HomeMy WebLinkAboutA026 - Staff Report on Community-wide Inclusion Plan ModelsITEM #:28
DEPT:ADMIN
January 14, 2025
Staff Report
COMMUNITY-WIDE INCLUSION PLAN MODELS
BACKGROUND:
At the beginning of 2022, the City Council identified as part of its Councils goal a desire to develop a
community-wide Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Plan that identifies definitions and actionable
strategies by the end of 2023.
As part of this goal, the FY 2022/23 adjusted budget included $100,000 dedicated towards the
development of a community-wide DEI Plan. The initial goals for the DEI Plan was 1) to develop a
Request for Proposal to hire a consultant by spring of 2023, and 2) to have the Mayor appoint a
supplemental input committee representing various segments of the community population to work with
the consultant to develop the plan.
These steps did not occur in 2023. Instead, the City focused on hiring its first DEI Coordinator. Rather
than expedite hiring an outside consultant, the City strategically decided to allow this new position time
to become familiar with the work before diving into a community-wide DEI Plan.
With the DEI Coordinator onboard, at the beginning of 2024, the City Council’s goal related to
the community-wide DEI plan was modified, and staff was directed to research what other cities’
plan look like and accomplish. Therefore, the purpose of this staff report is to present findings
from research staff has conducted regarding the different approaches and outcomes from city-
level DEI-related plan.
For the purposes of this report, the terms “DEI plan” and “community-wide inclusion plan” will be used
interchangeably since there are no widely accepted standard definitions, and depending on the
community it could be called one or the other, or a variation of either.
Attachment A is the PowerPoint that will be presented at the Council meeting. It provides information
on 1) Staff ’s research findings, 2) the history of Ames related to inclusion, and 3) the community-wide
inclusion plan examples from Decatur, GA - Better Together Community Plan and Salem, MA - Salem
Race Equity Task Force Report.
Notably, as alluded to earlier, community inclusion or DEI plans are not prescriptive in structure
and format and, therefore, there isn’t a standard product or process used in developing a
municipal plan. As such, these plans can vary drastically across communities in terms of scope,
approach, format and outcomes.
Based on staff ’s research, reviewing over 40 DEI plans and examining 10 city DEI plans closer,
there seems to be two distinct types of plans. They are described below along with links to the 10
plans staff reviewed.
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Type A: City DEI plans that are community-wide and community-driven, meaning all sectors of the
community are involved in its development and implementation.
Decatur, GA Better Together Community Action Plan
Type B: City DEI plans that are primarily focused on the City organization, meaning that the
organization is developing internal strategies and actions to be more diverse, equitable and inclusive.
Salem, MA Race Equity Task Force Report
Albuquerque, NM Equity Toolkits and Reports
Red Wing, MN Equity Action Plan
Long Beach, CA Racial Equity and Reconciliation Initiative
Pittsburg, PA Racial Equity Assessment
Sacramento, CA Sacramento Centered on Racial Equity Initiative
Philadelphia, PA DEI Plan Template
Boulder, CO Racial Equity Plan
Edina, MN Race and Equity Initiative
As seen above, the most common type of approach staff found are plans primarily focused on the city
organization, meaning the organization, possibly with the help of community members, is finding
strategies within its control to be more diverse, equitable and inclusive. In other words, an internal,
organizational DEI strategy. It is not surprising this may be the case since community-wide plans
are time and resource intensive and sometimes challenging to implement, whereas an
organizational plan may be more feasible to tackle and implement.
Given that Council is more interested in a community-wide, community-driven plan, the two
models selected to highlight in the PowerPoint (Attachment A) are from Decatur, GA and Salem,
MA.
STAFF COMMENTS:
Community-wide inclusion plans vary greatly in scope and purpose. The majority of city plans
that exists now across the country are focused on the City organization and the actions it can take
that it has direct control over. Many cities choose to take this more tangible approach at
inclusiveness looking at their own policies and practices.
The City of Ames is no exception even though its plans are not written in a formal report. The
DEI Coordinator continues focusing on building relationships with the underrepresented communities
and assisting staff with ensuring City practices and policies are inclusive and community spaces are
welcoming.
Community-driven, community-wide inclusion plans that bring together various segments of
community stakeholders to collectively identify roles and action steps for participants to build a
more inclusive community are not as common, but certainly doable. It requires significant time
and resources.
Ames has always strived to be a community where all people enjoy where they live, work and play, and
feel a sense of belonging. The 2024 statistically representative Resident Satisfaction Survey results
showed that 80% of respondents agree or strongly agree with the statement, "I feel I belong at this
town" and 72% agree or strongly agree that "Ames has a strong commitment to diversity, equity and
inclusion." These percentages are considered a positive indicator, suggesting most people feel valued
and included.
