEIR PAST HISTORY, BUT YOU KNOW IT, YOU KNOW, IF IT MAY, IF YOU CAN KIND OF MAYBE GET THEM INTERESTED AND IF THEY DON'T WANNA BE THAT'S FINE TOO. YEAH. OR YOU KNOW, BUT JUST, OR JUST GENERAL INFORMATION TOO. YEAH. AND I THINK WE SAW IT AS A WAY TO HONOR THE DIVERSITY OF VOICES. EXACTLY. AND, AND YOU KNOW, CONTINUE AS, PARTICULARLY AS THE CITY CONTINUES TO GROW AND EXPAND AND BECOME MORE DIVERSE. MM-HMM. AND, YOU KNOW, TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE, THE WEALTH OF CULTURAL CAPITAL WITHIN THE CITY SO THAT WE'RE LISTENING TO EVERYBODY. ABSOLUTELY. ERIC, WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY? I KNOW I, HOLDING MY TONGUE, I'M BE A FIGHT OF A GROUP HERE. YEAH. UH, BUT THAT ONE OF THE THINGS WHEN YOU LOOKING AT UH, DIVERSITY, UH, EQUALITY, INCLUSION, BELONGING AND, AND LOOKING AT THE GENERATIONAL VOICES, ONE OF THE KEY THINGS TO KIND OF PAY ATTENTION TO, UH, WHEN I TALK ABOUT THIS SUBJECT, WHEN I SAY GENERATIONAL VOICE, THAT'S GETTING OUR YOUTH INVOLVED. YOU KNOW, UH, YOU KNOW, I'M COMING FROM THE BIG CITY. I LIVE IN HUDDLE FOR 19 YEARS, BUT I WORKED FOR THE BIG CITY DOWN THE STREET THERE. BUT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I ALWAYS FOUND KEY WITH WORKING WITH THAT BIG CITY DOWN THE STREET IS THE, UH, ENGAGEMENT THAT WE HAVE WITH THE YOUTH. HAVING UH, YOU KNOW, A YOUTH COUNCIL, UH, GETTING TO GETTING TO HEAR THE YOUTH. 'CAUSE THESE ARE THE FUTURE LEADERS THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT AS FAR AS OUR MUNICIPALITY. MM-HMM. . BUT GETTING THEM ENGAGED. AND ONE OF THE OTHER THINGS WHEN PEOPLE, WHEN YOU JUST HAD, YOU JUST HAD A KEY THING, THEY LOOK AT GOVERNMENT AND SAY, OH, OH, THAT'S JUST GOVERNMENT. BUT GETTING THE YOUTH, GETTING OTHER FOLKS ENGAGED ON WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENS IN A GOVERNMENT FACILITY IS ONE OF THOSE WAYS OF KIND OF BRIDGING THAT, OF WHAT WE'RE LOOKING TO ACCOMPLISH AS WELL. SO THE INTERNAL ASPECT OF GOING INTO THIS INITIATIVE IS GONNA START. YEAH. LIKE YOU SAID, YOU ALREADY START TO WORK OUTWARD, BUT NOW KIND OF GOING IN AND LET'S GO INSIDE, LOOK AT OUR EMPLOYEES THAT WORK FOR THE CITY THAT WORKS FOR THE MUNICIPALITY AND GET THEM INVOLVED ALONG WITH THE YOUTH. AND SO WE CAN THEN BRING THAT VOICE UP AND, AND BE A BIGGER VOICE. BECAUSE AT THE WHOLE IDEA OF, THE THING IS IT'S NOT JUST A ONE PERSON THING, IT IS NOT JUST A COMMITTEE THING, IT'S NOT JUST AN INDIVIDUAL THING. IT IS A, IT IS A UNIT, IT'S A FAMILY, IT'S