Item 4. Q1 Update Food Plan Implementation Collaborative - March 2026 — original pdf

Backup

Q1 Update: Austin/Travis County Food Plan Implementation Collaborative Food Policy Board Meeting March 23rd, 2026 Overview 1. Background and Year 1 Goals 2. First Quarter Update • Actions taken so far • Proposed Liaison roles for the City, Travis County, and Food Policy Board • Requests for support from the City 3. Questions for the Food Policy Board Our Role The WNT team will serve as backbone support We will: • Design and facilitate inclusive processes • Support governance and structure development • Coordinate outreach, meetings, and reporting • Steward alignment with Food Plan goals and values We do not make decisions for the Collaborative - we support the Collaborative in making them. Our Team • WNT (Kelly Nichols, Kelley Abell, & Andrea Torres) • Blue Sky Partners (Matt Glazer & Audrey Sherman) • Dwyer Consulting (JC Dwyer) • Network Weavers • Black Lives Veggies the Nonprofit (Larry Franklin) • Cygnus Advisory Group (Joi Chevalier) • Joshua Collier • Good Work Austin (Nitza Cuevas and Kara Hanaoka) • Fruitful Commons (Angie Holliday) Year 1 Goals (At a Glance) Three core goals for Year 1: (1) Launch inclusive governance and leadership (2) Engage a broad, representative food system network (3) Establish clear ways of working and accountability Year 1 Goal #1: Governance Build a Collaborative people trust: • Establish an interim structure to operate quickly • Co-create a Collaborative Charter • Define leadership roles, participation tiers, and decision-making • Ensure power-sharing and equity guardrails Year 1 Goal #2: Engagement Bring the full food system to the table • Targeted outreach across all food system sectors • Network Weavers as trusted connectors • Meeting people where they are • Multiple ways to participate (deep + light touch) Year 1 Goal #3: Credibility & Alignment Build confidence with partners and the public • Regular check-ins with City, County, and Food Policy Board • Clear documentation and transparent communication • Early wins that demonstrate momentum and value Actions Taken So Far 1. Governance • Obtained federal EIN # for the Collaborative 2. Engagement • Informal Stakeholder conversations • Hosted Community Orientation Session 2/24 • Initiated signup form for Network updates • Convened Network Weavers to develop a food system stakeholder map and designate target networks 3. Credibility & Alignment • Convened Subcontractor Team and Established Year 1 Work Plan; monthly check-in meetings with City/County • Confirmed performance measures + reporting Next Up: Targeted Outreach 1. Values • If this Collaborative is successful, what do you envision would look different in our food system? • What would make participating in the Collaborative worth your (or your organization’s) time and energy? 2. Tradeoffs • Speed vs Shared Decision-Making • Independence vs Government Alignment • Flexibility vs Formality • Clear Leadership vs Distributed Ownership 3. Power & Guardrails • What would make you worry this Collaborative isn’t really sharing power? • What decisions should never happen without community voices? Liaison roles for the City, Travis County, and Food Policy Board City of Austin Liaison Travis County Liaison Food Policy Board Liaison • Serve as primary point of contact between the Collaborative and the City departments engaged in Food Plan implementation • Share updates on City-led food system initiatives, policies, and timelines • Surface opportunities for alignment, coordination, and resource leverage • Support coordination across City-County implementation efforts • Serve as primary point of contact between the Collaborative and Travis County departments engaged in Food Plan implementation • Share updates on County-led food system initiatives, policies, and timelines • Surface opportunities for alignment, coordination, and resource leverage • Support coordination across City-County implementation efforts • Support alignment between the Collaborative and the Food Policy Board by representing the Board in its advisory role • Share updates, feedback, and emerging priorities between both bodies • Support accountability to the Food Plan’s vision, goals, and equity principles Liaison roles for the City, Travis County, and Food Policy Board Key Responsibilities (all Liaisons) Boundaries & Guardrails Value Added Participate regularly in Leadership Council meetings (or designated check-ins prior to Leadership Council formation) Liaisons do not direct Collaborative decisions or priorities Reduces duplication and misalignment Act as information bridges, not decision-makers, within Collaborative governance Liaisons respect the Collaborative’s consent-based decision-making process Strengthens credibility with public partners Elevate questions, risks, and opportunities early Role is advisory and connective, not supervisory Accelerates implementation by improving coordination and clarity Support transparency, trust-building, and shared accountability Help translate between community-driven processes and public-sector systems Questions for the Food Policy Board 1. Questions or Clarifications on the Liaison roles? How is the Board going to determine their Liaison to the collaborative? 2. How should we be engaging City Council & County Commissioners & does the Board want to be involved? 3. Additional feedback on the proposed outreach process? Our Asks for You 1. Determine the Food Policy Board liaison to the Implementation Collaborative (ideally by May) 2. Take the survey 3. Share the survey 4. Join us for the first Collaborative meeting on Friday, June 5th SIGN UP FOR UPDATES