31. Shade Tree Planting. Shade trees shall be planted such that 50 percent of the uncovered stalls will be in shade at noon at landscape maturity. Planters containing trees shall not be less than four feet in width and shall be protected by wheel stops or curbs.
32. Tree Planting. All trees shall be planted and staked with Reddy stakes (or equivalent) in accordance with city standards.
33. Street Tree Master Plan. A Final Street Tree Master Planting Plan shall be approved prior to the issuance of the first building permit. The plan shall be reviewed for conformance with the Spring Lake Approved Street Tree list and shall be reviewed and approved by the Community Development Department and the City’s Community Services Department, Urban Forestry division. A soils test shall be submitted that will assist in appropriate species selection. Trees shall be a minimum of 15-gallons in size.
A minimum of two alternate species shall be provided per street.
34. Tree and Utility Planting Plan. Due to the smaller lots, utilities shall be carefully located in order to ensure that each lot can maintain one street tree without conflict.
Coordination in the placement of all utilities in relation to street trees shall be required.
A Plan set illustrating tree and utility placement will be required prior to issuance of building permits and shall be coordinated with the Street Tree Master Plan
35. Public Landscaping. Landscaping design, materials, installation and maintenance in roadways, medians, greenbelts, subdivision trails, and other public areas shall be consistent with applicable City requirements. Landscaping shall satisfy and fully implement Development Regulations 2.15.1 and 4.16 (Tree Canopy), 2.22 (Drought – tolerant plantings), 4.17 (Timing of landscaping), 4.17.1 (landscaping at intersections),
4.18 and 4.19 (bikeway and landscaping) and 7.13 (public landscaping). Due to the unique nature of the housing product and site conditions, minor modification may be permitted subject to review and approval of the Community Development Department
36. Utility Design. The location of all utility structures shall be coordinated with and depicted on the landscaping plans. Location and installation of utility structures shall be to the satisfaction of the Community Development Director and City Engineer.
Public utility lines, along public street frontages and /or landscaped areas shall be underground type unless otherwise approved by the Community Development Director and City Engineer. The applicant shall ensure consistency with Development Regulation 2.11 (Utilities), 2.13 (connectivity), 2.21 (utility facilities) and 6.17 through
6.19 (general utility requirements).
37. Street and Lot Lighting. Lights along local roads and in public use areas shall be consistent with SL Development Regulation 2.22.2. The project shall install LED streetlights to meet City Standards in effect at the time improvement plans are completed.
38. Residential Fencing. All wood fence footings and foundations shall be constructed of galvanized steel, reinforced concrete, or masonry. No treated wood materials in contact with the ground will be permitted. All wood fencing shall be stained with a semi- transparent or opaque water sealant to prevent water damage and staining.
Consideration shall be given to the use of wood with integral stain. All required notes/details shall be provided on plans prior to the issuance of permits. Fencing shall comply with Section 2.9 of the SL Design Standards.
39. Fencing Plan. Prior to issuance of building permits submit a final fencing plan for review and approval which identifies the material, location and design of all fencing on the project, including perimeter, good neighbor, interconnecting walkways and paths and accent fencing.
40. North Property Wall. The existing fencing along the north boundary of the project shall be replaced with wood fence that will be a minimum of six-feet in height, on either side as measured from the finished pad elevation. The location and design of the fence shall be shown on the Improvement Plans for the project. The design shall be approved by the Community Development Department prior to approval of Improvement Plans.
OWNER shall work with the adjacent property owners to obtain necessary permission to remove the existing fencing and install the new fencing.
41. Double Wall Treatment. Should OWNER be unable to obtain necessary rights of entry from property owners to remove the existing fencing and construct new fences in condition 40 above, OWNER shall propose new construction design for the City’s approval that does not need adjacent property owners’ approval and minimizes a nuisance or hazard double wall condition.
42. On-Site Parking. In no case shall the number parking spaces be reduced without prior approval of the Community Development Director.
43. A light sand finish stucco texture shall be utilized on all homes and window trim (as used in Oyang South development, located off of Christenson Circle south of the Ruby Estates site) (no lace texture).
MITIGATION MEASURES
44. SLSP Mitigation Requirements. The project applicant shall comply with all mitigations required by the TOC EIR Mitigation Monitoring Program including provided as Attachment A to the SLSP, as well as adherence to the Yolo HCP/NCCP, any further analysis provided through additional studies and evaluations required to ensure compliance with mitigations. This includes a pre-construction and/or tree removal survey by a qualified biologist that will include a Raptor and a Ground Nesting Raptor Survey (4.5-3).
45. Ground Nesting Raptor Survey. Pursuant to Mitigation Measure 4.5-3(a), thirty (30) days prior to commencement of grading or any site work, the applicant shall have prepared and submitted a survey for ground nesting raptors (e.g. norther harrier and burrowing owl). This survey shall be prepared by a qualified raptor biologist using appropriate protocol acceptable to responsible agencies. If survey nesting raptor species are found, then mitigation measures 4.5-3(b-d) of the Spring Lake Specific Plan Mitigation Monitoring Plan shall be followed. Survey results are valid only for the season when construction activity occurs.
46. Pre-Construction or Pre-tree Pruning or Removal. Each landowner or applicant shall conduct a pre-construction or pre-tree pruning or removal survey of trees greater than 30 feet tall during the raptor breeding season (March 1- September 15). The survey shall be conducted for a half mile around the proposed site at which any construction activity is proposed. The survey shall be conducted by a qualified raptor biologist during the same calendar year that the proposed activity is planned to begin to determine if any nesting birds-of-prey would be affected.
47. Environmental Noise Analysis. The design of the project shall comply with the exterior and interior noise level requirements of the Noise Element of the City of Woodland General Plan
48. Geotechnical. The design and construction of improvements shall be in accordance with recommendations contained in the Conclusions and Recommendations Section of the Preliminary Geotechnical Engineering Report.
49. Air Quality Directives. Owner shall comply with Air Quality Management District directives as specified in Development Regulation 2.12 for both off-road and on-road low-emissions heavy-duty vehicles and construction equipment during all grading and construction. (SLSP page 7-4, Regulation 7.3).
50. Mosquito Vector Control. Prior to each construction season, each landowner or applicant with a project under construction shall consult with, and implement the recommendations of the Mosquito Vector Control District regarding control of mosquitoes, black gnats, and other vectors.
51. Construction Recycling. Prior to the commencement of construction on any project, the applicant shall ensure that the construction contractor has established construction recycling measures pursuant to the requirements of the Mitigation Monitoring Plan and all other City requirements. (MM 4.13-18)
52. Dust Suppression. Applicant shall comply with all dust suppression requirements during all grading and construction activities (SLSP Regulation 7.4)
53. Off-site Improvements. Off-site improvements must satisfy the requirements of SLSP and SLSP MM including but not limited to Development Regulation 6.13 and Mitigation Measure 4.5-7.
54. Cultural Resources. During grading or any site work, development must comply with Development Regulation 7.22 (MM 4.10-1)
55. CEQA Filing Fees. Within five working days after project approval, the applicant shall pay a mandatory Notice of Determination recording fee of $50 (or latest fee in effect at time of payment) for County Clerk processing, made payable to Yolo County Clerk and submitted to the Woodland Community Development Department, or the City may apply funds from applicant’s deposit for the recording fee. To the extent applicable, if the required filing fee is not paid for a project, the project will not be operative, vested, or final and any local permits issued for the project will be invalid(Section 711.4)(3) of the Fish and Game Code.) NOTE: If the fee is not paid within five days after approval of the project, it will extend time frames for CEQA legal challenges.
DEVELOPMENT ENGINEERING
Roadways
56. The applicant shall replace all cracked and broken sidewalk along the project frontage.
57. The applicant shall replace all frontage that does not meet ADA standards with City- Standard ADA-compliant driveways, curb, gutter or sidewalk.
58. The applicant shall replace/install City-Standard ADA-compliant curb ramps.
59. Miekle Avenue is under moratorium for cuts into the new street (accepted on 5/4/2021; moratorium expires on 5/4/2028). City understands and acknowledges that Applicant will make certain cuts to make connections to various existing utilities in Miekle Avenue including sanitary sewer, storm drainage and water pipes. Applicant understands that all such repairs to Miekle Avenue shall include surface restoration consistent with City standards. Private Roadways/Alleys shall be constructed to City standard structural sections, with a minimum of 4” AC over 12” AB or as otherwise recommended by a certified soils report. Should there be a need for the City to maintain/repair public utilities requiring trenching through private alleys, such repair shall include surface restoration consistent with City standards.
60. This project shall complete the traffic signal improvements at the intersection of County Road 25A and County Road 102. This work is reimbursable through the SLIF program.
Easements and Right of Way
61. Appropriate easements shall be required for City maintained facilities located outside of City owned property or the public right-of-way.
62. A ten (10) foot public utility easement back of separated sidewalk, adjacent to all public streets within the development shall be dedicated to the City and may be required elsewhere as requested by the utility companies and approved by the City.
63. Final map shall dedicate easements to allow connection of sewer, water, storm drain facilities across parcels and vehicular and pedestrian access, so that each parcel may attach to the public system. Easements may be dedicated through one of the following mechanisms:
A.A legally binding CC&R document, reviewed and approved by the City and recorded on the title of the land;
B.Prior to approval of the final map the applicant shall enter into an Agreement for Conveyance of Easements and record it against the property. The map shall reference the agreement; or
C.A statement on the map as follows “We hereby reserve easements for reciprocal private access, drainage, utilities, and maintenance, on, over, and across Parcels and these easements shall bind and insure to the benefit of the heirs, administrators, executors, and successors of the grantors and are for the benefit of each of Parcels so described.”
Landscaping
64. Public landscape strips (between back of curb and sidewalk) along the public streets (Miekle Avenue and County Road 25A) are considered a public improvement. Design and construction of public landscaping areas shall be included in plans and proceed concurrent with adjacent development.
All public landscape areas shall connect to the City’s water service, meter and irrigation system and shall be maintained by the City though a City Lighting and Landscape District. Applicant shall annex into the existing Spring Lake Landscape and Lighting District (which includes landscaping on CR-25A and Miekle)
65. Trees within the Public Landscape strip shall be irrigated per City of Woodland Standards via connection to onsite water service, meter and irrigation system. City will maintain trees within the public landscape area.
Wastewater and Sewer Collection System
66. Sewer mains, including sewer wyes, throughout the project shall be publicly owned and maintained. Sewer laterals, including cleanouts, up to the connection point at the wye shall be privately owned and maintained. All publicly owned and maintained sewer facilities shall be within a public utility easement. Privately owned sewers shall be designed to City standards.
67. Sewer Mains shall not be less than 8” in diameter and shall be constructed to public/City standards.
68. The property shall be connected to the City of Woodland sewer system, with a separate sewer lateral required for each parcel, in accordance with City of Woodland standards.
69. The Tentative Map Sewer Plan showing sewer routing, pipe slopes and sizing and locations, are preliminary only and do not constitute approval in any way. Final approval for the Sewer Plan shall occur with the final improvements based on the requirements set forth in these conditions of approval.
70. Top-of-line sewer mains shall terminate with a manhole (not a cleanout).
71. Abandon all unused stubs to the property per city standards.
Storm Water
72. Applicant shall design and construct drainage improvements consistent with the most recent version of the City's Storm Drainage Master Plan criteria and Standard Specifications and Details. If required, the pad heights may have to be raised from those shown on the preliminary grading plan of the tentative map.