UNIT, IT'S ALL THOSE THINGS. BUT ALL OF US HAVE TO START WITH ONE ANOTHER. AND AS WE BUILD UPON AND LEARN EACH OTHER, IT WILL GROW AND GET BIGGER AND BIGGER. AND IT JUST TAKES OFF JUST FROM THAT VERY ORGANIC. I KNOW I SAID A LOT FOR BEING QUITE INVITING. ALWAYS COUNCIL MAYOR CLARK MENTIONED ABOUT GOVERNMENT, WHEN YOU GUYS ARE DOING THINGS, YOU MAY THINK ABOUT DOING THINGS NOT THROUGH THIS. NOT THROUGH THE CITY OF HU WEBSITE, NOT THROUGH THE CITY OF HU FACEBOOK. 'CAUSE THERE ARE, YOU THINK ABOUT THE, THE HISPANIC COUNTRIES, SOUTH CENTRAL AMERICA, THERE'S NOT A REAL BIG, I MEAN, THEY'RE NOT INVOLVED IN GOVERNMENT FOR A REASON BECAUSE TYPICALLY GOVERNMENT HAS BEEN OPPRESSIVE AND DONE THINGS. SO, UM, THERE MAY BE A WAY TO ENGAGE MORE PEOPLE FROM SOME OF THOSE COUNTRIES. IF IT'S JUST COMING FROM LIKE YOUR ORG. LIKE YOU, I DUNNO IF YOU GUYS COME UP WITH THE LOGO, BUT YOUR GUYS' ORGANIZATION, NOT NECESSARILY THE CITY OF HU TO PUT STUFF OUT THAT WAY. IT'S NOT THE CITY GOVERNMENT DOING SOMETHING. IT'S AN ORGANIZATION OR A, UM, A BOARD THAT IS SEPARATE FROM THE CITY. IN SOME ASPECTS IT'S RUN BY PEOPLE THAT ARE LIKE, YOU KNOW, THE PEOPLE IN THE PUBLIC AS OPPOSED TO GOVERNMENT. 'CAUSE I DO TALK TO PEOPLE THAT THEY'RE THERE. THEY DON'T EVEN WANNA COME INTO CITY HALL BECAUSE THEY STAY OUTTA THE GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS WHERE THEY COME FROM. MM-HMM. . AND THEY DON'T SEE IT AS AN INVITING PLACE JUST BECAUSE OF HISTORICALLY SOME OF THAT'S WHY THEY CAME HERE WAS BECAUSE OF GOVERNMENT. MM-HMM. . AND SO WE HAVE TO SOMEHOW GET THEM TO, UM, FEEL WELCOMED HERE AND SLOWLY EDGE IN AND LIKE YOU SAID, TWO GENERATIONAL, THEIR KIDS ARE IN HIGH SCHOOL, THEY DON'T HAVE THE SAME ISSUES. BUT MY KIDS HAVE FRIENDS THAT THEY'RE FAMILY. I MEAN, THEY DON'T EVEN WANNA MEET ME BECAUSE USUALLY I HAVE THE POLICE WITH ME AND OTHER THINGS. IN REALITY, IT'S JUST PEOPLE. BUT THAT'S A GREAT POINT. I MEAN, I WAS JUST LOOKING IT UP. OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION HAS THEIR OWN WEBSITE. MM-HMM. . UM, YOU KNOW, MAYBE THAT WOULD BE ONE OF YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS, YOUR OWN WEBPAGE THAT COULD LINK TO THE CITY'S PAGE, BUT THE CITY COULD, YOU KNOW, SEND PEOPLE THERE AND MAYBE HAVE YOUR OWN THING THAT COULD MANAGE. I LIKE THAT IDEA ABOUT ALL OVER. WHAT ELSE? UM, I THINK TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT YOU WANT AS FAR AS ENGAGEMENT NEXT YEAR [00:30:01] AND CONSULTING AND EDUCATION. MM-HMM. TRYING TO GET SOMETHING SO THAT MAYBE WE CAN GET A PROPOSAL. 