Ad Hoc Committee on Diversity

AGENDA AD HOC COMMITTEE ON DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION Friday, January 19, 2018 @ 11:30 a.m. Council Conference Room, 10th Floor, City Hall Councilmember Carol Wood, Chair Councilmember Jody Washington Councilmember Patricia Spitzley 1. Call to Order 2. Roll Call 3. Public Comment 4. Approval of Minutes • December 15, 2017 5. Discussion A.) Review of City Boards and Commission Developing policies for inclusion on Boards B.) Inclusion training January 22, 2018 6. Other • Updates on Participants in the Committee 7. Adjourn Pending Opioids information from Sparrow Hospital  MINUTES AD HOC COMMITTEE ON DIVERSITY Friday, December 15, 2017 @ 11:30 a.m. Council Conference Room, 10th Floor, City Hall Call to Order The meeting was called to order at 11:34 a.m. Committee Members Councilmember Carol Wood, Chair Councilmember Patricia Spitzley - excused Councilmember Jody Washington Others Present LaSondra Crenshaw, Council Staff Tammy Lemmer – TCOA Stephen Purchase - PCAC Griffin Rivers Julee Rodocker – Consumers Energy Dax Carpenter, Disability Network Brandon Waddell – Attorney’s Office Stacey Locke – Peckham Guillermo Lopez, LLEAD/LSD Elaine Womboldt – Rejuvenating South Lansing MINUTES MOTION BY COUNCILMEMBER WASHINGTON TO APPROVE THE MINUTES FROM December 8, 2017 AS PRESENTED. MOTION CARRIED 2 - 0 Discussion: Information on City Boards and Commission Developing policies for inclusion on Boards Councilmember Wood advised the group she talked with Mayor Elect Andy Schor’s Chief of Staff Samantha Harkins about the Ad Hoc on Diversity Committee and what we are currently working on. She provided Ms. Harkins with a tentative date of Jan 26th as the date Committee want to make a presentation to the Administration regarding Boards & Commissions that would include: term limits, training, etc. Ms. Harkins seemed very enthusiastic about this. Councilmember Wood asked the group to look over the policy paper for Boards & Commission for changes. She advised there will be a number of openings of various Boards/Commissions as of June 30th and the importance of having a new policy in place as soon as possible. Councilmember Wood advised the group of the changes that were made. Under applications we added: information readily available required filling out conflict of interest form as part of the application. On the back side Ethics & Inclusion training/Open Meeting Act Training. Along with Board or Commission recommended training. Mr. Lopez asked if Board and Commissions give Council a report every month. Councilmember Wood stated minutes are provided to Council and they are placed on file and put on the website. Under the Open Meetings Act they are required to have written minutes, not just recorded minutes. Mrs. Womboldt stated that even if audio it is necessary to have a hard copy. Mr. Waddell added that as long as audio is accessible, minutes must be on paper. Councilmember Wood advised the group we are looking at another bullet point to add. It would talk about an annual report that would be given to Council by Feb 1st that includes any budget priorities. Council does not receive the budget until the end of March so that would allow time for Council to review the material. Councilmember Wood asked the group how they want to address the staffing concern. We have Directors and/or staff people that work well and provide information but you have some that do not provide enough information to a particular Board or Commission. Ms. Rodocker stated there are some Boards that seem to be run by the Director and some that use the Departmental person as resource. Councilmember Wood stated the Board should have Chairperson and Staff should not take over the meeting. Under expectations we need to add: make sure they understand the rules. Ms. Locke asked if there is a clause that a member of Board has concerns they can contact someone. Councilmember Wood stated she was not sure as she has not seen each of the Boards rules. She then asked Mr. Waddell to get the rules for the different Boards, and find out when they were last updated. Councilmember Washington stated that many boards are run by the staff and that anything we can do to clean this up will help. Someone needs to go in at beginning of the year to explain how it should be done. Mrs. Womboldt stated she has attended a lot of meetings and has noticed they have changed over the years. She agrees the rules and training are needed. Councilmember Washington asked how we encourage Council Members to be more thoughtful when doing appointments. Mr. Purchase added that it is more form driven than policy driven. We should provide more through descriptions of the Board and what qualifications they are seeking, and meeting with Mayor Schor is a critical first step Mr. Rivers asked should the Council Member of that Ward pay a role in that appointment. Council Members should have a say in the person that is appointed. Ms. Locke asked are they looking at background/passion. Is the possible to add question number sixteen on the application that reads – How are you engaging? Councilmember Wood advised we look at the resume provided. Mr. Lopez asked how we are going to accomplish making sure our boards reflect the City’s diverse population. Mr. Waddell stated as long as a decision is not made based on race, color, gender, etc you are covered. He would suggest making gender/race optional or removing it all together. If it does not start out being discriminatory it could end up that way. He added to clear it up I’m giving the legal point. Councilmember Washington added it is important that everyone remain involved in this Committee, as it is important to hear from different races. Ms. Lemmer added she thinks we should add gender/race as open ended. Ms. Rodocker added that everything should be written down; if it’s not written down it did not happen. Every person appointed