73. Storm drain systems shall be private and the responsibility of the HOA. Private ownership and maintenance responsibilities shall terminate at the first connection point (manhole or inlet) to the City’s system within a public street. Privately owned lines shall be constructed to City standards and shall not be less than 18” in diameter. (Note connection day lighting at the driveway is not permitted, connections will need to be at a manhole in the street.).
74. Abandon all unused stubs to the property per city standards.
Storm Water Quality Control
75. Construction of projects disturbing more than one acre of soil shall require a National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) construction permit.
Applications/projects disturbing less than one acre of soil shall implement BMP’s to prevent and minimize erosion. The improvement plans for construction of less than 1 acre shall include a BMP to be approved by the City Engineer.
Prior to Building Permit Owner shall submit post construction work sheet in accordance with Appendix 8 of the City’s Post Construction Standards Manual; to demonstrate how the project is meeting low impact development standards, Hydromodification standards, and Storm Water Quality Standards.
76. OWNER may reference the City’s Post Construction Standards Manual on the web.
http://www.cityofwoodland.org/gov/depts/cd/divisions/engineering/development/ h2oquality.asp
Water Infrastructure
77. All materials and installation of the water system shall be at the developer’s expense per City of Woodland Standard Specifications and Details.
78. Water meters shall be owned and maintained by the City. Water meters shall not be located in driveways; unless specifically and individually approved by the City Engineer.
79. Water mains, water laterals, and water meters throughout the project shall be publicly owned and maintained up to and including the meter. All publicly owned and maintained water facilities shall be within a public utility easement. Water laterals beyond the meter are considered private. Private water facilities shall be constructed in accordance with City Standards.
80. Until such time as actual service connections are approved for the subdivision, the water agency may withhold water service due to a water shortage declared by the water agency.
81. The Tentative Map Water Plan showing water routing, sizing and locations, are preliminary only and do not constitute approval in any way. Final approval for the Water Plan shall occur with the final improvements based on the requirements set forth in these conditions of approval.
82. Abandon all unused stubs to the property per city standards.
83. Any fire hydrant installed will require, in addition to the blue reflector noted in Standard Drawings, an additional blue reflector and glue kit that is to be supplied to the City of Woodland Fire Department for replacement purposes.
84. The project shall have a separate metered water service that is solely for the landscape irrigation system.
85. Tees on water mains shall be equipped with two (2) valves; crosses shall be equipped with three (3) valves. Avoid locating valves on deep (>60") water line sections and inside concrete areas wherever possible to facilitate repairs.
86. 8” dead-end mains serving only 6 homes will result in stagnant water requiring frequent flushing. Reduce dead end main sizes to 6” (or 4” if sprinkler calcs allow) and place a blow off at the end of the line.
Grading
87. A topographic survey of the entire site and a comprehensive grading and drainage plan prepared by a registered civil engineer, shall be required for the development. The plan shall include topographic information on adjacent parcels. In addition to grading information, the grading plan shall indicate all existing trees, and trees to be removed as a result of the proposed development, if any. A statement shall appear on the site grading and drainage plan, which shall be signed by a registered civil engineer or land surveyor and shall read, “I hereby state that all improvements have been substantially constructed as presented on these plans”. Reference the City of Woodland Engineering Design and Construction Standards for additional requirements.
88. The Tentative map Preliminary Grading plan showing grading and drainage information including topographic information, drainage routing, pipe slopes and sizing and locations, and overland drainage routing are preliminary only and do not constitute approval in any way. Final approval for the grading and Drainage Plan shall occur with the final improvements based on the requirements set forth in these conditions of approval.
89. The differential in elevation between rear and side abutting lot lines shall not exceed twelve inches (12") without construction of concrete or masonry block retaining walls.
Fees
90. The Owner shall pay all required fees for processing final maps (technical check) with final map submittal.
91. Prior to approval of improvement plans, the Owner shall pay all fees for plan check and inspection of offsite infrastructure improvements, as approved by City Council and defined in the City Fee Schedule. If Owner pays a deposit only at improvement plan submittal, the balance shall be paid prior to improvement plan approval by the City Engineer. If contract inspection is necessary for the project Owner shall prefund a liability account and sign an advanced funding agreement.
92. Owner shall pay applicable Development Impact Fees or connection fees in effect at the time of building permit issuance
93. Owner agrees to pay to City a general purpose fee, a total of $5,000 per building permit, to be used for the City Southeast Area Aquatics Center Project. Payment shall be made at time of approval of final map. Final determination of cost shall be made at time of payment and shall be based on inflationary cost increases (Construction Cost Index (CCI)).
At final Map Owner shall pay Transit Capital fee of $247 per lot for a total of 21,489 and a Transit Operating Fee of $51 per lot for a total of $4,437.
At final Map Owner shall pay a fee of $771 per lot for SL fire operations for a total of $67,077.
94. The conditions of approval set forth herein include certain fees, dedication requirements, reservation requirements and/or other exactions. Pursuant to Government Code, Section 66020(d), these conditions constitute written notice of the amount of such fees, and a description of the dedications, reservations and other exactions.
The applicant is hereby notified that the 90-day protest period, commencing from the date of project approval, has begun. If the applicant fails to file a timely protest regarding any of the fees, dedication requirements, reservation requirements and/or other exactions contained in this notice, complying with all the requirements of Government Code, Section 66020, the applicant will be legally barred from later challenging such fees, dedications requirements, reservation requirements and/or other such exactions. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the City does not waive any rights it may have to enforce any settlement agreement, memorandum of understanding, or other agreement with the applicant which authorizes the City to impose certain fees, and which may waive the applicant's right to challenge the imposition of some or all of the fees, dedication requirements, reservation requirements, and/or other exactions set forth in these conditions of approval.
General Conditions
95. Other than on-site street width, all civil improvements for water, sewer, storm, electrical, roadway sections, markings, and appurtenances shall conform to City Standards.
96. Applicant shall install a 6’ tall masonry wall along the County Road 25A project frontage. The cost for this improvement is reimbursable through the SLIF program.
97. Minimum standards for onsite lighting shall require the project to meet City municipal code standards for lighting of parking areas. In addition to lighting in the shared open space and along the paseos and walking paths within the development.
98. Developer shall document and show evidence that all tentative map conditions are met or secured with submittal of final map.
99. Enter into a (Subdivision) Improvement Agreement for the construction of public improvements prior to construction of any improvements, approval of improvement plans, approval of final map, or building permits.
100. Prepare improvement plans for the project which shall include any work within the public right-of-way and public utility easements, as applicable, and submit them to the Public Works department for review and approval. The improvement plan sheets shall include the title block as outlined in the City of Woodland Standard Specifications.
This submittal is separate from the building permit submittal. All public improvements shall conform to the current City of Woodland Standard Specifications.
101. Submit proposed Street names to fire department for approval with a copy to Public Works prior to improvement plan or final map submittal. 102. Public improvements (within public right-of-way) in addition to roadway construction shall include water, sewer and storm drain mains, Fire hydrants, street lights, and landscaping.
103. Submit an application for reapportionment of assessments with the parcel map or subdivision map.
104. If improvements are constructed and/or installed by a party or parties other than the Developer, which improvements benefit Developer’s property, Developer shall pay a proportionate share of the costs of said improvements, including interest, prior to the issuance of building permit(s) (approval of the final map) to Developer. [City confirmed this condition has been satisfied.]
105. If conditions for the project require Owner to construct improvements which benefit parties other than Owner, and are subject to reimbursement by others as determined by the City Engineer, Owner may request to enter into a reimbursement agreement drafted by the City. City shall endeavor to collect reimbursements from the benefiting party (ies) including requiring payment prior to approval of any entitlements for benefiting party(ies). All reimbursement agreements shall be executed prior to final map approval.
106. Final map shall tie into two City control network monuments in accordance with the City’s electronic submission ordinance
107. This project is subject to the construction and demolition debris recycling and diversion ordinance; contact the City’s Environmental Resource Analyst, at 661-2063 for more information.
108. Joint trench/utility plans shall be submitted to the City Engineer for review, prior to approval of the final map and improvement plans.
109. U.S. Post Office mailbox locations shall be shown on the improvement plans subject to approval by the City Engineer and Postmaster.
BUILDING
110. This project must meet all criteria and mandates for these City Adopted codes or the most current code:
a. 2019 California Residential Code
b. 2019 California Building Code
c. 2019 California Plumbing Code
d. 2019 California Mechanical Code
e. 2019 California Electrical Code
f. 2019 Building Energy Efficiency Standards
g. 2019 California Green Building Code
h. The Code of the City of Woodland (in accordance with the Agreement). 111. Other City and County Agencies (Health, Fire, Public Works, and Planning) may be required to approve the project prior to a building permit being issued. a. Recycle plan is required at time of permit issuance along with a deposit. b. Prior to any demolition work being performed, clearance from Yolo Solano Air Quality Management District is required.
112. Any deferred submittals that are not a part of the initial permit application must be listed on the cover sheet of the plan at the time of application for the project.\ 113. All plans, computations and specifications to be prepared and designed by an architect or engineer licensed by the state of California. 114. A licensed architect or licensed engineer shall be responsible for reviewing and coordinating all submittal documents prepared by others, including deferred submittal items, for compatibility with the design of the building. 115. A soils investigation report shall be provided as specified in section 1803.2 of the 2016 CBC.
116. Because this project is located in an area known to contain expansive soils and per Woodland General Plan Policy document, Part II, Policy 8.A.9, “The City shall require the use of special bending-resistant designs where foundations must be slab-on-grade in areas with expansive soil.” And per CBC 1808.6, footings or foundations for buildings founded on expansive soils shall be designed in accordance with CBC 1808.6.1 and for concrete slab-on ground foundations the design shall be in accord with CBC 1808.6.2 and PTI Standard Requirement for Design of Shallow Post-Tensioned Concrete Foundations on Expansive Soils or WR/CRSI Design of Slab-on-Ground Foundations and the specific recommendations as noted in the geotechnical engineering report. Please submit plans and calculations stamped and signed by a California register Civil or Structural Engineer or Architect showing compliance. Woodland General Plan Policy Document, Part II, Policy 8.A.9, CBC 1803.5.3 and CBC 1808.6.
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
AGENDA: City Council Regular Meeting
DATE: August 16, 2022
ITEM #: I.16
SUBJECT: Re-allocation of $200,000 from CIP 14-02, Water Pollution and Asset Replacement Project to CIP 14-07, Sewer/Wastewater Treatment Master Plan
Recommendation for Action: Staff recommends that the City Council adopt Resolution No. _____, to re- allocate $200,000 from CIP 14-02, Water Pollution and Asset Replacement Project to CIP 14-07, Sewer/Wastewater Treatment Master Plan.
Staff Contact:
Chris Fong, Senior Associate Civil Engineer, (530) 661-5972, [email protected]
Fiscal Impact:
The City has an ongoing asset replacement project associated with the City's Water Pollution Control Facility (WPCF) to plan and fund equipment replacement at the WPCF. The overall project budget for the WPCF asset replacement project is $6,247,119 in CIP 14-02 as identified in the FY 2022/23 budget approved by the City Council on June 21, 2022.
Since CIP 14-02 encompasses multiple projects, staff created and the Council approved CIP 14-07 to allow better tracking of costs. CIP 14-07 has an overall project budget of $841,500 as approved by the City Council on June 21, 2022. The purpose of CIP 14-07 was to prepare a WPCF Master Plan to identify the future direction, priorities, and capital improvement projects for the WPCF. City staff are coming to the Council at this time to re-allocate $200,000 from CIP 14-02 to CIP 14-07.
There is no impact on the general fund as both CIP 14-02 and 14-07 are sewer enterprise funded (Fund 220).