'CAUSE I THINK THERE'S STILL ENOUGH TIME YES. TO GET SOME KIND OF A PROPOSAL PUT TOGETHER SO WE CAN PUT A NUMBER TO IT. OKAY. UM, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T EVEN NECESSARILY HAVE TO NAIL DOWN EXACTLY WHAT THE TOPIC IS ON SAY EDUCATION, BUT IF IT'S, YOU KNOW, YOU WANT TO, YOU KNOW, 'CAUSE YOU KNOW, THE, THE EDUCATION YOU WERE AT THE EDUCATION THAT WAS GIVEN TO COUNCIL THIS YEAR. AND SO I WOULD THINK THAT THE IDEA WOULD BE TO DO EDUCATION NEXT YEAR, BUT HAVE IT EITHER BE MORE ADVANCED MM-HMM. OR A SPECIFIC TOPIC OR SOMETHING. SOMETHING THAT'S DIFFERENT FROM WHAT WE JUST DID. MM-HMM. AND YOU KNOW, AND HAVE THAT JUST KIND OF KEEP CHANGING OVER TIME AS WE MOVE FORWARD. SO IF YOU GUYS CAN WORK ON THAT AND THEN HAVE A, HAVE A PROPOSAL AND THEN WE CAN LOOK AT STAFF GOING OUT AND SEEING, YOU KNOW, IF THEY CAN PRICE THAT OUT WITH, YOU KNOW, STAN OR, OR PUT THAT OUT, YOU KNOW, FOR MM-HMM. PROPOSALS, WHATEVER NEEDS TO HAPPEN, THEN WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO OKAY. PUT THAT IN. 'CAUSE SETTING MONEY ASIDE WITHOUT HAVING A NUMBER ON IT AND WITHOUT HAVING A DEFINITION IS MM-HMM. PUTS IT MORE AT RISK OF GETTING CUT WHEN WE'RE RIGHT. SITTING THERE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT STAYS IN AND WHAT BY THE END OF AUGUST. WELL, I MEAN, AS, AS SOON AS POSSIBLE WOULD BE NICE. SO SOONER THAN THE END OF AUGUST. RIGHT. WE'RE WE'RE GONNA BE VOTING ON THE BUDGET RIGHT? IN THE BEGINNING OF SEPTEMBER. I THINK SO. SO MID, EARLIER THE BETTER, RIGHT? I MEAN OBVIOUSLY IT CAN'T, I MEAN YEAH, YOU'RE NOT, I DON'T THINK YOU'RE GONNA MAKE THE AUGUST 1ST MEETING, BUT YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT A MEETING AUGUST 15TH THAT WOULD BE A GOOD ONE TO HAVE, FOR EXAMPLE, YOU KNOW HOW MUCH YOU PAID FOR THE INITIAL ONE. YEAH. SO I WOULD AT LEAST START WITH THAT DOLLAR AMOUNT, YOU KNOW, HOW MUCH THEY'VE TRAINING. YOU GOT THAT DOLLAR AMOUNT AND THEN YOU COULD ASK THE EDC DIRECTOR, LIKE WHAT THEY PAY FOR THEIR BUDGET FOR THEIR WEBSITE, GET THAT NUMBER AND THEN HAVE THAT AS LIKE YOUR, AS YOUR INITIAL WAG. AND THAT WE CAN, THAT WE CAN PUT IN A LINE THAT, AND MAYBE THE SURVEY IF YOU WANTED TO TRY TO A SURVEY SURVEY, HOW MUCH THAT WOULD COST ALL TOGETHER. THAT I LIKE. CAN HAVE YOU GUYS UH, PUT THE BELONGING IN THERE. I REALLY DO. BECAUSE SOMETIMES, AND I'LL JUST SAY SOMETIMES THE WHOLE DIVERSITY INCLUSION, IT, I, I THINK