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An important principle in inclusion and equity is recognizing that taking a one-size fits all approach
does not always work for everyone. It is important to use different strategies to increase the sense of
belonging amongst different stakeholder groups. Learning more about how to be inclusive and
implementing lessons learned has been the focus of the work of the DEI coordinator, who in 2025
will be renamed the Engagement Coordinator.
This position's workplan in 2025 will continue to build deeper connections with underrepresented
communities, on behalf of the City, and build partnership with key community institutions to
foster inclusivity. Staff believes this is in alignment with Council goals and that at this time hiring
a consultant to develop an inclusion plan is not necessary. An annual update of the work
accomplished was presented to Council in July 2024. Another update will be provided in July 2025.
ATTACHMENT(S):
Attachment A - Community Inclusive Plan Models.pptx
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Community
Inclusive
Plans
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Important
notes about
research
findings
No standard
format
Unique and
determined by
the community
Can vary
drastically across
communities
Terms, titles,
names can vary
“Community-wide inclusion
plans” and/or “DEI” are used
interchangeably in this
presentation
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Types of
Plans
1. Community-wide and community-
driven, meaning all sectors of the
community are involved in its
development and implementation
(Decatur, GA )
2. Primarily focused on the city
organization, meaning the organization
is finding strategies within its control to
be more diverse, equitable and inclusive
(Salem, MA)
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History in Ames (1 of 3)
The City of Ames embraces the diversity of its community members:
•Starting in 2018, including questions in the Resident Satisfaction
Survey to gauge residents’ sense of community, community
involvement, sense of belonging, and community integration. Over
time, this is one method to evaluate trends in community members’
sense of belonging and inclusion.
•In 2022, committing $100,000 to developing a city-wide DEI Plan.
•In 2023, adding an FTE in the City Manager’s Office for the DEI
Coordinator and continuing to identify DEI as City Council goal.
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History in Ames (2 of 3)
•In 2024, releasing the show “Belonging in Ames”. The purpose of
the show is to learn more about the diversity in the community and
highlight the importance of embracing differences.
•Establishing an internal DEI staff team that evaluates, enhances,
and supports DEI efforts within the organization and serves as a
resource to Human Resources for developing recruiting, retention,
and promotion strategies.
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History in Ames (3 of 3)
•Additionally, the Ames Human Relations Commission has been
tasked to be a bigger presence in the community and focus on
outreach efforts. This work has already started, and with the
addition of two more members, the team is excited and engaged in
this purpose.
•Lastly, the DEI Coordinator continues to explore new ways to
engage and connect community members with each other and with
City departments and outside agencies.
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Decatur, GA
Population:
24,338
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Decatur Community-Wide Inclusion Plan
Form of gov’t: City Commissioners/City Manager
Plan Origins: Stemmed from City’s Strategic Plan
Overall Goal: Develop strategies to make Decatur more
welcoming and inclusive
Approach: A “Leadership Circle” made up of 19 residents and
businesspeople, personally invited to collaboratively develop an
action plan for individuals, organizations, and local government.
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The “Leadership Circle”
Representing a mix of races,
ages, faiths, neighborhoods, and
income levels.
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Subcommittee
The subcommittee met for a 12-month period
including weekly through July and August. The City’s
asset map was updated to reflect the neighborhood
groups, faith-based organizations, nonprofits, civic
groups and educational institutions.
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Community engagement
methods used :
In July 2015 a community survey
was administered to gauge
respondents’ perceptions of their
community and to share ideas and
observations about what makes or
does not make Decatur a welcoming
and inclusive community. In six
weeks, 724 people responded.
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Timeline (1 of 3)
July - August 2015 – The subcommittee conducted outreach
through presentations and collected community feedback on
how to be more inclusive.
August 2015 – A one-day, Working Across Differences
training session, was offered to community members
interested where they learned how to respond to complex
problems using inclusive participatory approaches.
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Timeline (2 of 3)
•August 2015 – A facilitated
community discussion was held
where approximately 250
people attended and
deliberated in small groups to
develop action ideas. 625 ideas
were generated.
•A second meeting was held to
identify common themes and
prioritize the 625 ideas, which
resulted in 71 action steps used
in the plan.
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Timeline (3 of 3)
•October 2015 – The Decatur City
staff and the Leadership Circle
hosted a meeting for
organizations interested in
collaborating on implementing the
action plan. 35 people attended.
•November 2015 - The community
was invited to preview the list of
action ideas. 120 people attended
and engaged prioritizing action
steps.
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Final Products:
•The Better Together Community Action Plan, which grew from
the 625 action ideas generated from the community. City staff
assumes responsibility for monitoring the plan, engaging
community, and implementing government action items. Other
action items are the responsibility of individuals and
organizations.