Background:
City staff are currently working on an update to the City's WPCF Master Plan. City Engineering and Operations staff are working to identify specific repair and replacement projects to keep the WPCF operating as designed. However, a larger planning effort is necessary to predict improvements and replacements that are necessary to meet the Facility's current/upcoming permit requirements and to keep the WPCF in operation.
Discussion:
As staff has been working on this master plan document, the need for several small contracts has been identified to investigate issues raised by the Regional Water Quality Control Board. The re-allocation of $200,000 from CIP 14-02 to CIP 14-07 will provide staff with sufficient funding to pay for this additional work.
Conclusion:
Staff recommends that the City Council adopt Resolution No. _____, to re-allocate $200,000 from CIP 14-02, Water Pollution and Asset Replacement Project to CIP 14-07, Sewer/Wastewater Treatment Master Plan.
Prepared by: Chris Fong, Senior Associate Civil Engineer
Reviewed by: Brent Meyer, Community Development Director/City Engineer
Attachments:
1. Resolution
RESOLUTION NO. ___
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF WOODLAND APPROVING RE-ALLOCATION OF $200,000 FROM CIP 14-02, WATER POLLUTION AND ASSET REPLACEMENT PROJECT, TO CIP 14-07, SEWER/WASTEWATER TREATMENT
MASTER PLAN
WHEREAS, the City identified the Sewer / Wastewater Treatment Master Plan, CIP 14-07, to be a priority by its inclusion as part of the FY 2022/23 Capital Budget approved by the City Council on June 21, 2021; and
WHEREAS, the City Council wishes to re-allocate $200,000 from CIP 14-02, Water Pollution and Asset Replacement Project, to CIP 14-07, Sewer/Wastewater Treatment Master Plan and authorize its execution through the adoption of this Resolution; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF WOODLAND AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. The above recitals are true and correct and incorporated as if fully set forth herein.
Section 2. The City Council hereby approves the re-appropriation of $200,000 from CIP 14-02, Water Pollution and Asset Replacement Project, to CIP 14-07, Sewer/Wastewater Treatment Master Plan
Section 3. This Resolution shall be effective as of the date of adoption.
PASSED AND ADOPTED by the City Council of the City of Woodland at a regular meeting of the City Council held on the 16th day of August 2022, by the following vote:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
ABSTAIN:
______________________________
Mayra Vega, Mayor
ATTEST:
_____________________________
Ana B. Gonzalez, City Clerk
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
AGENDA: City Council Regular Meeting
DATE: August 16, 2022
ITEM #: I.17
SUBJECT: Declaration of Surplus Land for 2186 Armus Place and 2190 Armus Place
Recommendation for Action: Staff recommends that the City Council adopt Resolution No. _____, declaring 2186 Armus Place (APN 042-533-009) and 2190 Armus Place (APN 042-533-010) as surplus land in accordance with the California Surplus Land Act.
Staff Contact:
Dago Fierros, Housing Analyst II – 530-661-2019, [email protected]
Fiscal Impact:
There would be no fiscal impact related to this item. If the subject properties are sold, it would result in a fiscal impact, to be determined.
Background:
In 2008, the City accepted the two graded lots (2186 and 2190 Armus Place) from the E & L Company in order to facilitate the sale of E & L’s 28 market rate lots in the Heidrick Ranch Phase I to Meritage Homes. E & L was experiencing financial difficulties and the City’s acceptance of the lots relieved Meritage of the affordable housing responsibility for the lots.
The two City-owned parcels, totaling approximately 0.27 acres are shown in Attachment 2, and include the following, identified by the Assessor Parcel Number and approximate location:
2186 Armus Place – APN: 042-533-009 (4,356 square foot lot within the Heidrick Ranch Phase I Subdivision, on the southwest corner of Armus Place and Brubaker Street). 2190 Armus Place – APN: 042-533-010 (7,405 square foot lot within the Heidrick Ranch Phase I Subdivision, on the southwest corner of Armus Place and Brubaker Street).
In 2012, the City offered to donate the two lots to Habitat for Humanity of Yolo County conditioned on the award of a YouthBuild grant by the federal government. The grant was not awarded and the City later met officials of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Sacramento (which had merged with Habitat for Humanity of Yolo County) and offered to donate the two lots and provide other assistance for the construction of affordable units, but Habitat for Humanity of Greater Sacramento did not pursue the offer. As the properties have been vacant and the City is not in the position to construct units on these parcels, staff has explored the sale of the two vacant lots at Heidrick Ranch Phase I Subdivision located within the Spring Lake Specific Plan area.
Discussion:
Before the City can sell its property, the City Council must take formal action declaring the subject City-owned properties as surplus property. Adoption of the attached Resolution would declare the subject properties as surplus land.
The Surplus Land Act (SLA) (Government Code section 54220 et seq.) governs how local agencies, including the City, dispose of and inventory real property owned in fee simple by the local agency that is no longer necessary for agency use and is surplus to its needs.
Assembly Bill 1486 (Chapter 664, Statutes of 2019) amended the SLA, to further promote affordable housing development on unused or underutilized local agency property, and expanded the requirements for local agencies prior to the disposition and disposal of any “surplus land.” The California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) currently reviews each local agency’s notices, negotiations conducted, and copies of restrictions recorded against the property.
The SLA requires all local agencies to prioritize affordable housing, as well as parks and open space, when disposing of surplus land. Upon the City’s determination that the subject properties are surplus land, the procedures set forth in Government Code Section 54220 et seq. must be followed. Those procedures require the City to offer the sale or lease of surplus land to certain entities for a period of 60 days by transmitting a written Notice of Availability to those entities, including:
1. For the purpose of developing low and moderate-income housing, a written notice of availability of the surplus land shall be sent to any “local public entity” as defined in Health and Safety Code 50079 within whose jurisdiction the surplus land is located and to “Housing Sponsors” that have notified the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) of their interest in surplus land.
2. For open space purposes, a written notice of availability of the surplus land shall be sent to local park districts.
3. For the purpose of use by a school district for school facilities construction or open space purposes, a written notice of availability of surplus land shall be sent to the Woodland Joint Unified School District.
4. For the purpose of developing property within an infill opportunity zone or an area covered by a transit village plan, a written notice of availability shall be sent to any local government, public transportation agency, and housing authority with jurisdiction over the parcels of surplus land. If the City receives correspondence expressing interest from any of the above entities after transmitting a written notice of availability, the City is required to enter into good faith negotiations concerning the price and terms of the sale with that entity for a period of 90 days. The City is not required to accept less than Fair Market Value for the property. If the price and terms cannot be agreed upon after 90 days (or if no entity gives notice of interest), the City may sell the surplus land without further regard to the surplus land procedures. One mode of disposal is a Request for Proposal (RFP) process.
If the City disposes of land in violation of the SLA, the City is liable for a penalty of 30 percent of the final sale price of the land sold in violation of the SLA and 50 percent for any subsequent violation.
The action is exempt from environmental review pursuant to the State CEQA Guidelines (Cal. Code Regs., tit. 14, section 15312) which applies to the declaration and sale of surplus government property.
Conclusion:
Staff recommends that the City Council adopt Resolution No. _____, declaring 2186 Armus Place (APN 042- 533-009) and 2190 Armus Place (APN 042-533-010) as surplus land in accordance with the California Surplus Land Act.
Prepared by: Dago Fierros, Housing Analyst II
Reviewed by: Christine Engel, Community Services Director
Attachments:
1. Resolution Declaring 2186 and 2190 Armus Place Surplus
2. Location Map of City-Owned Parcels - 2186 and 2190 Armus Place
RESOLUTION NO.
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF WOODLAND, CALIFORNIA, DECLARING PROPERTY LOCATED AT 2186 ARMUS PLACE (APN 042-533-009) AND 2190 ARMUS PLACE (APN 042-533-010) AS SURPLUS LAND WHEREAS, the California Surplus Land Act (”Act”) (Government Code Section 54220 et seq.) requires that before the City of Woodland (“City”) takes any action to sell or lease its property, it must declare the property to be surplus land; and WHEREAS, surplus land means land owned in fee simple by the City for which the City Council takes formal action in a regular meeting declaring such land is surplus and is not necessary for the City’s use; and
WHEREAS, the City must give written notice of its availability of the properties for sale to public entities within the properties’ jurisdiction, housing sponsors, and the California Department of Housing and Community Development, among others; and WHEREAS, the City of Woodland owns two properties within the Heidrick Ranch Phase I Subdivison, totaling approximately 0.27 acres (the “Properties”); and WHEREAS, the first property is located at 2186 Armus Place – APN: 042-533-009 (4,356 square foot lot within the Heidrick Ranch Phase I Subdivision, on the southwest corner of Armus Place and Brubaker Street); and
WHEREAS, the second property is located at 2190 Armus Place – APN: 042-533-010 (7,405 square foot lot within the Heidrick Ranch Phase I Subdivision, on the southwest corner of Armus Place and Brubaker Street); and.
WHEREAS, the City Council finds that the properties at 2186 Armus Place and 2190 Armus Place are surplus land because they are not necessary for the City’s use, as defined in Government Code section 54221(c)(1); and
WHEREAS, the Act requires that before the City Council disposes of the two properties or engages in negotiations to dispose of Properties, the City must send a written Notice of Availability of the properties to certain entities.
WHEREAS, pursuant to the Act, City staff will send a written Notice of Availability to the entities and agencies identified in Government Code Section 54222.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City Woodland, California, as follows:
1. The above recitals are true and correct and are a substantive part of this Resolution; and
2. The City Council hereby declares that Properties are surplus land and not necessary for the City’s use, as defined in Government Code section 54221(c)(1) and does not qualify as “exempt surplus land” under Government Code section 54221(f); and
3. The City Council hereby authorizes the City Manager, or his designee, to comply with the requirements of the Act, to send written notices of availability of the Properties for sale to those statutorily entitled to receive it (pursuant to Government Code section 54222), to negotiate the terms of a proposed sale of the Properties, if any, who submit qualified Notices of Interest (pursuant to Government Code sections 54222.5 and 54223), and to otherwise follow the procedures of the Act, as applicable to a proposed sale of the Properties.
4. Any proposed agreement for the sale of the Properties shall be subject to the approval of the City Council.
5. The sale of the Properties as surplus is exempt from environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15312 (Surplus Government Property Sales). However, if development was proposed on the Properties by a subsequent buyer, then that development would be reviewed under CEQA.
6. If any provision of this Resolution or the application thereof to any person or circumstance is held invalid, such invalidity shall not affect other provisions or applications, and to this end the provisions of this Resolution are declared to be severable.
7. This Resolution shall take effective immediately upon its adoption.
PASSED AND ADOPTED by the City Council this 16th day of August, 2022, by the following vote:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
ABSTAIN:
Mayra Vega, Mayor
ATTEST: APPROVED AS TO FORM:
Ana B. Gonzalez, City Clerk Ethan Walsh, City Attorney
2186
Armus
2190
Armus
Location map
of City-owned
lots at
2186 and
2190 Armus
Place.
Exhibit A
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
AGENDA: City Council Regular Meeting
DATE: August 16, 2022
ITEM #: I.18
SUBJECT: Annual Transportation Development Act Claims with the Sacramento Area Council of Governments
Recommendation for Action: Staff recommends that the City Council adopt Resolution No. _____, authorizing the filing of the annual Transportation Development Act Claims with the Sacramento Area Council of Governments.
