Joint Inclusion Committee Regular Meeting of the Joint Inclusion Committee - Hybrid Meeting Format: in-person at the PDC on 6310 Wilhelmina Delco Dr, Austin, 78752 RM# 1203 and Virtual/Online participation via WebEx
JOINT INCLUSION COMMITTEE (JIC) MEETING AGENDA JULY 26th, 2023 REGULAR MEETING of the JOINT INCLUSION COMMITTEE (JIC) WEDNESDAY, JULY 26th, 2023 at 3:00 P.M. CST PERMITTING & DEVELOPMENT CENTER (PDC) ROOM #1215 CAFE 6310 WILHELMINA DELCO DR, AUSTIN, TX 78752 MEETING AGENDA This meeting is being held in a hybrid format, and some members of the Commission may be participating by video conference. Public comment will be allowed in-person or via telephone. Remote speakers must register in advance (July 25th by 12pm-Noon CST). All public comments will occur at the beginning of the meeting and public speakers will be allowed up to three minutes to provide their comments. To speak or attend remotely, residents must contact the Equity Office’s Business Process Consultant, Jeremy Garza, no later than 12pm-noon (CST) on Tuesday, July 25th, 2023. Please telephone call at (512) 978-1797 and/or email jeremy.garza@austintexas.gov. The information required is the speaker’s name, the item number(s) they wish to speak on, whether they are for/against/neutral, email address, and telephone number (must be the same number that will be used to call into the meeting). CURRENT JIC MEMBER COMMISSIONS & REPRESENTATIVES: Primary Representative: Alternate Representative: Serita Fontanesi Antonio Ross Hanna Huang Nayer Sikder Member Commission: African American Resource Advisory Commission Asian American Quality of Life Advisory Commission Commission for Women Juliana Gonzalez Richard Bondi Commission on Aging Commission on Immigrant Affairs Miriam Dorantes Early Childhood Council Hispanic/Latino Quality of Life Resource Advisory Commission Human Rights Commission Leonor Vargas Amanda Afifi Rebecca Austen Teresa Ferguson Melissa Ortega Eliza Gordon Ivana Neri LGBTQ+ Quality of Life Advisory Commission Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities Kimberly Brienzi (Vice-Chair of JIC) VACANT Morgan Davis VACANT Jennifer Powell Elizabeth Meyer JOINT INCLUSION COMMITTEE (JIC) MEETING AGENDA JULY 26th, 2023 MEETING AGENDA PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL The first ten speakers signed up prior to the meeting being called to order will each be allowed a three-minute allotment to address their concerns regarding items not posted on the agenda. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. Approve the minutes of the COMMITTEE’s REGULAR MEETING on JUNE 28th, 2023. DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS 2. Discussion on the Interim City Manager’s changes to the telework policy for city employees, with possible action to pass a recommendation to City Council in support of continuing telework to maintain a competitive workforce. Discussion on the Interim City Manager’s Proposed Budget for FY24, with possible action to approve a recommendation to …
JOINT INCLUSION COMMITTEE (JIC) MEETING MINUTES JULY 26th, 2023 JOINT INCLUSION COMMITTEE (JIC) REGULAR MEETING MINUTES WEDNESDAY, JULY 26th, 2023 The JOINT INCLUSION COMMITTEE convened in a REGULAR meeting on WEDNESDAY, JULY 26th, 2023, at the PERMITTING AND DEVELOPMENT CENTER (PDC) - AUSTIN CITY HALL - BOARDS & COMMISSIONS ROOM, 301 W. 2ND STREET in AUSTIN, TEXAS. Chair AMANDA AFIFI called the JOINT INCLUSION COMMITTEE MEETING to order at 3:17pm CST. Commissioners in Attendance: Hispanic/Latino Quality-of Life-Resource Advisory Commission: Amanda Afifi (Chair) Asian American Quality-of-Life Advisory Commission: Hanna Huang Commissioners in Attendance Remotely: African American Resource Advisory Commission: Serita Fontanesi Commission for Women: Julie Glasser Commission on Aging: Richard Bondi Commission on Immigrant Affairs: Miriam Dorantes & Melissa Ortega Early Childhood Council: Leonor Vargas & Eliza Gordon Human Rights Commission: Morgan Davis Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities: Jennifer Powell Commissioners Absent: LGBTQ+ Quality-of-Life Advisory Commission: VACANT Staff in Attendance: Equity Office, Immigrant Affairs Program Manager – Rocio Villalobos Equity Office, Business Process Consultant – Jeremy Garza 1 JOINT INCLUSION COMMITTEE (JIC) MEETING MINUTES MEETING MINUTES JULY 26th, 2023 PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL The first ten speakers signed up prior to the meeting being called to order will each be allowed a three-minute allotment to address their concerns regarding items not posted on the agenda. None. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. Approve the minutes of the COMMITTEE’s REGULAR MEETING on JUNE 28th, 2023. The minutes from the meeting of JUNE 28th, 2023, were approved on COMMISSIONER SERITA FONTANESI’s motion, COMMISSIONER JENNIFER POWELL’s second on a 9 – 0 vote. DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS 2. Discussion on the Interim City Manager’s changes to the telework policy for city employees, with possible action to pass a recommendation to City Council in support of continuing telework to maintain a competitive workforce. Whereas, the ability to telework has the largest impact on women, childcare givers, and those with childcare needs. Whereas, the City of Austin has the highest childcare costs in the State of Texas, with impacts felt across the city and telework provides flexibility and helps alleviate pressure on the affordability crisis facing families and childcare givers in Austin. Whereas, telework has direct impacts in opening access to people with disabilities to the City workforce and is crucial to retaining those employees in a healthy and accommodating work environment. Whereas, it is a more inclusive policy to have telework for BIPOC staff and people of …