•Better Together Advisory Board that provide recommendations
to the City Commission and staff to establish, organize and
implement activities that nurture and sustain a culture of
inclusion, equity and justice.
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Six focus areas
outlined in the
Decatur Better
Together
Community Plan
(page 17 of Plan)
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Example:
(page 21 of Plan)
Responsibilities
outlined in the Decatur
Better Together
Community Plan
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Table example from the Decatur Better Together
Community Plan (see Appendix A)
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Time and Consultant
Total time: A little over a year
Consultant used: Yes, to facilitate community
conversations, co-develop and manage community
outreach activities, and write the final plan.
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•Final report: Better Together Community Plan
•Active website: Better Together Advisory Board
•Accomplishments: Advisory Board Year 1 Accomplishments
•Welcoming Business Award: Welcoming Business
More Resources
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SALEM, MA
POPULATION:
44,722
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Salem Racial Equity Task Force Report
Form of government: City Council/Mayor
Plan Origins: Mayor’s initiative in response to murder of
George Floyd
Overall Goal: Develop strategies to eliminate racial equity
gaps.
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Salem Racial Equity Task Force Report
Approach: The Mayor established a task force of two dozen
residents and active community leaders that were then broken
into five subcommittees with 4-6 members and tasked with
conducting research through various mediums including, one-on-
one interviews, scholarship research and gathering data from
public sources to identify if racial gaps exists and if so to
formulate recommendations to remedy the outcomes. The task
force convened for just under a year.
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Diverse Community Engagement Methods Used
Subcommittees were empowered to determine how they would
conduct research and engage the public. Notably:
•The Culture Subcommittee met 2-3 times a month to review information
from a city-wide survey and from there assessed the responses.
•The Education Subcommittee met with Salem Public School staff, who are
responsible for leading and implementing a series of high leverage
initiatives aimed at addressing systemic racism, for input.
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Community Engagement Methods Used (2 of 2)
•The Health Subcommittee brought on the Board of Health and Health
Agent and other professionals who specialized in serving the community.
Their expert opinions were used to better understand issues and formulate
possible solutions.
•The Public Safety Subcommittee analyzed data from community and
police surveys and traffic stops for hands free driving. They also reviewed
law enforcement complaints in their research.
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Final Products:
•Racial Equity Task Force Report
•The first City DEI Director was hired in 2022
•The City created the Race Equity Commission to
implement elements of the report and advise
departments and City officials on strategies and
approaches to ensure and avoid systemic racism
and bias.
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Time and Consultant
Total time: Just under a year
Consultant used: No
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More Resources
•Final Report: Race Equity Task Force Report
•Active Website: Race Equity Taskforce
•Mayor’s Proposal: Permanent Race Equity Commission
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STRENGTHS (1 of 2)
DECATUR SALEM
The community engagement
process was designed by a
representative community group
(Leadership Circle).
Subcommittee members were
diverse and consistent throughout
the process of determining if there
were racial equity disparities and
if so, formulating
recommendations.
Multiple engagement opportunities
were made available to the public
to engage in the development of
the plan at various stages of plan
development.
Each subcommittee determined
how it would conduct research
and outreach to determine if there
is racial disparity and what to do if
so.
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STRENGTHS (2 of 2)
DECATUR SALEM
The final product is an action plan
that defines actions specific to
individuals, organizations and
local government.
The process was less time and
resource intensive and was led by
City staff and included
opportunities for public
participation.
A committee was established to
monitor the progress of plan
implementation.
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CHALLENGES
DECATUR SALEM
Given the more extensive time
and community engagement
required to coordinate and
manage, developing a plan using
this may not be possible to do
without hiring a consultant to
assist.
The final plan is a set of
recommendations for the City to
try and hold itself and community
partners accountable for, not
necessarily endorsed by specific
community organizations.
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Highlights
Decatur’s community engagement process is
inclusive and demonstrates powerful outreach.
Salem’s subcommittees empowered members
to dig into specific focus areas.
Decatur’s final action plan included specific
recommendations for organizations and
progress indicators.
Salem’s plan was less time intensive, but more
City focused and less community oriented.
Decatur used a local consultant who knew the
culture and dynamics of the City.
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Community Inclusive Plans
•Create space for people to come
together to voice their experiences
and develop strategies on how to be
more inclusive
•Require time investment and
resources to develop, implement and
sustain.
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Work Ahead in 2025
•The DEI Coordinator will be renamed the Engagement
Coordinator.
•The focus will be to continue building deeper connections
with underrepresented communities.
•The position will also continue sharing strategies with key
community stakeholders to put inclusive practices into place.
•These efforts align with Council goals and at this time it may
not be necessary to hire a consultant to develop a plan.
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Questions?
Casandra Eames
Engagement Coordinator
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