Staff Contact:
Evis Morales, Finance Officer, (530) 661-5923, [email protected]
Fiscal Impact:
Transportation Development Act (TDA) claims include allocated funding for fiscal years: FY2021/22 $1,606,840, FY2022/23 $2,457,217
Approximately 61% of the funding claimed will be used for expenses budgeted to be paid-out to the Yolo County Transportation District (YCTD) for Fiscal Year FY2022/23 for the provision of public services and 39% of the claim will be allocated to partially offset budgeted expenses for annual street maintenance citywide.
TDA funds, along with gas tax funding, provide the revenue that supports the City's road maintenance programs. The combined revenues of these two sources generally fall short of the annual required appropriations. Measure F, the City's 1/2 cent sales tax, provides supplemental funding through it's annual spending plan to help offset the total cost of these programs.
Background:
Each year the City of Woodland receives an apportionment of funds under the State Transportation Development Act (TDA) for support of public transportation services. One allocation is the Local Transportation Funding (LTF) which includes deposited revenues from 1/4 percent of the sales tax collected on all retail sales in the County. The County-wide LTF is apportioned to the local jurisdictions annually based on population. The second source of funds is an appropriation by the State to the State Transit Assistance (STA) account, and is funded though a portion of the sales tax on diesel fuel. These funds are administered by the Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG).
Discussion:
By law, the first priority for the use of Woodland’s LTF allocations is for transit needs. These transit requirements are handled by the Yolo County Transportation District (YCTD), which submits its annual budget to the City for payment. Any remaining dollars are available for street maintenance, striping, signs, etc., as detailed in the City’s operating budget. STA allocations have not historically been a consistent source of funds available to the City. Any allocation of STA was required to be spent only on transit capital needs; no amounts were permitted for administration or street maintenance. Due to the fuel tax swap enacted by the state in March 2010, this restriction has been temporarily lifted, and STA funds are allowed to be used for operations.
YCTD has made a concerted effort to manage their annual operating costs. However, the District’s budget has continued to increase each year. As the costs of transit services increase, the amount of funding remaining and available for the City’s street maintenance program has been decreasing and will continue to decrease over time, especially given the instability of TDA funding. The City’s long-term transportation funding plan takes
this projected reduction in available funding into account, and results in an increased reliance on Measure F (local ½-cent sales tax) or other supplemental funding in future years.
Conclusion:
Staff recommends that the City Council adopt Resolution No. _____, authorizing the filing of the annual Transportation Development Act Claims with the Sacramento Area Council of Governments.
Prepared by: Evis Morales, Finance Officer
Reviewed by: Kim McKinney, Director of Administrative Services
Attachments:
1. TDA Resolution FY2022-23 Claim
RESOLUTION NO. ____
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF WOODLAND,
CALIFORNIA, AUTHORIZING FILING OF ANNUAL TRANSPORTATION
DEVELOPMENT ACT CLAIMS FOR MULTIPLE FISCAL YEARS WITH THE SACRAMENTO AREA COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS.
WHEREAS the Sacramento Area Council of Governments provides funding for municipalities for the state’s Local Transportation Funds; and WHEREAS the City of Woodland receives annual apportionment of funds under the State Transportation Development Act (TDA) for the support of public transportation services.
NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF WOODLAND HEREBY RESOLVES:
Section 1: In accordance with Chapter 1400, Statues 197; Chapter 161 and 1002; Statutes 1979; and applicable rules and regulations, the City of Woodland is entitled to file a claim for Transportation Development Act apportionment.
Section 2: The Finance Officer of the City of Woodland is hereby authorized to complete and file with the Sacramento Area Council of Governments the 2021/22, and 2022/23 claims for Local Transportation Funds and State Transit Assistance funds.
PASSED AND ADOPTED by the City Council this 16th day of August, 2022, by the following vote:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
ABSTAIN:
Mayra Vega, Mayor
ATTEST: APPROVED AS TO FORM:
Ana B. Gonzalez, City Clerk Ethan Walsh, City Attorney
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
AGENDA: City Council Regular Meeting
DATE: August 16, 2022
ITEM #: I.19
SUBJECT: Approval of Ballot Argument in Favor of Cannabis Tax Ballot Measure
Recommendation for Action: Staff recommends that the City Council approve the Ballot Argument in Favor of the Cannabis Tax Ballot Measure and authorize the Mayor to sign the argument on behalf of the City Council.
Background:
At the June 7, 2022 meeting, City Council adopted Resolution No. 7935 to place a cannabis business tax on the November 8, 2022 ballot. The City has submitted the resolution to the Yolo County Elections Office for placement on the November 8 ballot and the County has confirmed the measure will appear on the ballot as Measure K.
The measure, if passed by the voters, would adopt a local tax to be used for general governmental purposes.
The tax would be equal to a percentage of gross receipts on all cannabis businesses operating within the City.
The measure would allow the City to impose the tax at a maximum rate of up to ten percent of gross receipts of cannabis businesses, though the ordinance provides the City Council with the discretion to impose a lower tax rate if deemed appropriate. The City could additionally set the tax rate for different categories of cannabis uses at different levels, subject to the ten percent maximum rate. The ten percent maximum tax rate could not be increased without subsequent approval by the voters.
The City’s existing cannabis businesses have entered into Operating Agreements with the City pursuant to which they have voluntarily agreed to make certain payments to the City out of their gross receipts to provide additional funding for community benefit. Those Operating Agreements provide that in the event the voters adopt a cannabis business tax, the tax will replace their obligation to make payments under their Operating Agreements from gross receipts.
The City Manager’s Office has drafted a ballot argument in favor of the tax to be approved by the City Council and signed by Mayor Mayra Vega. The ballot argument must be submitted to the Elections Office by August 22, 2022 in order to appear within the voter information guide.
Discussion:
The proposed argument in favor of Measure K emphasizes that the establishment of a reasonable tax on local cannabis businesses will help fund public services supported by the City’s General Fund, including public safety, street repairs, parks and recreation, youth services, and more. In drafting the argument language, staff prioritized brevity, clarity, and public interest in the proposed argument.
The language proposed for the argument in favor of Measure K reads as follows:
Vote YES on Measure K to enact a reasonable tax on local cannabis businesses. Measure K will ensure that Woodland properly supports and regulates our cannabis industry while continuing to invest in important public services including public safety, street repairs, parks and recreation, youth services, and more.
Join your entire Woodland City Council in voting YES on Measure K.
Attachments:
None
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
AGENDA: City Council Regular Meeting
DATE: August 16, 2022
ITEM #: J.20
SUBJECT: Next Steps: Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
Recommendation for Action: Staff recommends that the City Council receive an update on the work of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) subcommittee and review the Subcommittee’s proposal to develop an Equity Action Plan as the first step in a larger framework to prioritize DEI in the City of Woodland.
Staff Contact:
Spencer Bowen, Communications Manager & Policy Analyst | [email protected]
Background:
City Council’s “Destination 2023” Priority Goals state that Woodland will improve the quality of life for residents by “preserving and enhancing Woodland as an inclusive community that is an exceptional place to live, learn, work, play, and engage for current and future generations.” Within that broad goal, Council members emphasized that Woodland should prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion both within our workplace and in the public services we provide.
To analyze the City’s efforts, including a needs assessment and set of policy recommendations, the City partnered with a team of UC Berkeley public policy graduate students. These students performed their analysis between January and May 2022 and presented their findings to Council in June 2022. After their presentation, Council members unanimously voted to create a subcommittee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) to develop next steps.
Discussion:
An Equity Action Plan will guide the City through the difficult but necessary work of turning the students’ report into tangible and positive change for our community. Should the City Council direct the DEI subcommittee to proceed, the subcommittee will rely on the findings and recommendations of the report, including its suggestion to utilize resources from the Government Alliance on Racial and Equity (GARE).
GARE’s network of local governments develops toolkits and research that help public servants advance racial equity – essentially, GARE creates resources by and for fellow local governments interested in this important work. GARE's "Racial Equity Action Plan: A How-To Manual" toolkit is attached for reference.
The DEI subcommittee suggests developing an action plan that will address both internal and external diversity, equity, and inclusion goals. The report and GARE toolkits recommend beginning this process by identifying desired results in the Woodland community. Within the broad internal and external categories, the subcommittee suggests the following draft “results”:
Internal Work:
Result #1: City staff, leadership, and elected officials understand and are committed to racial equity
External Work:
Result #2: Woodland residents are well-served and feel included by City programs and outreach Result #3: City policies and structures prioritize equitable opportunity, justice, and safety
Should the City Council direct the subcommittee to begin this work, the team would follow a results-based accountability process as recommended by the report, GARE, and the subcommittee members. This process will provide structure to help the City understand progress in various areas, which changes will strengthen our ability to advance equity, what actions will bring about those changes, and how the City will remain accountable to the plan. The attached visualization briefly summarizes the steps.
For example, within the result related to City staff, leadership, and elected officials, the Equity Action Plan might identify:
Indicators such as disaggregated staff data
Outcomes such as “The City of Woodland increases community representation and diversity in its workforce”
Actions such as developing a Youth Fellowship program Accompanying accountability measures for each action that clarify who will lead the effort, by when it should be completed, how it will be reported, and what measures will determine success.
Importantly, the subcommittee’s work would be informed by stakeholder engagement from both City staff members and community members. Should the City Council direct the creation of an Equity Action Plan, the subcommittee will involve our community through mixed-methods engagement, including interviews, focus groups, and more.
Conclusion:
Staff recommends that the City Council receive an update on the work of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Subcommittee and review the Subcommittee’s proposal to develop an Equity Action Plan as the first step in a larger framework to prioritize DEI in the City of Woodland.
Prepared by: Spencer Bowen, Communications Manager & Policy Analyst
Attachments:
1. GARE-Racial-Equity-Action-Plans
2. DEI Results Based Accountability Visualization
TOOLKIT
Racial
Equity
Action
Plans
A How-to Manual
by Ryan Curren, Julie Nelson, Dwayne S. Marsh, Simran Noor, and Nora Liu RACIALEQUITYALLIANCE.ORG
Authors
Ryan Curren, Julie Nelson, Dwayne S. Marsh, Simran Noor, and Nora Liu Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank the following individuals who contributed to this guide by participating in interviews and editing:
Rachelle Galloway-Popotas, Ebonye Gussine Wilkins
report cit Ation
Curren R., Nelson, J., Marsh, D.S., Noor, S., Liu, N.
“Racial Equity Action Plans, A How-to Manual.”:
Haas Institute for a Fair and Inclusive Society,
University of California, Berkeley, 2016
This toolkit is published by the
Government Alliance on Race and Equity,
a national network of government working to achieve
racial equity and advance opportunities for all.
GARE is a joint project of
RACIALEQUITYALLIANCE.ORG
3 Government
Alliance on
Race and Equity
TOOLKIT
Racial Equity
Action Plans
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Executive Summary ...............................................4 Achieving Local Government’s
Vision of Racial Equity ................................... 6 Articulating a Theory of Change
for the Jurisdiction .......................................... 6 Action Planning Process ............................... 9 Preparation ............................................................. 10 Staffing Leads and Racial Equity
Action Teams ................................................... 10 Organizational Structure and Scale ........12
Community Engagement ............................ 12
Resources .......................................................... 13 Research and
Organizational Assessment ................................ 14 Research Findings ................................................ 18 The Plan .................................................................. 19 Review and Finalizing
the Plan ...................................................................24 Roll Out and Implementation .....................25
Annual Progress Reporting ........................26
Conclusion ..............................................................27 Appendix I .............................................................. 28 Racial Equity Plan Template .......................28
4 Government
Alliance on
Race and Equity
TOOLKIT
Racial Equity
Action Plans
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
While local governments may consider themselves fair and just, people of color fare worse than their white counterparts in every area: housing, employment, education, justice, and health. Current day disparities are just as bad and sometimes worse than they were before the Civil Rights era. Since then, most governments have not made significant changes in outcomes for employees or residents of color, even with years of effort.