JOINT INCLUSSION COMMITTEE (JIC) RECOMMENDATION 20230726-002 CITY EMPLOYEE “WORK-FROM-HOME”/TELEWORK POLICY Date: July 26, 2023 City of Austin Employee “Work-From-Home” Telework Policy Subject: Motioned by: Commissioner Hanna Huang Seconded By: Commissioner Richard Bondi JOINT INCLUSION COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION 20230726-002 JOINTLY ENDORSED RECOMMENDATION TO AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL WHEREAS, the ability to telework has the largest impact on women, childcare givers, and those with childcare needs; and WHEREAS, the City of Austin has the highest childcare costs in the State of Texas, with impacts felt across the city and telework provides flexibility and helps alleviate pressure on the affordability crisis facing families and childcare givers in Austin; and WHEREAS, telework has direct impacts in opening access to people with disabilities to the City workforce and is crucial to retaining those employees in a healthy and accommodating work environment; and WHEREAS, it is a more inclusive policy to have telework for BIPOC staff and people of color who overwhelmingly report better work productivity and overall health with a flexible telework policy; and WHEREAS, the City of Austin's vision for net zero emissions by 2040 prioritizes greenhouse gas emission reduction and calls for 50% of trips to be made by using public transit, biking, walking, carpooling, or avoided altogether by working from home and providing a robust telework policy; and WHEREAS, the Climate Equity Plan states that climate impacts are not felt equally across all communities and that the City of Austin's Interim City Manager's recent orders to revoke work- from-home and severely limit teleworking options will disproportionately impact employees who may not be able to afford transportation costs, child care, and other expenses related to commuting while inflation and affordability issues continue to be of concern when recruiting and retaining city staff; and WHEREAS, the City of Austin is struggling to fill many positions and allowing employees to work remotely is a benefit that costs the city nothing and removing this benefit will likely make recruitment and retention of employees even more challenging, and vacancies result in unfulfilled goals and reduced services, which is not in the community’s interest; and WHEREAS, the Austin Strategic Mobility Plan aims to decrease emissions of greenhouse gases by encouraging telework and work-from-home initiatives; and WHEREAS, driving contributes to the creation of ground-level ozone, which is a harmful air pollutant that causes and contributes to asthma and other respiratory illnesses; and WHEREAS, driving creates a large amount of plastic pollution …
JOINT INCLUSSION COMMITTEE (JIC) RECOMMENDATION 20230726-006 2024 CITY OF AUSTIN GENERAL OBLIGATION BOND PROGRAM for CULTURAL CENTERS in the PARD MUSEUMS & CULTURAL PROGRAMS DIVISION Date: July 26, 2023 Subject: 2024 City of Austin General Obligation Bond Program for Cultural Centers in the PARD Museums & Cultural Programs Division Motioned by: Commissioner Leonor Vargas Seconded By: Commissioner Amanda Afifi JOINT INCLUSION COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION 20230726-006 JOINTLY ENDORSED RECOMMENDATION TO AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL RECOMMENDATION: The Joint Inclusion Committee (JIC) recommends that City Council direct the Interim City Manager to proceed with completing the directive given in Resolution 20221208-068, namely to include funding needed to complete construction and fulfillment of master plans for the Asian American Resource Center, Doughtery Arts Center, Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center, and the George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center in the 2024 City of Austin General Obligation Bond election. RATIONALE: The Joint Inclusion Committee recommends that rather than pausing all General Obligation Bonds in 2024, it is essential our City’s cultural centers are prioritized for a bond package to enable them to continue to move forward in the next steps of their master plans. Each facility was developed to serve diverse and underrepresented arts and cultural communities within Austin and have undergone extensive public input and engagement throughout the last 10 years. Doing so would prevent delay of further funding for their next phases, which is particularly needed to ensure safe facilities for cultural programs, meet the increased demand and use by the public, reduce rising costs of construction related to inflation, and continue to serve the City’s growing diverse populations. DESCRIPTION OF RECOMMENDATION TO COUNCIL: WHEREAS, the City of Austin has the highest childcare costs in the State of Texas, with impacts felt across the city and telework provides flexibility and helps alleviate pressure on the affordability crisis facing families and childcare givers in Austin; and WHEREAS, it is the value of the City of Austin to be an inclusive city for all of its citizens including those of diverse racial, ethnic, religious, and national origin backgrounds; and WHEREAS, according to section 2-1-204 of the City Code, the Joint Inclusion Committee is charged with advising the Council on issues pertaining to diversity and inclusion, and is representative body, consisting of the following ten commission members: African American Resource Advisory Commission, Asian American Quality of Life Advisory Commission, Commission for Women, Commission on Immigrant Affairs, …