SOMETIMES IF YOU FEEL LIKE YOU'RE NOT DIVERSE, THEN MAYBE YOU'RE NOT INCLUDED. UM, AND I, ESPECIALLY FOR ME, JUST, I LIKE SEEING THINGS, BUT BRINGING THAT GRAPHIC ALL TOGETHER AND SAY, LOOK, WE'RE ALL DOING THIS TOGETHER. RIGHT. IT DOESN'T MATTER WHO YOU ARE, WHERE YOU COME FROM, WE'RE COMING TOGETHER. SO I DO LIKE THAT. SO I THINK YOUR RECOMMENDATION TO CHANGE THE NAME, I'M I LIKE THAT IDEA. UM, SO I'M, I'M OKAY WITH THAT. I'M GLAD YOU SAID THAT BECAUSE WE DID DISCUSS THAT. AND ONE THING ABOUT DIVERSITY INCLUSION, IT DOES EVOLVE. SO WE HAVE TO EVOLVE GOING A LONG WAY. ON THAT NOTE, FOUR YEARS. ON THAT NOTE, JACQUELINE, IS THERE THERE WISDOM MAYBE IN, IN JUST NAMING THE COMMISSION, THE BELONGING COMMISSION, IS THERE WISDOM IN THAT, MAYBE PARTICULARLY FROM LIKE A BRANDING STANDPOINT AND THE FACT THAT BELONGING IS WHERE THE OTHER THREE OVERLAP AND THAT'S BASICALLY WHAT YOU'RE SAYING THE POOR ACTUALLY IS. MM-HMM. IS THERE POTENTIALLY WISDOM IN THAT? I THINK THERE'S POTENTIALLY WISDOM IN EVERYTHING. I, I JUST HADN'T THOUGHT . SEE WHAT YOU MEAN? AND THEN THE BELONGING IS DIVERSITY EQUITY. YES, IT IS. AND THEN SOME, SOME AREAS WE LOOKED AT, UM, BECAUSE WE DID GO OUT TO TO MUNICIPALITIES OF OUR SIZE, SOME OF THEM DID DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION FOR BELONGING. MM-HMM. , YOU KNOW, AND THEN THEY HAD THEIR WEBSITE SUPPORT LIKE THAT. THIS IS A GOOD TALK ON OUR STRATEGIC PLAN, RIGHT? YEAH. CHANGE BECAUSE IT, YEAH. AS YOU AND I TALKED, D AND I HAS HAS BECAUSE OF POLITICS IS SOME KIND, UH, A NEGATIVE CONNOTATION THAN IT'S JUST BLACK VERSUS WHITE. AND THAT IT, THAT'S WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT. WHEN IN REALITY IS SO MUCH MORE THAN THAT. AND SO I THINK ANY, AND I HATE TO CHANGE, I DON'T, I'M NOT NECESSARILY ABLE TO CHANGE A NAME JUST BECAUSE THE POLITICAL HEADWINDS MAKE A THING TO ME. IF THE, IF D AND I OR ANY OF THAT HAS GOT NEGATIVE CONNOTATION, THEN YOU FIND A WAY TO MAKE IT WORK TO WHERE THEN YOU CAN BE THE SYMBOL OF OTHER CITIES OF HOW IT WORKED. MM-HMM. . SO THAT WHENEVER THEY'RE LIKE, UH, SHOULD WE CHANGE THIS BECAUSE OF THIS? IT'S LIKE, WELL, THE CITY OVER HERE, THEY'VE GOT IT GOING ON. WHAT DID THEY DO? AND THEN, OH, SO THEY'VE, THEY'VE GOT THIS WHOLE PROGRAM, THE WHOLE STRUCTURE. SO I DON'T KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW, I WOULDN'T NECESSARILY CHANGE IT COMPLETELY OUT, BUT I WOULD KEEP SOMETHING TO WHERE, UM, 'CAUSE I THINK THERE'S STILL, WELL [00:35:01] THERE