Because local governments have a unique responsibility to all residents, these racial ineq - uities can and must be addressed. The public sector must be for the public good; current racial inequities are destructive. We must go beyond individ - ual, intentional discrimination or acts of bigotry, and examine the systems in which we all live. We must investigate—honestly—how our longstanding systems, policies, and practices, unintentionally or not, have created and continue to maintain racial inequity, and we must change them.
Racial Equity Action Plans can put a theory of change into action to achieve a collective vision of racial equity. Plans can drive institutional and struc - tural change. However, the goal we seek is not a plan. The goal is institu - tional and structural change, which requires resources to implement: time, money, skills, and effort. It requires local governments’ will and expertise to change our policies, the way we do business, our habits, and cultures.
Our theory of change requires normalizing conversations about race, making sure we have a shared understanding of commonly held definitions of implicit bias and institutional and structural racism. Normalizing and prioritizing our efforts creates greater urgency and allows change to take place more expeditiously. We must also operationalize racial equity, integrating racial equity into our routine decision-making processes, often via use of a Racial Equity Tool and development and implementation of measurable actions. Opera - tionalizing a vision for racial equity means implementation of new tools for decision-mak- ing, measurement, and accountability. We also organize, both inside our institutions and in partnership with others, to effect change together. Organizing involves building staff and organizational capacity through training for new skills and competencies while also building internal infrastructure to advance racial equity.
This manual provides guidance for local governments to develop their own Racial Equity Action Plans after a period of research and information gathering. This manual also pro - vides guidance and tools to conduct this research. GARE created a Racial Equity Action Plan template after a national scan of promising practices from cities and counties that have developed plans for racial equity and the structures that supported successful plan - ning processes. We are also appreciative of the Results Based Accountability framework as a disciplined way of thinking and taking action that communities and government can use to achieve meaningful improvements, eliminate racial inequities and lift up outcomes for all.
Racial Equity Plans are both a process and a product. A successful process will build staff capacity which can be valuable during implementation. A process can also serve to famil- iarize more staff with the jurisdiction’s racial equity vision and its theory of change.
Preparing leadership support, forming a skilled planning team, designing community en - gagement structures upfront, and securing resources to support all participants are key preparatory steps key to set the process on the right path. Your research must not only in- fluence the content of your plan but also how it is framed. The methodology should include WHAT IS RACIAL EQUITY?
Racial equity is realized when race
can no longer be used to predict
life outcomes, and outcomes for all
groups are improved.
5 Government
Alliance on
Race and Equity
TOOLKIT
Racial Equity
Action Plans
both quantitative and qualitative data collected through community engagement. A clear set of findings can provide a solid foundation to inform your plan. Areas to analyze include:
• workforce demographics, hiring, retention, and promotion; • contracting practices;
• jurisdiction commitment, leadership, and management;
• community access and partnership; and
• data, metrics, and on-going focus on improvement.
A strong Racial Equity Action Plan is guided by a clear vision of racial equity and struc - tured to achieve meaningful and measurable results. A simple plan structure provided by GARE includes the following components:
• Results: Community level conditions we are aiming to impact. • Community Indicator: Community indicators are the means by which we can measure impact in the community. Community indicators should be disaggregat - ed by race.
• Outcome: A future state of being resulting from a change at the jurisdiction, de - partment, or program level. Strong outcomes articulate a clear improvement or define how much improvement will take place.
• Action: They are the specific things your jurisdiction will do to achieve the out - comes.
• Performance Measure: A quantifiable measure of how well an action is working. Different types of measures include 1) Quantity—How much did we do? 2) Quality—How well did we do it? 3) Impact—Is anyone better off? Successfully implementing a plan will require well-resourced stewardship, strong ac - countability structures, and clear communications with all partners during the rollout and beyond. An organizational body, with authority to remove barriers during implementation and monitor progress, is critical infrastructure over the life of the plan. Regular tracking of performance and reporting on progress provides a level of accountability to follow through on the jurisdiction’s commitment to action. Using data and the opportunity to reflect de - velops a culture of learning and innovation to improve upon commitments in the plan over its lifetime. The quality and consistency of communication about the plan both within the government and with community will be a major indicator of whether the plan is another exercise in maintaining the status quo or whether it is truly the harbinger of your jurisdic - tion’s commitment to advancing racial equity.
ACHIEVING LOCAL GOVERNMENT’S VISION
OF RACIAL EQUITY
A jurisdiction’s clear and bold vision for racial equity is important for the success of a Ra - Figure 1: The Racial Equity Action Plan Process
6 Government
Alliance on
Race and Equity
TOOLKIT
Racial Equity
Action Plans
cial Equity Action Plan. The vision should be heavily informed by communities of color impacted by institutional and structural racism—those with the real expertise. Your ju - risdiction may already have made a formal commitment to achieving racial equity and expressed this through adoption of legislation, a general plan, or executive proclamation. If so, then Racial Equity Action Plans can layout the approach to operationalizing this com - mitment. If not, then Racial Equity Action Plans are an excellent opportunity to make such a commitment paired with the change necessary to achieve it. Figure 2 shows the City of Portland’s Citywide Racial Equity Goals and Strategies, adopted unanimously by City Council as binding policy in 2015.
By embarking on a planning process you are are undergoing a reprioritization of your work and changing long-standing systems and structures. You are creating a shared practice and forming relationships across the jurisdiction’s structure. Creating a cul - ture of learning and reflection to improve upon the work as you go is essen - tial. You are expanding a field of practice, building off of the experiences of local governments directly addressing racial inequities, and have the oppor - tunity to break relatively new ground. Your planning process is an opportu - nity to take a step back and ask engaging questions, knowing that you may not have the answers, and set an actionable course toward achieving racial equity. GARE, your peers, and our network of national partners are all here to help you, and to share resources and promising practices.
ARTICULATING A THEORY OF CHANGE FOR THE
JURISDICTION
The ultimate goal of a jurisdiction’s racial equity work should be to eliminate racial inequities and improve outcomes for all racial groups. Government played a primary role in the creation of racial inequities, including laws, pol - icies, and practices that created racial inequities. Our ideas of “equality and justice” have shifted over time, and we now have collective values for a more inclusive democracy. To achieve our aspirations and to get to different out - comes, we will need to fundamentally transform government. This requires high level leadership, committed action teams, supportive community lead - ers, and effective structures and practices. But what guides this change? A new theory of change to achieve racial equity should guide your jurisdic - tion and its plan to make transformative change. GARE’s recommended the- ory of change does the following 1:
1. Normalize—Establish racial equity as a key value by developing a shared under - standing of key concepts across the entire jurisdiction and create a sense of ur - gency to make changes.
2. Organize—Build staff and organizational capacity, skills, and competencies through training while also building infrastructure to support the work, like in - ternal organizational change teams and external partnerships with other institu - tions and community.
3. Operationalize—Put theory into action by implementing new tools for deci - sion-making, measurement, and accountability like a Racial Equity Tool and de - veloping a Racial Equity Action Plan.
1 GARE Resource Guide
WHAT IS MY JURISDICTION
ISN’T READY BUT MY
DEPARTMENT IS?
The framework and approach to
creating Racial Equity Action Plans
presented in the manual is also
applicable to departments within
a jurisdiction. Most often jurisdic-
tions beginning to focus on racial
equity have only a small number of
departments with any emphasis on
racial equity or the infrastructure to
support the work. A department
with some foundation to build a
Racial Equity Action Plan upon is
a good place to start. A strong
director with capable staff and
good community partnerships can
develop a plan to serve as a model
or proof of concept for the entire
jurisdiction.
7 Government
Alliance on
Race and Equity
TOOLKIT
Racial Equity
Action Plans
This theory of change can be measured over time to track progress and impacts, both with- in the organization and in the community. Activities can be quantified like the number of employees trained, number of departments with Racial Equity Action Plans, number of times a Racial Equity Tool is used to address institutional and structural barriers, or number of community members partnering with the jurisdiction to advance racial equity.
Outcomes can also be quantified by measuring the improved knowledge of racial equity concepts among employees, increased skills to work on and communicate about racial equity, and the changes made due to racial equity considerations being integrated into decision-making structures. We must also focus on our desired results in the community, those conditions we are aiming to impact. Community indicators are the means by which we can measure impact in the community, with clear focus on closing racial disparities, and lift up success for all groups.
CITYWIDE RACIAL EQUITY GOALS & STRATEGIES
We will end racial disparities
within city government, so
there is fairness in hiring and
promotions, greater
opportunities in contracting,
and equitable services to all
residents.
EQUITY GOAL #1
We will strengthen outreach,
public engagement, and access
to City services for
communities of color and
immigrant and refugee
communities, and support or
change existing services using
racial equity best practices.
EQUITY GOAL #2
OVERALL STRATEGIES
We will collaborate with
communities and institutions to
eliminate racial inequity in all
areas of government, including
education, criminal justice,
environmental justice, health,
housing, transportation, and
economic success.
EQUITY GOAL #3
Use a racial equity framework:
Use a racial equity framework that clearly articulates racial equity; implicit and explicit bias; and individual, institutional, and structural racism. 1 2
Build organizational capacity:
Commit to the breadth and depth of institutional transformation so that impacts are sustainable. While the leadership of electeds and officials is critical, changes take place on the ground, through building infrastructure that creates racial equity experts and teams throughout the city government.
3 4
Implement a racial equity lens:
Racial inequities are not random; they have been created and sustained over time.
Inequities will not disappear on their own. It is essential to use a racial equity lens when changing the policies, programs, and practices that perpetuate inequities, and when developing new policies and programs.
Be data driven:
Measurement must take place at two levels—first, to measure the success of specific programmatic and policy changes; and second, to develop baselines, set goals, and measure progress. Using data in this manner is necessary for accountability. 5 Partner with other institutions and communities:
Government work on racial equity is necessary, but insufficient. T o achieve racial equity in the community, government needs to work in partnership with communities and institutions to achieve meaningful results.
6 Operate with urgency and accountability:
When change is a priority, urgency is felt and change is embraced. Building in institutional accountability mechanisms using a clear plan of action will allow accountability. Collectively, we must create greater urgency and public commitment to achieve racial equity.
Figure 2: City of Portland Citywide Racial Equity Goals and Strategies
8 Government
Alliance on
Race and Equity
TOOLKIT
Racial Equity
Action Plans
This higher level strategic thinking is helpful in advance of developing Racial Equity Ac - tion Plans but does not need to be exhaustive and should not impede your process. Some simple exercises can help you stay focused on racial equity and the above framework. Ask the following effective questions:
• What conditions of well-being do we want for our community? • Why do these conditions exist differently for people of color? Ask your self “Why else?” 3–5 times to get deeper into the institutional and structural issues at play. • What would these conditions look like if we achieved them? • What measures can we use to quantify these conditions? • Who are the partners with a role to play?
• What works to “turn the curve” of the baseline inequities? • What do we propose to do?
A jurisdiction’s racial equity work needs to be transformative. This means work should cut across multiple institutions and practices, and the focus should be on changing policy and organizational culture. Work will alter the ways institutions operate. It will shift cultural values and create greater political will to advance racial equity.
Transactional changes are those that help individuals negotiate existing the structures but leave those structures in place. They may result in short-term gains for communities and/ or employees of color but do little to ensure those gains will be lasting.
With a clear vision for racial equity, transactional approaches can help position a jurisdic - tion for more transformational work. To do this effectively requires an on-going focus on organizing, operationalizing, and normalizing.
