ACTION REQUESTED:
Title
Communication from the Mayor and City Manager with a Request to:
A. APPROVE the AMENDMENT to the CHARTER of the JOINT COMMISSION on RACIAL JUSTICE with the County of Peoria; and
B. CONCUR with the APPOINTMENTS to the JOINT COMMISSION on RACIAL JUSTICE with the County of Peoria as Follows:
STEERING COMMITTEE:
Timothy Bertschy
Mary Peterson
Angela Bolden
Charles Brown
Mary Chapai
Robert Dunigan
Raeann Garza Whitby
Angela Green
Joshua Gunn
Julia Issa-Ghantous
Jim Johnson
Micah Lavender
Chuck Mitchell
Mike Murphy
Rasheedah Na'Allah
Pam Orear
Abrain Robinson
Jonathan Wright
Bradley Wright-Hulett
Angela Young
Body
JUSTICE SUB-COMMITTEE:
Susan O'Neal
Derrick Parker
LaVetta Aguilera
Corey Allen
Pachaunce’ Allen-Walker
Peter Barclay
Sandra Crow
Donna Crowder
Sandra Dudley
Talisha Evans
Emily Gill
M. Catherine Godhigh
Barb Katz
Jennifer Keffler
Omar Malcolm
Jennifer Morris
William Ordaz
Marcola Owens
Rebecca Runyon
Jennifer Welch-Farrell
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND JOBS SUB-COMMITTEE:
Nia McFarland-Drye
Brent Oest
Shawn Allen
Erik Christian
Patricia K Ellis
Doris Griffin
Brian Gruber
Destiny Hayes
Jonathan Jenkins
James McCoy
Paula Nachtrieb
Tom Pelger
Ronald Ruffin
Michael Seghetti
Chris Setti
Jacqueline Watkins
Kenten Watkins
Marilyn Woods
Janice Zagardo
Ken Zika
CHILD AND YOUTH DEVELOPMENT SUB-COMMITTEE:
Gigi Gibson
Anupama Uddavolu
May Abouhouli
Krishan Bedi
Stephanie Bragg
Bianca Brown
Bernard Bryant
Shalandra Burch
Tonya Fant
Nikole Henry
Courtney Lee
Christian Lee
Charles Miner
Dearl E. "Skip" Morris
Dawn Parker-Frakes
Teri Rainey
Anni Reinking
Nikki Romain
Kristie Stockham
Ashley Whitlatch
QUALITY HOUSING SUB-COMMITTEE:
Andres Diaz
Marcus Peoples
Debra Avery
Latoya Brown
Alicia Harris
Donny Henry
Adam Hopkins
Jim Johnson
Irene Lewis-Wimbley
Benny Little
Fai Lowe
Roberta Parks
Shataqua Poindexter
Jerricka Rencher
DezMoniquie Robertson
Valerie Timmes
Brian Uhlenhopp
Kiran Velpula
Krista Wresinski
HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES SUB-COMMITTEE:
Francesca Armmer
Nicole Robertson
Tamia Banks
Ethan Carnes
La'Shay Carter
Terry Cassidy
Shacorrah Evans
Mariama Ford
Bernice Gordon-Young
Rachel Hearn
Mike Kennedy
Kamlesh Macwan
Anne Morrow
Shanta Murthy
Carla Sewell
Jaclyn Shallat
Crystal Slaughter
Barbara Smith
Chris Wade
Linda Wilson
TRANSPORTATION AND MOBILITY SUB-COMMITTEE:
Peter Kobak
Ronald Rasberry
Antwaun Banks
Jamie Bell
Aaron Chess
Gloria Clark
Daniel Elliott
Tina Foley
George Ghareeb
Lorene King
Anshuman Reddy
Ursula Towne
Douglas Troop
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SUB-COMMITTEE:
Jamiel Shelton
Jessica Bastian
Sean Garrett
Thomas Higgins
Robert Ramoska
Lisamarie Schultz
Sean Couch
Brooke Sommerville
Aishi Tulasaku
Nyrobi Wheeler
ENVIRONMENT AND CLIMATE SUB-COMMITTEE:
Jason Beverlin
Jamila Wilson
Edward Barry
Camille Coates
Thomas Drea
Joyce Harant
Dawn Harris Jeffries, Phd
Ryan Hidden
Barbara Kaptanian-Ruth
Ashley Maybanks
Barbara Pierce
Mara Romeo
Jonathan Thomas
BACKGROUND: In the fall of 2020, the City and County of Peoria adopted the Charter for the Joint Commission on Racial Justice and Equity. Since that time, over 200 people submitted their names to participate as members of the Commission.