should have a file. Ms. Locke commended Dax Carpenter on his part in Snow Sergeants she stated that he is exceptional and very committed while doing a lot of the work himself. Councilmember Wood asked the group to please get all corrections to LaSondra. Discussion Inclusion training January 22, 2018 Inclusion Training will take place Jan 22, 2018 at 5:30 - 7:00 p.m during the Committee of the Whole Meeting Next Meetings: January 19th, 2018 Still working on Opioids issues OTHER Updates on Participants in the Committee HRCS MLK Event is Jan 12th at 12pm Prayer Vigil Dec 21st at 7pm – Mt. Hope United Methodist Church Screening of documentary Wounded Places Sunday January 21, 2018 at Unitarian Universalist Church of Greater Lansing 5509 S. Pennsylvania Ave 6-8pm Adjourn Adjourn at 12:42 p.m. Submitted by, LaSondra Crenshaw, Administrative Assistant Approved Jan 16, 2018  Policy for Boards & Commission (DRAFT) 01/16/2018 Unless stated differently within the City of Lansing’s Codified Ordinance or State Law, Boards & Commissions membership is as follows: Charter 5-103 .1 Every member of a board, commission or committee established by Charter or ordinance shall be an officer of the City and shall possess the qualifications required by this Charter for holding office. .2 Except as otherwise specifically provided in this Charter or State law, the Mayor shall appoint persons to all such boards, commissions and committees with the advice and consent of the Council. No such appointment shall be effective until it has been confirmed by the Council. .8 Each board established by this Charter shall be composed of eight (8) members. Four (4) members shall be from the City-at-large and one member shall be appointed from each of the four (4) wards of the City in the following pattern: .9 The members from the City-at-large shall be appointed to staggered terms, at least one of which shall expire each year. .10 Appointments to each board, commission and committee shall be made with regard to the diversity of Lansing citizens, their variety of interests and the experience and expertise that each can contribute to the common good of the City. Be a registered elector in the City of Lansing (Charter Section 2-102), Be a resident of Lansing for one year prior to taking office (Charter Section 2-102) Not be in default to the City of at the time of taking office (Charter Section 2-103.2) Not have been convicted, within 20 years of taking office, or a violation of the election law or any felony (Charter Section 2-103.1) An application process is required. • The application should be available online as well as paper copies. • Applications should be available in City owned or leased buildings such at City Hall, Community centers, and libraries • Once a referral from the administration is made to City Council information about the applicant will be readily available for the public • Required to fill out Conflict of Interest Form as part of the application Board or Commission Membership • Board or Commission membership should be limited to two terms (8 years) to allow for a variety of citizens with various ideas and skill sets to hold seats. Also only allowed to sit on two boards maximum. • Board or Commission membership should take into effect the following: Your knowledge of the Board or Commission; Passion for a particular Board or Commission; Your plan as a citizen representative to engage the public for their input; A desire to help shape policy; Desire to donate one’s professional and personal skills;  Your willingness and plan to engage with the City of Lansing’s diverse population to help form inclusive policies. • Expectations of Board or Commission members: Be on time for meetings; Be familiar with the issues: Review background information and the agenda and previous minutes before each meeting; Participate in discussions and work assignments; Be courteous to each other and to members of the public; Be open and responsive to questions and concerns. Engage with the public; neighborhood mtgs, etc. Ethics and Inclusion training/Open Meeting Act Training Any Board or Commission recommended training  CITY OF LANSING Conflict of Interest Policy & Disclosure Statement A conflict of interest is any situation in which Board or Commission member interferes with or influences the City of Lansing business. Examples include, but are not limited to the following examples: 1. An individual with a personal interest in the decision of the Board. 2. An individual in direct competition with another applicant for funds. 3. An individual acting as a representative of an agency, organization, business or institution being evaluated or receiving funds, or where decisions are in process of being formulated that directly influence that agency, organization, business or institution. Printed Name: ___________________________________________________________________________ Position: ______________________ In the past 12 months, have you worked as an employee, independent contractor or consultant for any organization doing business with the City of Lansing? If so, please list them here: ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ Do you or any member of your immediate family have a relationship with the City of Lansing as a vendor, contractor, consultant, etc.? If so, please describe: ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ Please list all outside organizations in which you or any member of your immediate family serve as a Board member, Director, Trustee or other position of authority? ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ I hereby attest I have disclosed all requested information regarding myself and my immediate family members. I understand I am required to complete this form on an annual basis. I also understand I must inform the City of Lansing immediately should any of my above answers change in between each annual update. Signature Date Rev 12 2017