Figure 3: Transactional Approaches vs Transformative Approaches
9 Government
Alliance on
Race and Equity
TOOLKIT
Racial Equity
Action Plans
ACTION PLANNING PROCESS
Recommended steps for developing and implementing a Racial Equity Action Plan are out- lined below. The details in each of the steps may vary between jurisdictions, depending on the size, structure, and resources your have available. It is much better to be pragmatic and focused so that the plan you develop sets your jurisdiction on the path to achieving racial equity.
We recommend designing your work plan to produce three products for broader commu - nication:
• Research Findings
• Racial Equity Action Plan
• Annual Updates
Racial Equity Action Teams can work with their leadership to develop agreed-upon deci - sion making protocols and processes for vetting each of these products internally. We’ll share more about these products in the next sections of this guide.
Note, some jurisdictions have the advantage of existing strategic plans with committed goals, objectives, strategies, and actions, some of which may be related to diversity, inclu - sion or racial equity. You can use those as a foundation from which to build upon. Addi - tional content can then be added to you Racial Equity Action Plan to round out your juris - diction’s racial equity work if needed. Also, some jurisdictions have existing or planned processes to create broader strategic plans. You can use those processes to create your Racial Equity Action Plan rather than duplicating efforts which may otherwise lead to staff and community confusion and fatigue.
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Action PlansPREPARATION
Successfully developing a Racial Equity Action Plan will require preparation.
THE JURISDICTION
Your executive and leadership team should communicate the purpose and importance of this work, how it relates to the jurisdiction’s work overall, and how it fits into any other work on racial equity. This context is especially important for those staff with little or no exposure to racial equity work.
“Leadership” may vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. In some cases, a city or county manager may be the most appropriate top leadership providing direction for the develop - ment of the Racial Equity Action Plan. In other cases, it might be elected officials.
In Seattle in 2009, Mayor Greg Nickels established the Race and Social Justice Initiative as one of his early priorities. With a strong-mayor form of government, Mayor Nickels set clear expectations of his department directors for developing Racial Equity Action Plans on an annual basis and he held his department directors accountable for implementation of ac - tions. After losing his re-election bid, Seattle’s City Council further institutionalized racial equity as a priority by the unanimous passage of Resolution 31164—A Resolution Directing Race and Social Justice Work to Continue , including development of annual Racial Equity Action Plans and support for Racial Equity Action Teams.
Fairfax County, Virginia launched a process to develop a racial equity strategy with joint legislation adopted by Fairfax Board of Supervisors and School Board. The resolution di - rected the development of a racial and social equity policy and strategic actions that in - clude “intentional collective leadership, community engagement, equity tools, and infra - structure to support and sustain systemic change, and shared accountability.” At a minimum, we recommend that the executive send out a jurisdiction-wide email in - troducing the staff leading the planning process, giving them authority to oversee the pro - cess, and explaining what to expect. An accompanying FAQ is recommended. Another preparatory step is to present an overview of the context and process at meetings where staff from all divisions and programs are represented, such as an all-staff meeting or man- agers’ meeting. Jurisdictional newsletters are also a good tool to communicate the context and importance of this work.
We recommend sending a clear message about the reality of this change work and the type of change that staff can expect. Do not shy away from the reality that the planning process and the plan itself will require jurisdiction resources to implement: time, money, skills, and effort.
STAFFING LEADS AND RACIAL EQUITY ACTION TEAMS
Leadership at the executive level should identify a lead or two co-leads who will oversee the plan development project. Co-leads should work with their executive and/or leadership
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team to recruit staff to form a Racial Equity Action Team, a small group who will shepherd the jurisdiction through the entire process. The form and composition of your Racial Eq - uity Action Team will depend on the size and structure of your jurisdiction. However, the function of your team should include the following:
• Racial equity focus —Maintaining a clear focus on racial equity throughout all stages of the process, working with any resistance that arises, and providing ra - cial equity resources for participants who lack the skills needed to meaningfully participate.
• Project Design—Designing the scope, structure, and timeline of the process. • Project Management – Coordinating the meetings and communications, produc - ing materials and deliverables.
• Research and Systems Change Analysis —Designing information-gathering in - struments and facilitating discussions to solicit qualitative information. Analyz - ing your jurisdiction’s systems, including policies, practices and procedures, how they are working, and opportunities for change that will advance racial equity.
Synthesizing information gathered to identify gaps in racial equity, promising practices, and report on findings and recommendations.
• Strategic Planning —Designing exercises and facilitating discussions to develop the content for the Plan (outcomes, actions, and performance measures). • Communications –Communicating with leadership, staff, and commu - nity about the purpose of this process, updates on the process, results of the process, and being a point of contact for anyone with questions.
Some considerations as you compose the Racial Equity Action Team include:
• Authority—The Racial Equity Action Team will need to ask staff in differ - ent divisions, programs, and departments to provide information and to take various actions. They need to have sufficient authority to make these requests. This could be done by either having upper management staff as members of the team or by explicit and clear authorization from the execu - tive or director to oversee the project.
• Expertise —Team members will need to collectively possess a robust set of skills to fulfill the functions listed above. People with lived experiences bring important expertise. People with a strong racial equity analysis, some experience with strategic planning, and a good project manager are espe - cially important.
• Familiarity —All team members should be familiar with the jurisdiction’s racial equity terminology. They also need familiarity with the jurisdiction’s decision-making structure and processes.
• Time—The Racial Equity Action Team should be given dedicated time for this project. The time commitment will vary dramatically depending on the capacity of the Team, the size of the jurisdiction, and the scale and depth of the process.
• Composition—Each Racial Equity Action Team will look different and be a different size. Ideally, team members represent the demographic diversity of the jurisdiction. Racial diversity is especially important. Ideally, team members also represent the different divisions or programs across the ju - risdiction. Representation from up and down the jurisdiction’s hierarchy is also ideal, though if leadership is represented then it is important to be sen- sitive to power dynamics so all members feel empowered to meaningfully participate. Tenure and union representation are also important consider -
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ations. Representativeness is something to strive for but should be balanced with the need to recruit members with the skills sets listed above.
ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE AND SCALE
The Racial Equity Action Team should develop an appropriately scaled organizing struc - ture for this process. Not every staff person in the jurisdiction needs to or has to be in - volved at every stage of the process. The size and complexity of the jurisdiction is one factor shaping this project’s scope. The racial equity expertise within the jurisdiction is another.
Engaging a jurisdiction’s leadership team is critical regardless of their racial equity exper - tise. They will need to be engaged in both managing the process and providing substantive input in all phases. Engaging the top-level managers could be done as a group and/or with each manager participating in the engagement of their division or program staff. Man - agers of color and/or with racial equity expertise could also be considered for individual interviews to provide candid feedback.
Engaging entire divisions or large programs may prove challenging. We recommend the Racial Equity Action Team work with managers of larger divisions or programs to recruit a small team of staff to represent. These staff should have the most familiarity and expe - rience with the concepts of racial equity in addition to being familiar with the work of the division or program.
The Racial Equity Action Team should consider creating a graphic of the agreed upon juris- dictional structure to use as a communications tool.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Communities of color have borne the burdens of inequitable policies, practices, and invest- ments, and they hold deep expertise on those impacts. Their expertise and ownership of this plan is critical to success. Engaging residents of color—along with employees of col - or—as subject matter experts in the process can improve the process and the final product in myriad ways; from more accurate analysis of institutional barriers to identification of more effective strategies and greater community buy-in during implementation. Robust community engagement throughout your process will be critical to your success.
Jurisdictions willing to examine their own institutional racism are opening themselves up to criticism which may feel vulnerable. Their tendency may be to conduct an inter - nally focused planning process. Overcoming this tendency is important. At a minimum, jurisdictions should engage people of color most impacted by racial inequities to establish the jurisdiction’s broader vision for racial equity and theory of change to achieve it. This foundation can serve as the touchstone for your planning process. The other critical point of community accountability is an opportunity to review your draft plan and take an active role in implementation and regular reporting on progress.
Community engagement during the planning process can take many forms, not all of which are discussed here. Community bodies formed with decision-making authority and specific planning responsibilities are most effective. The volunteer nature of these bodies makes it difficult to recruit community members from outside the jurisdiction’s institu - tional partners who are already paid to do this work. People of color in the community with different lived experiences of institutional racism should be compensated for their exper - tise, similar to how jurisdictions value technically-skilled professionals like architects and
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engineers. Portland Metro’s Equity Strategy Advisory Committee is a good example of a body that advised Metro through the creation of their racial equity strategy. Its members represented leaders from philanthropy, nonprofit, government, and business sectors.
Another strategy is contracting with community based organizations (CBOs) already working on issues of racial equity to host community events at different points in the pro - cess. Research methods conducted by CBOs such as focus groups, surveys, and interviews can solicit information government could not, and it also builds the capacity of CBOs to do future work.
Another way to access community expertise and identify priorities without fatiguing the community is to use existing community-produced reports as research material. Reports cataloguing disparities, their causes, and associated solutions are often available2. In some cases, these reports are even the impetus for local government to institute a racial equity initiative. However, these reports are resource intensive to produce so community groups should be sufficiently resourced. Jurisdictions should also value this work by providing decision making authority during the implementation phase to maintain trust, ensuring that community-sourced strategies are not co-opted or made ineffective.
RESOURCES
It is important to have a central point of contact for questions, training, and support during the process.
Resources provided could include a project webpage with background and training materi- als, sample materials, frequently asked questions, a glossary defining common terms, and contact information for specific technical assistance. You can also hold open office hours to provide tailored technical assistance through the process.
Some foundational training is a critical pre-requisite for meaningful participation in this project. The Racial Equity Action Team and leadership groups should take a basic racial equity training as a foundation for building a shared analysis and definitions for racial eq - uity work. Additional training on strategic planning for racial equity is also recommended for co-leads and Racial Equity Action Team members. However, do not hesitate due to a fear of not being totally ready. Inaction is itself a decision to continue the status quo. Your leadership and Racial Equity Action Team simply need to be ready enough to begin. 2 “An Unsettling Profile”, Coalition of Communities of Color, Portland, Oregon
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Racial Equity
Action PlansRESEARCH AND
ORGANIZATIONAL ASSESSMENT
This guide is primarily about a planning process to create the actual Racial Equity Action Plans. However, some form of research or basic information gathering is recommended to assess the jurisdiction’s culture, structure, and practices.
The Racial Equity Action Team can first develop a research methodology and oversee the process to collect and analyze information. This will help assess key areas where a juris - diction can improve racial equity and solicit ideas for making improvements. If informa - tion and/or data is lacking in some areas, you can include data development actions as a part of your Racial Equity Action Plan.
METHODOLOGY AND PROCESS
Start by first taking an inventory of what racial equity information you already track and how useful or reliable it is. Then you can ask what information is not being tracked and what are the possible methods for collecting it.
Some jurisdictions are using a structured racial equity assessment to develop a baseline evaluation of gaps within an jurisdiction3. These assessments look at the jurisdiction’s op- erations, practices, workforce, culture, policies, and programs. The City of Portland’s Racial Equity Assessment 4 was used by all 26 bureaus to assess themselves before developing their five-year Racial Equity Plans.
Other research instruments and methodology can be used. Methodology used can range from reviewing source documents (ex. strategic plans, program materials, communication materials, etc.), individual interviews, administering a simple online survey5 to facilitat- ing in-person focus groups (ex. leadership team, managers, division/program teams, etc.).