The goals of the Joint Commission on Racial Justice and Equity are:
1. To establish racially inclusive leadership;
2. Promotion of focused discussions on racial equity;
3. Creation of a racial justice and equity strategic plan;
4. Formation of focused work groups that advance pro-equity policies, procedures, and systems in various areas where racial inequities exist (including, but not limited to, the justice system, housing, economic development and jobs, child and youth development, health and human services, information technology, mobility and transportation, environment and climate);
5. Delivery of annual and periodic progress reports.
The mission of the Joint Commission on Racial Justice and Equity is to:
Accelerate Efforts to Institutionalize Racial Justice and Equity within County and City Government and to Advance its Adoption Throughout the Region.
The vision of the Joint Commission on Racial Justice and Equity is:
To End Racism in City and County Government and To Achieve Racial Equity and Justice Across Our Community.
The responsibilities of the Joint Commission on Racial Justice and Equity’s are to:
1. Develop and distribute information about racial justice and equity in the City and County;
2. Promote educational activities that increase the understanding of racial justice and equity in the City and County;
3. Recommend coordinated strategies for reducing inequity in racial justice and equity in the City and County;
4. Develop a performance management platform for communicating progress towards achieving racial justice and equity;
5. Advise the Peoria City Council and Peoria County Board, their executives, and City and County agencies about racial justice and equity in the County, and recommend policies, programs, legislation, or regulations necessary to reduce racial and social justice inequity;
6. Subject Matter Experts: Engage select subject matter experts to obtain the best possible data and obtain the best possible evaluations of racial justice and equity impact;
7. Citizen Engagement: Engage a variety of citizen groups for the purpose of soliciting community feedback using a variety of techniques including, but not limited to, surveying, town hall meetings, and public forums;
8. Submit an annual report by December 1 of each year to the Peoria City Council and Peoria County Board on the activities of the Committee.
Due to overwhelming interest, the Mayor and County Board Chairman would like to amend the Charter to establish a Steering Committee and appoint all the subcommittee members to the overall Commission. The size of the Steering Committee shall be no less than 15 members and no more than 22 members. At least half and at most three-quarters of the members are racially diverse. The City Council and County Board may each appoint Ex Officio Members of the Joint Commission on Racial Justice and Equity. All members shall reside in Peoria County. At least half and at most three-quarters of the members will reside in the City of Peoria. To represent the youth of the community, at least two members shall be between the ages of 17 and 25 at the time of their appointment.
The revisions to the Charter and the appointments to the Commission are included in the attached documents.
A Nominating Committees shall be established to make the appointments to the Commission. The County Board and the City Council shall appoint one member from each body. The Nominating Committee will make recommendations to the respective entities about appointments to the Joint Commission. Co-Chairs of the Commission would be established and made by the Peoria County Board Chairman and by the Mayor with the advice and consent of the respective legislative bodies as may be required.
The City’s Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer shall provide administrative support to the Committee and participate in the Commission deliberations. Legal support shall be provided by the City Corporation Counsel. Clerical support shall be provided by the Peoria County Administration.
The Commission shall establish committees to examine the condition of the County and City with respect to inequity and institutional and structural racism and to determine strategies for advancing racial justice and equity. The Committees shall develop a policy agenda pertaining to their defined area to advance racial justice and equity. The Committees shall recommend coordinated strategies for reducing inequity in racial justice and equity to the full Commission.
The Committees include:
1. Child & youth development
2. Economic development & jobs
3. Environment & climate
4. Health & human services
5. Housing
6. Information & technology
7. Justice system
8. Transportation & mobility
FINANCIAL IMPACT: Additional funding may be required to develop a racial equity strategic plan. Initially, grant funds have been received by ICC to provide initial support to the Commission efforts.
NEIGHBORHOOD CONCERNS: Racial equity is a concern for every neighborhood.
IMPACT IF APPROVED: The Steering Committee would be established and the Commission Members appointed.
IMPACT IF DENIED: The Steering Committee would not be established and the Commission Members not appointed.
ALTERNATIVES: N/A
EEO CERTIFICATION NUMBER: N/A
WHICH OF THE GOALS IDENTIFIED IN THE COUNCIL’S 2017 - 2032 STRATEGIC PLAN DOES THIS RECOMMENDATION ADVANCE?
1. Financially Sound City
2. Safe Peoria
3. Grow Peoria
WHICH CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTOR(S) FROM THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN DOES THIS RECOMMENDATION IMPLEMENT?
1. Reinvest in neighborhoods.
2. Grow employers and jobs.
3. Reduce crime.
DEPARTMENT: City Manager's Office