MAY BE A GROUP OF THE POPULATION THAT ALWAYS, YOU KNOW, BAGS ON DNI, THERE'S ALSO A GROUP OF THE POPULATION THAT WANTS TO SEE, UM, CITIES AND, AND UM, COMPANIES THAT ARE WORKING TOWARDS GOALS LIKE THAT. SO IF YOU TAKE IT OUT, IT'S ALMOST LIKE YOU CAVE TO, YOU CAVE TO THE RIGHT, IF YOU WILL, BY TAKING IT OUT. BUT I THINK WHAT YOU GUYS HAVE DONE HAS KIND OF GOTTEN TO WHERE YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THINGS ARE EVOLVING, BUT YOU'RE NOT GONNA GET AWAY FROM WHAT THE, THE ROOTS OF WHAT STARTED EVERYTHING. MM-HMM. . ANOTHER THING THAT I'LL ADD JUST BECAUSE IT'S UP THERE ON THE, ON THE SLIDE, IS THAT THE, THE SURVEY THAT WE CURRENTLY DO IS SLICED BY DEMOGRAPHICS. OKAY. UM, THAT'S HOW WE KNOW THAT IT'S REPRESENTED AND THAT IT, IT MEETS SAMPLE SIZE REQUIREMENTS. AND UM, AND, AND WHILE THE DATA THAT WE PUBLISH PUBLICLY IS USUALLY LIKE SIMPLIFIED, THE UNDERLYING DATA IS AVAILABLE. MM-HMM. . SO IF YOU WANTED TO SAY, WELL HOW DOES THIS BREAKDOWN BY AGE GROUP OR HOW DOES THIS BREAKDOWN BY NORTH SIDE VERSUS SOUTH SIDE? OR HOW DOES THIS BREAKDOWN BY DIFFERENT ETHNICITIES MM-HMM. , HOW DOES THIS BREAK DOWN BY GENDER? THAT ALL THAT'S ACTUALLY IN THE DATA THAT WE HAVE. SO YEAH, I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING ELSE, BUT I JUST WANNA SAY THANK Y'ALL FOR, YOU KNOW, I GUESS DOING WHAT WE ASKED LIKE, OR WHAT WE, NOT WHAT WE ASKED, BUT I GUESS WHAT WE DISCUSSED DURING THAT SATURDAY WORKSHOP IS JUST KINDA LIKE GET TOGETHER, COMMUNICATE AND GET INTO ACTION. DELIVER THE EXPECTATIONS. YEAH. AND LIKE Y'ALL ARE THE ONE COMMISSION THAT'S DOING THAT AND Y'ALL ARE DOING IT WELL, YOU KNOW, AND Y'ALL ARE MOVING FORWARD. AND SO I APPRECIATE IT. I JUST WANNA SAY THANK Y'ALL FOR, YOU KNOW, WHETHER OLD OR NEW, UH, MEMBERS, YOU KNOW, Y'ALL ARE, Y'ALL ARE DOING GREAT AND IN BETWEEN. RIGHT. UH, BUT, UM, BUT YEAH, THANK Y'ALL SO MUCH FOR PUTTING, YOU KNOW, PLANS AND ACTION INTO PLAY FOR US SO THAT WE CAN MOVE FORWARD ON, ON THAT STUFF. AND THEN THAT'LL BE WITH THE STRATEGIC PLAN, HOWEVER Y'ALL DECIDE TO, YOU KNOW, GO ABOUT DOING THAT THE NEXT PHASE, LIKE A MORE DETAILED STRATEGIC PLAN. MM-HMM. . AND UM, AND THEN FROM THERE, JUST NEXT STEP, NEXT STEPS, NEXT STEPS, YOU KNOW, ALWAYS MOVING FORWARD. SO, OKAY. OKAY. THANK YOU GUYS. THANK YOU. NOW WE GOT ITEM [3.2. Discussion and possible action related to Work Session topics] THREE, TWO DISCUSSION, POSSIBLE ACTION RELATED TO WORK SESSION TOPICS. I THINK THEY DID ASK FOR CHANGE AND