Research can be conducted by staff or outside consultants. The City of Seattle Race and Social Justice Initiative alternates conducting employee surveys and community surveys (information on both of these surveys). The data collected through these surveys provides important feedback into their planning processes. To get the most candid feedback possi - ble, it is important for the survey to be conducted anonymously. 3 City of Seattle and City of Portland racial equity assessments 4 We would like to offer special thanks to the All Hands Raised project and the Racial Equity Strategy Guide developed by the Urban League of Portland, in concert with City of Portland staff, especially its Bureau of Planning and Sustainability.
5 Portland Bureau of Transportation racial equity assessment survey
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QUALITATIVE AND
QUANTITATIVE DATA
Regardless of which approach you
choose, it is important to create op -
portunities for group dialogue and
analysis. Many of the most import -
ant and complex questions may not
be suitable for an online survey and
should be considered for facilitat -
ed discussions. The richest infor -
mation gleaned from a survey will
not be the quantifiable answers but
the respondent’s reasoning (always
provide a comment box). Facilitat -
ed discussion provides participants
the opportunity to clarify the ques -
tions, listen to each other’s analysis,
and also begin to identify solutions
which can be mined later in the
Plan development phase.
For group discussions, use your Ra -
cial Equity Action Team to staff the
process, as experienced facilitators,
to create facilitation guides, dis -
tribute questions ahead of time to
participants, as note takers, and for
on-going communication.
For survey analysis, conduct sub-group analysis, including comparisons between man - agers and non-managers, by race, between departments, and tenure. In the case of small numbers of people in some categories, to maintain confidentiality, you may want to com - bine racial data into whites and people of color and only highlight departmental differenc - es for the largest departments.
Figure 4: Sample Process for Research and
Development of Recommendations
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RECOMMENDED AREAS OF ASSESSMENT
Jurisdiction Workforce Demographics, Hiring, Retention, and Promotion We recommend collecting the current workforce demographic information. Try to disag - gregate data by race, gender, management, line staff, represented staff, and tenure. This can help identify disparities and determine if the workforce or parts of the workforce are representative of the diversity of the jurisdiction’s population.
Further research can then be done to assess how racial equity goals and practices are em - bedded in workforce development and hiring. The jurisdiction’s human resources depart - ment can be helpful in determining whether racial equity considerations inform the hiring processes, professional development, performance evaluations, and promotions to name a few important workforce processes.
GARE’s issue paper, “ Public Sector Jobs: Opportunities for Advancing Racial Equity ,” has useful resources both for assessment of current conditions and practices, as well as devel - opment of actions to advance racial equity as an employer. When it comes to workforce eq- uity, your goal should be for your workforce to reflect the diversity of the communities you serve across the breadth (functions) and depth (hierarchy) of your jurisdiction. Based on your analysis of workforce data, review of institutional policies and practices, and engage - ment of key stakeholders, you will be able to integrate specific workforce equity actions into your Racial Equity Action Plan.
Contracting Practices
Your jurisdiction may participate in a program to increase contracting with people of color and other underutilized contractors. It is wise to collect data on your contracting perfor - mance, and specifically identify to what extent your jurisdiction conducts business with contractors of color.
You can then inquire further about the specific contracting practices. A contract manager can help provide information on the outreach practices to contractors of color, whether minimum requirements of contractors are excluding some contractors disproportionately, or the procurement process has any unintended bias.
GARE’s issue paper, “ Contracting for Racial Equity: Best Local Government Practices that Advance Racial Equity in Government Contracting and Procurement ” has useful re - sources both for assessment of current conditions and practices, as well as development of actions to advance racial equity in your contracting and procurement. When it comes to contracting and procurement, your goal should be for your contracting and procurement dollars to benefit the full diversity of the communities you serve. Based on your analy - sis of contracting and procurement data—with a special focus on those departments with the largest budgets, review of institutional policies and practices, and engagement of key stakeholders—you will be able to integrate specific contracting and procurement equity actions into your Racial Equity Action Plan.
Jurisdictional Commitment, Leadership, and Management
Your Racial Equity Action Team can assess your jurisdiction’s commitment to racial equi - ty at the policy, planning, and budget levels. Whether racial equity is embedded into key guiding documents or decision-making processes can give an indication of jurisdictional commitment. Important information can be gathered about the general workplace envi -
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ronment for staff; whether there are broadly agreed upon definitions of racial equity terms or even opportunities to discuss racism and racial equity.
Exploring the way leadership and management level practices affect your jurisdiction’s ability to advance racial equity can provide useful insights. Ask how leadership supports racial equity in the jurisdiction, and among the employees. Ask about networking at the leadership level—to help support management and leadership staff in the pragmatic work of racial equity.
You should be cognizant of the fact that some staff may be hesitant to provide honest feed- back, especially if there are any sorts of concerns about lack of management receptivity.
If you have anecdotal evidence that suggests such concerns might exist, conduct focus groups and interviews with confidentiality.
Community Access and Partnership
It is important to understand how the jurisdiction engages with people and communities of color. Some areas of focus include looking at the racial diversity of advisory bodies, availability and access of translation and interpretation services, culturally relevant com - munication practices, and the frequency of staff interaction or partnership with commu - nities of color during planning and implementation processes.
Data, Metrics, and On-going Improvement
Community-level data disaggregated by race in housing, jobs, education, criminal justice, health and others will capture various areas of disproportionality. In reality, local govern - ment touches each of these areas, but ultimately, does not control the entire system. There- fore, it is important to supplement your data analysis with assessment conversations to determine the key leverage points and opportunities for your jurisdiction to influence each area of inequity.
You should also review how your jurisdiction collects information and tracks the results of its actions to improve racial equity. We recommend looking closely at how data is dis - aggregated by race or not, whether a racial equity toolkit is used on programs and policies, and whether data collected by communities of color is valued and used by the jurisdic - tion. A deeper examination is needed to look at how service-level demographic data and data documenting disparities is used to prioritize and develop criteria for decision-making.
This will provide valuable insight into whether investments and resource distribution are likely serving to achieve the jurisdiction’s racial equity goals.
Jurisdictional practices in this area may help later in the process when developing a Racial Equity Action Plan’s methods for tracking progress.
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Racial Equity
Action PlansRESEARCH FINDINGS
A summary of research findings is a helpful way to synthesize a large amount of informa - tion into a useful format. This may require sorting through data to find themes, anomalies, an d d i s c r e p an c i e s , al l wi th th e ul t i m a t e g o al o f i d e n t i fyi n g y o u r “h e a dl i n e ” fin d i n g s . A Racial Equity Action Team is best suited for this work but may need supplemental support from data analysts or content experts.
Communicating your findings is an opportunity to raise awareness and give leadership an opportunity to convey the importance of advancing racial equity. Your executive or direc - tor is well positioned to communicate the findings and next steps. In-person meetings of staff and leadership to share the findings are good opportunities to answer questions and garner support for your plan.
A summary can help answer the following questions:
• What research methodology was used?
• Who participated? How did leadership participate? How did community partici - pate?
• What are the high level summary findings (headlines)? Are there themes or trends identified?
• Where are the gaps in the jurisdiction’s use of promising practices of racial equity? You may want to provide brief explanation for gaps.
• Were there any discrepancies between some findings and the Racial Equity Action Team’s opinion? Why do they exist and is there a recommended response? • Where are the strengths in the jurisdiction’s use of promising practices of racial equity?
• What opportunities for change does your research suggest? What are some initial recommendations for the Plan?
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Action PlansTHE PLAN
Racial Equity Action Plans should be ambitious documents to bring about institutional change in order to eliminate racial disparities, both inside government and in the com - munity. Plans will have clear outcomes and measurable actions to achieve them. Effective actions should be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely. Be sure your plan includes sufficient funding, staffing, accountability mechanisms, and evaluation.
Racial Equity Action Plans should create opportunities for reflection and learning. No one has all the right answers. Making some mistakes is highly likely but do not let the fear of mistakes stall your process or the implementation of your Plan. The Racial Equity Action Team can provide a model of reflection and learning for the whole jurisdiction to emulate.
The terminology for Racial Equity Action Plans is informed by Results Based Accountabil - ity. This approach clearly delineates between community conditions/results and perfor - mance accountability/outcomes. These levels share a systematic approach to measure - ment. This approach emphasizes the importance of beginning with a focus on the desired end condition.
We encourage you to be clear about the desired end conditions in the community and to emphasize those areas where you have the most direct influence. When you align com - munity indicators, government strategies, and performance measures, you maximize the likelihood for impact. Recognize also that to ultimately impact community conditions, you will need to partner with other institutions, across sectors, always putting community in the center of your efforts.
We have provided a sample template (see appendix 1) that uses the following definitions of key terms:
• Results: Community level conditions you are aiming to achieve. • Community Indicator : The means by which you can measure community condi - Figure 5: Results Based Accountability Flow
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tions, disaggregated by race.
• Outcome: A future state of being resulting from a change at the jurisdiction, de - partment, or program level. Strong outcomes articulate a clear improvement or de- fine how much improvement will take place. Beginning outcomes with the words “increase” or “decrease” help with the latter.
• Action: Specific things your jurisdiction will do to achieve the outcomes. Strong actions start with verbs.
• Performance Measure : A quantifiable measure of how well an action is working.
Different types of measures include
• Quantity—How much did you do?
• Quality—How well did you do it?
• Impact—Is anyone better off?
• Timeline : The month, quarter, and/or year an action will be accomplished. • Accountability : The position or body that is responsible for the action and/or is accountable for its completion.
1. CREATE A RACIAL EQUITY GUIDING STATEMENT FOR YOUR JURISDICTION A simple statement can help guide your jurisdiction throughout a plan’s development and implementation. Questions to consider when developing this statement:
• How does your jurisdiction’s existing mission statement relate to racial equity? • (For departments) What is your unique role in the jurisdiction-wide effort to achieve racial equity?
• What principles or shared values are reflected in this guiding statement? The racial equity guiding statements below are some examples:
• Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability: Develop planning and sustain - ability solutions that eliminate racial disparities thereby creating prosperous, re - silient, healthy, and affordable communities for all Portlanders. • Seattle Race and Social Justice Initiative: Eliminate institutional racism and achieve racial equity in Seattle.
2. IDENTIFY RESULTS AND COMMUNITY INDICATORS THEN CREATE OUTCOMES Identify a result and its associated community indicator(s) and then commit to an outcome stating the change your jurisdiction will make in order to improve the indicator. Indicators should measure a specific racial disparity. Outcomes articulate the change that strength - ens the jurisdiction’s position to reduce that disparity.
Again, this is an opportunity to engage leadership and secure buy-in to the necessary change. The Racial Equity Action Team can draft results/indicators and outcome language for leadership to process and finalize through a facilitated work session. Use this precious time wisely by coming with prepared materials and a facilitator’s guide.
Questions to consider as you select community indicators and outcomes are:
• What needs or opportunities were identified during the research and assessment phase of this process?
• What needs to be different in our jurisdiction’s culture, workforce, policies, practic- es, and procedures? What change do we ideally want (not just for what we would
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settle)?
• What does our jurisdiction define as the most important racially equitable out - comes?
• What are some known racial inequities in your jurisdiction? What are the root causes or factors creating these racial inequities?
• How does your jurisdiction’s relationship with communities of color need to change? How can those most adversely affected by an issue be actively involved in solving it?
• How will proposed outcomes address root causes of racial disparities and advance institutional and/or systemic change?
Examples of community indicators in Racial Equity Action Plans (disaggregated by race):
• Dane County, WI: Unemployment rates
• City of Seattle: Severe housing cost burden for renters Examples of outcomes include:
• Dane County, WI: Dane County is a model employer advancing racial equity. • Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability: Shared project management ap - proach that integrates equity at all phases (scoping, design, implementation, eval - uation).
• Seattle Public Utilities: Position service equity as one of the primary filters for decision making by Q1 2018.
3. CREATE ACTIONS TO ACHIEVE EACH OUTCOME
Develop a clear action or set of actions to achieve each outcome. Facilitat - ed action planning sessions with departments or divisions are a good way to source potential actions. Bring the relevant indicators and outcomes to these sessions and facilitate a conversation about what steps are necessary to achieve them.
Questions to consider when developing actions include the following:
• Were any actionable solutions identified during the information gathering phase of this process? Are there actions prioritized by communities of color?
• What is a specific change in policy, practice, or procedure that could help produce more equitable outcomes?
• How will an action decrease racial disparities?
• Are there any unintended consequences? Can they be mitigated? • What capacity is needed to successfully implement the action? • How will an action be implemented and by whom?
• Is the action achievable within the lifetime of the plan? • Is the action measurable and how will it be measured? Similar to the sorting and summarizing of your research findings, there will need to be a process to refine all the proposed actions solicited through your work sessions. Again, the Racial Equity Action Team is best suited for this role.
TIPS FOR WRITING AN EASIL Y
UNDERSTOOD PLAN
To ensure the public can understand
the Plan, use the follow writing tips:
• Use plain language to describe
your indicators, outcomes,
actions, and measures.
• Spell out acronyms.
• Double-check for spelling
errors.
• Have a communications expert
review the Plan for clarity and
cultural competency.
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Examples of actions include the following:
• Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability (BPS): Develop a customized BPS project management approach that integrates transformational values frame - work, equity tools, and community engagement.
• Seattle Public Utilities: Implement an ongoing, sequential community engage - ment training and coaching process for all project managers. • Seattle, WA: Develop and implement a Racial Equity Fund—provide funding to support institutional/community collaborations aimed at eliminating structural racism.
4. CREATE PERFORMANCE MEASURES FOR EACH ACTION AND COMMIT TO A
COMPLETION DATE
Each action should have a completion date (month/quarter/year) and performance mea - sure(s). You may consider these questions as you develop a date and measures:
• What is your timeline?
• How will you evaluate and report progress over time?
• How will you know the action is complete?
• Can you retain stakeholder participation and ensure internal and public account - ability?
Examples of tangible results to measure include the following:
• Seattle Department of Human Services:
• 900 youth/young adults of color participating in the Youth & Young Adults Program made academic progress by achieving at least one of the following:
GED completion, grade progression, credit retrieval, passing HSPE scores, on- time graduation.
• By Q4 100 percent of our Human Resources policies will have been evaluated and corrected as filtered through the racial equity toolkit. • Dane County Racial Equity Framework: 75 percent of Dane County employees be - lieve their department seeks input and assistance on decision making from com - munities of color.
5. IDENTIFY THE LEAD POSITION OR BODY THAT HOLDS THE POSITION
ACCOUNTABLE FOR COMPLETION OF EACH ACTION
The responsibility for completing actions should be delegated to a position or body. Any community oversight body should also be identified.
Recommend a Stewardship Plan
The ultimate goal of this work is not a Racial Equity Action Plan. The goal is institutional and structural change. Thus, GARE recommends the Racial Equity Action Team also pro - vide recommendations on Plan stewardship and accountability. This includes responsible parties, resources committed, and accountability structures.
Recommendations could include a proposal for an ongoing coordinating body to track and support implementation of the Plan. Your accountability and stewardship structure is an - other opportunity to partner with the community.
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Stewardship provides the opportunity to obtain broad buy-in—including from leadership— for any shifting of existing resources and/or any new staffing and resources required to implement actions. Also, some actions may be flagged for prioritization due to required immediate or near-term action.
Questions concerning limited resources for this work will undoubtedly arise. Remember, we are paying the cost already for past inaction to reduce disparities. There is a continued and growing cost to inaction. Your leadership should be reminded of this cost when they are considering how much to invest in the plan.
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Racial Equity
Action PlansREVIEW AND FINALIZING
THE PLAN
Each jurisdiction’s process for reviewing a draft plan will be different. The Racial Equity Action Team may want to circulate a draft to all or some participants, similar to the pro - cess for sharing the research findings. A public review process and/or comment period is recommended.
After receiving feedback, the Racial Equity Action Team can collectively and individually review the plan using questions like these below. Again, this is an excellent opportunity to engage the community in this process.
• Does the Plan reflect the research findings?
• Are the community indicators of racial disparities explicitly named? • Are the outcomes and actions likely to make institutional or structural changes? • Are the actions measurable and realistic?
• Do the actions reflect relevant promising practices in racial equity work? • Are there positions responsible for the actions?
• Is the Plan implementable and well resourced?
• Are there any multi-department trends?
• Are there opportunities for different departments to work together? • Are there opportunities for the community to work with departments on an action or the Plan as a whole?
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Action PlansROLL OUT AND
IMPLEMENTATION
Implementation of the plan is perhaps the most critical step to create positive, meaningful change over time. The rollout of the plan should launch its implementation. The plan is a public document so the rollout should occur externally as well as internally. Each rollout will look different for each jurisdiction depending on their structure and their communi - cations capabilities.
Once the plan is finalized, you will want to work with your leadership to distribute the plan at multiple staff levels and in multiple venues. Your communications staff could be good resources. The initial internal process may use similar communication strategies that were used when announcing the planning process; director sends all-staff email, presen - tation at all-staff meetings, summary materials distributed, etc.
The release of the plan will be a highly visible statement of the jurisdiction’s intent and commitment to racial equity. GARE recommends using this opportune moment to raise awareness about racial inequities, government’s role in eliminating inequities, and leaders’ commitment to eliminating inequities. Achieving these objectives during the rollout of the plan will likely support many of the plan’s actions.
At a minimum the executive should publicly release the plan with a press release, social media, and unique webpage. If possible or needed, a legislative body can provide addition - al legitimacy by adopting the Racial Equity Action Plan through a legislative action. This action could also include budgetary authority for implementation.
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Alliance on
Race and Equity
TOOLKIT
Racial Equity
Action Plans
ANNUAL PROGRESS
REPORTING
Your stewardship body can help track and report on the progress of the Racial Equity Ac - tion Plan. They can compile the reports received from responsible parties and synthesize the results. At a minimum these should document challenges faced and plans for address- ing challenges or how the outcome or action might be refined in the future. Also, be sure to document and celebrate successes that have been achieved.
By tracking challenges, the stewardship body will be able to see what obstacles are affect - ing progress towards racial equity and attempt to resolve those issues. They can also share jurisdiction successes with others who are looking for promising practices.
Some things to consider when reviewing progress on the plans:
• Are there outcomes and actions that are receiving less attention than others? • Is there a need to change the plan?
• Have plan actions been implemented or in progress? What do the results indicate as to how to improve?
• If there are unmet or blocked actions, is there an explanation and/or proposal for resolving the issue?
• Are there racially diverse staff working on the plan over the year(s)? • Are residents of color engaged in the implementation of the plan over the year(s)? • Are measures being recorded and updated as actions change or are completed? • Is the jurisdiction reporting on challenges and successes?
27 Government
Alliance on
Race and Equity
TOOLKIT
Racial Equity
Action Plans
CONCLUSION
By developing a Racial Equity Action Plan, you are moving from theory into action, recog - nizing the potential for government transformation—a public sector for “the public good.” You are creating a shared practice and forming new relationships across the jurisdiction’s structure and in partnership with community. You are also creating a culture of learning and reflection to improve upon the work as you go. GARE, your peers, and our network of national partners are all here to help you.
In closing, we encourage you to be driven by:
• Justice—Be clear-eyed about the past and rigorously committed to a new way of governing, one that intentionally creates racial equity rather than rein forces his- toric injustice. Government itself created and continues to maintain inequity. City governments are uniquely suited and responsible for creating and sustaining eq - uitable outcomes.
• Community—Adhere to the principle “nothing about us without us” as a core tenet of your approach. People of color and communities most affected by inequity are supported to lead efforts toward equity in cities, counties, and states across the country. Build capacity with leaders at all levels —from formal positions of author- ity and community leaders in cities to peer leaders elsewhere in our movement. • Momentum—Aim for nothing less than complete transformation, but be both pragmat- ic and urgent in your approach, seeking not perfection but progress. Starting from what exists, build solutions, constantly evolve and adapt to accelerate the pace of progress.
You are joining a growing movement of people within government, normalizing conversa- tions about race, operationalizing new behaviors and policies, and organizing to achieve racial equity. GARE is seeing more and more jurisdictions that are making a commitment to achieving racial equity, focusing on the power and influence of their own institutions, and working in partnership across sectors and with the community to maximize impact.
There is an increasingly strong field of practice. We are organizing in government with the belief that the transformation of government is essential for us to advance racial equity and is critical to our success as a nation.
28 Government
Alliance on
Race and Equity
TOOLKIT
Racial Equity
Action Plans
APPENDIX I
1. Jurisdiction’s residents understand and are committed to achieving racial equity.
Community
Indicator
Outcomes and
Actions
Timeline Accountability Performance
Measure
Progress
Report
•Percent of
population
who believe
advancing
racial equity
should be
a priority of
government
•Percent of
population
who under-
stand the
jurisdiction’s
commitment
to racial equity
A. Jurisdiction’s
employees
understand,
are committed
to, and have
the infrastruc-
ture needed to
advance racial
equity.
2. Jurisdiction’s residents view the jurisdiction as an effective and inclusive government that engages community.
Community
Indicator
Outcomes and
Actions
Timeline Accountability Performance
Measure
Progress
Report
• Percent of
population
who believe
the jurisdic-
tion values
community
participation
and engage-
ment
•Jurisdiction
services are
well received
by community
members
• voter turnout
A. Jurisdiction’s
employees have
outreach and en-
gagement skills
and competen-
cies to advance
racially inclusive
outreach and
engagement.
Racial Equity Plan Template
(Template that can be customized depending on your jurisdiction’s self-assessment and priorities; add your actions, timeline, accountability and performance measures, along with any additional results, indicators and outcomes)
29 Government
Alliance on
Race and Equity
TOOLKIT
Racial Equity
Action Plans
3. Jurisdiction’s communities of color share in the economic prosperity.
Community
Indicator
Outcomes and
Actions
Timeline Accountability Performance
Measure
Progress
Report
•Unemploy-
ment rates
•Household
income
•Number of
businesses
developed
A. Jurisdiction
is a model em-
ployer advancing
racial equity.
B. Investments
in contracting
and procure-
ment benefit
the diversity of
jurisdiction’s
communities.
4. Others
Community
Indicator
Outcomes and
Actions
Timeline Accountability Performance
Measure
Progress
Report
•Criminal
justice
•Education
•Housing
•Health
Racial Equity Plan Template
Making a
commitment
to achieving
racial equity
Across the country,
governmental jurisdictions are:
When this occurs, significant leverage
and expansion opportunities emerge,
setting the stage for the achievement of
racial equity in our communities.
Focusing on
the power
and influence
of their own
institutions
Working in
partnership
with others
RACIALEQUITYALLIANCE.ORG
VISION /
RESULTS
• Identify results we
want to see in
Woodland
DATA
• Select community
indicators that
measure a specific
disparity or area of
focus
OUTCOMES
• Articulate changes
that strengthen
Woodland’s position
to advance racial
equity
ACTIONS
• Develop a clear set
of actions to achieve
each outcome
ACCOUNTABILITY
• Create performance
measures for each
action, commit to
completion dates,
and identify
responsible parties
and reporting
structures for each
action