WE PUT UP THE, WE HAVE AN AGENDA ITEM ON THAT I THINK LATER TONIGHT, RIGHT? I THINK I I THINK IT WAS ON, I THINK IT WAS ON THE, THE PRELIMINARY AND THEN IT GOT CHANGED. IS THAT RIGHT? IS IT IT WAS ON THERE ORIGINALLY. I THINK IT WAS ON THE DRAFT. I THINK SO, BUT, BUT WE DIDN'T WANT COUNSEL TO HAVE TO VOTE ON SOMETHING THAT THEY JUST SAW. SO I THINK THAT'S WHY I GOT BUMPED ON AUGUST 1ST. YEAH. COULD WE STILL DO IT UNDER TEN ONE THOUGH? WE GO AHEAD TO WORK ON THAT. 'CAUSE WHEN I SEE THE DRAFT AND I KIND OF SEE SOMETHING AND I DON'T, I GUESS I DON'T KNOW IF SOMETHING'S GONNA GET PULLED. SO I JUST ASSUMED THAT Y'ALL HAD DISCUSSED IT. NO, WE PROBABLY, JUST SO I KNOW 'CAUSE I THINK THERE'S ONE OTHER, OKAY. ANYWAY, WE CAN, CAN WE PULL UP THE SLIDE THAT HAD THE, THE, THE REQUESTED ACTIONS? THEN WE CAN JUST SEE IF THERE'S ANYTHING WE WANNA DO ABOUT IT RIGHT NOW. THAT AS THE LAST LOT. YEAH, IT IS. IF YOU PUT IT ON THERE, WE DON'T WANT BY THE WAY. YOU DON'T PUT IT ON THERE. IT ALMOST LIKE SPURS US TO GO, HEY WAIT A MINUTE, WE WANT YEAH, NO WORRIES. IT'S ALL GOOD. WELL, BUT THE QUESTION IS, YOU KNOW THE ALSO, YOU KNOW, THE CITY MANAGER DID BRING UP AN IDEA. SO THE QUESTION IS DO WE, DOES THE COMMISSION NEED TO GO BACK AND SAY, DO YOU WANT IT TO BE CALLED DIB? FOR SURE. DO YOU WANT TO THINK ABOUT THAT OTHER, OR JUST CALL IT DIB AND THEN YOUR WEBSITE MAYBE SAYS THE, YOU CAN CALL UP THE NAME WITH BELONG OR WHATEVER TO REBRAND. I THINK THAT MIGHT WORK. JUST KEEP THE COMMISSION WITH THE NEW DIB NAME AND THEN Y'ALL CAN GO FORWARD ON THE WEBSITE WITH WHATEVER, LIKE THAT SECONDARY WEBSITE. THAT SOUNDS GOOD. YEAH. LIKE A BRANDING KIND OF THING. THIS IS A BRANDING THING VERSUS VERSUS THIS IS LIKE THE OFFICIAL NAME. RIGHT? THIS IS OFFICIAL. THAT'S ENTIRELY WHY I SUGGESTED IT BECAUSE YOU'RE GONNA, IT'S GONNA GET CALLED DIB IS GONNA GET, PEOPLE ARE GONNA STUMBLE OVER SAYING DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION AND BELONGING. WHATEVER THEY DO, TRY TO SAY IT. SO IT'S GONNA GET SHORTENED AND IT'S GONNA BE AN ACRONYM THAT DOESN'T MEAN ANYTHING BUT BELONGING DOES. SO IT'S THE NAME OF THE COMMISSION. IT'S THE NAME OF THE COMMISSION. BUT I THINK WHENEVER Y'ALL START DOING STUFF, YOU OUGHT TO REALLY CONSIDER ABOUT HOW YOU BRAND IN A WAY TO GET YOUR MESSAGE ACROSS VERY QUICKLY. MM-HMM, . YEAH. YEAH, THAT'S WHAT I'M SAYING. I THINK WE HAD TO LET 'EM WAIT BECAUSE I MEAN GOOD OR BAD. KINDA LIKE THE MAYOR WAS SAYING, WELL IF YOU HEAR A DEI COMMISSION OR WHATEVER, GOOD OR BAD PEOPLE ARE GONNA HAVE AN EXPECTATION [00:40:01] FROM WHAT IT IS BEFORE THEY EVEN COME IN HERE. WHICH YOU HAVE TO SAY. SO IF YOU HAD A DIFFERENT NAME THEN YOU SHARE YOUR VISION AND YOU GET MAYBE THEY DON'T HAVE ANYTHING COMING INTO IT. YEAH, THEY, I MEAN THEY COMING INTO IT SO THEY'RE HONEST. MORE HONEST OR OR MORE, I DON'T KNOW. BUT YOU GUYS, IT'S Y'ALL'S COMMISSION SO EXACTLY. EVERYONE KNOW BY ARTIST ONE THAT WE'LL PUT AN AGENDA ITEM TO POTENTIALLY RENAME, BUT WE'LL HAVE Y'ALL HAVE A GET THE STAFF. I WOULD JUST SAY DON'T FEEL PRESSURED TO DO THAT BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE YOU GUYS HAVE ALREADY KIND OF MM-HMM. DEBATED IT SOME TO WHERE, BUT IT'S, IT IS GOOD TO KEEP IN MIND BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT WE WANT IT. IT MAY BE THAT WE DO, WE DO IT, BUT THEN WE FOCUS OUR FOCUS AND MARKETING IS ALONG. WE HAVE TO TALK FOR THREE TWO, DO WE WANT DO ANYTHING TO SAY THAT WE AFFIRM THE PLAN THAT WE I THINK IT TAKES BOTH. YEAH, I WELL, BUT UNLESS YOU IT'S SYMBOLIC, IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT NECESSARY. DO WE WANT SAY THAT WE ADOPT THE PLAN OR WE ACCEPT THE PLAN AND ADOPT IT AS THE STRATEGIC PLAN. NOT HEARING A MOTION. A MOTION COMING. MAKE THAT A MOTION. YOU WANNA AFFIRM THEIR NEXT STEP PLAN. WELL THE STRATEGIC PLAN HAS PRESENTED. YEAH. ACCEPTING THE STRATEGIC PLAN. SO YOU GUYS, SO YOU GUYS ARE STILL DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION COMMISSION AT THIS POINT? AT THIS POINT, YES. OKAY. SO TO AFFIRM THE DNI ADMISSIONS TEACH A PLAN, IS THAT RIGHT? YEAH. SECONDED BY MAYOR P GORDON. DOES THAT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT ACTION ITEMS? THEY WENT IN THERE OR DO YOU NEED THOSE SEPARATE? WE'RE JUST AFFIRMING THE PLAN. WE HAVEN'T TAKEN THE ACTION ITEMS. RIGHT. SO THAT CORRECT. RIGHT. ANY DISCUSSION ON THAT? HEARING NONE. CALL THE VOTE. COUNCILOR THOMPSON. AYE. COUNCILOR THORNTON? AYE. COUNCILOR CLARK? AYE. COUNCILOR LAR AYE. COUNCILOR PORTERFIELD. AYE THERE GORDON? AYE MAYOR AYE. SEVEN ZERO PASSES. I DON'T SEE ANYTHING ELSE ON THERE. THAT'S LIKE AN IMMEDIATE ACTION SINCE WE WANNA HOLD OFF ON THE NAME. EVERYTHING ELSE IS STUFF FOR US TO LOOK AT AND, AND POTENTIALLY HAVE SOMETHING, UH, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING TO APPROVE LATER. BUT I DON'T SEE ANYTHING THAT'S LIKE PARADE. YOU HAVE A DISCUSSION AND THEN WE'LL ADJOURN AT 6 42. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.