Joint Inclusion Committee Regular Meeting of the Joint Inclusion Committee - Hybrid Meeting Format, in-person at City Hall with Virtual/Online participation via WebEx
Regular Meeting of the Joint Inclusion Committee (JIC) Wednesday, June 25th, 2025, at 3:00 P.M. CST Boards and Commission Room #1101, 301 W. Second Street, Austin, TX 78701 and some members may be attending via videoconference Public comment will be allowed in person or remotely via telephone. Speakers may only register to speak on an item once either in-person or remotely and will be allowed up to three minutes to provide their comments. Registration no later than noon the day before the meeting is required for remote participation by telephone. To register to speak remotely, call or email Alejandra Mireles (Equity and Inclusion Program Coordinator, Equity Division) at (512) 974-8045 or alejandra.mireles@austintexas.gov. CURRENT JIC MEMBER COMMISSIONS & REPRESENTATIVES: Member Commission: African American Resource Advisory Commission Asian American Quality-of-Life Advisory Commission Primary Representative: Justin Parsons Alternate Representative: Alexandra Anderson Nirali J Thakkar Nayer Sikder Commission for Women Diana Melendez Richard Bondi Melissa Ortega Commission on Aging Commission on Immigrant Affairs Commission on Veterans Affairs Bryce F Laake-Stanfield Early Childhood Council Hispanic/Latino Quality-of-Life Resource Advisory Commission Human Rights Commission LGBTQ+ Quality-of-Life Advisory Commission Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities Alice Navarro Amanda Afifi (Chair) Jeffrey Clemmons Jerry Joe Benson Lisa Chang Becky Bullard Teresa Ferguson Miriam Dorantes Vacant Andrea McIllwain Daniela Silva Muneeb "Meebs" Aslam Katie Coyne Conor H. Kelly 1 AGENDA CALL TO ORDER PUBLIC COMMUNICATION 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 JOINT INCLUSION COMMITTEE’s REGULAR MEETING May 28th, 2025. STAFF BRIEFING 2. Staff briefing to provide an introduction and overview of the Office of Equity and Inclusion by Dr. Lindsey Wilson, Director, Office of Equity and Inclusion, Shafina Khaki, Human Rights Officer, Office of Equity and Inclusion, and Enrique Serrano, Civil Rights Officer, Office of Equity and Inclusion. DISCUSSION ITEMS 3. 4. 5. 6. Discussion on Joint Inclusion Committee meeting norms and commissioner expectations, including a review of conduct guidelines for all commissioners, a review of the standard two-hour meeting duration, and strategies to maintain quorum throughout meetings. Discussion on attendance records for Joint Inclusion Committee commissioners, including a review of past absence rates and consideration of measures to support consistent participation. Discussion on JIC collaborating with other Public Safety Commission, Community Development Commission, Ethics …
BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Joint Inclusion Committee Recommendation Number: (20250625-011): Community Investment Budget 2025/2026 WHEREAS, the City of Austin is committed to an inclusive and transparent budget development process that utilizes resident and stakeholder feedback to ensure budget priorities are being met1; and WHEREAS, the City of Austin has made community engagement a core pillar of its budget planning process, employing a diverse mix of tools and strategies—including multilingual surveys, public meetings, digital budget simulators, and data transparency initiatives—to ensure residents play a meaningful role in shaping the city's funding priorities; and WHEREAS, for the last several years, 30 to 40 community groups have come together on a yearly basis to create detailed budget recommendations known as the Community Investment Budget, issued by Equity Action; and WHEREAS, the 2025/2026 version of the Community Investment Budget includes closely mirrors Joint Inclusion Committee budget recommendations for funding Undoing Racism training, sustained funding for Family Stabilization Grant, additional funds for climate resilience initiatives and prepared meals; and WHEREAS, the 2025/2026 version of the Community Investment Budget addresses concerns that echo or are similar to Joint Inclusion Committee recommendations on additional funds for: Implementation of climate resilience and disaster preparedness initiatives, Immigrant legal and other support services, • • Numerous recommendations on enhancing childcare services, • • Expansion of programs offered by Office of Equity and Inclusion, • Culturally competent community engagement during emergencies, • Expansion of emergency shelters for inclement weather events, • Expansion of cool corridors, • Know Your Rights clinics, and • Expansion of technical apprenticeships and training. 1 https://www.austintexas.gov/page/city-budget Page 1 of 2 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Joint Inclusion Committee encourages the Austin City Council to adopt the Community Investment Budget 2025/2026. Date of Approval: _____________________________ Record of the vote: (Unanimous on a 7-0 vote, 4-3 vote with names of those voting no listed) Attest: _____________________________________________ (Staff or board member can sign) Page 2 of 2
Expansion and Empowerment of the Community Liaison Office Proposal to Expand and Elevate the Austin Police Department Community Liaison Office Overview: In order to strengthen community policing, build trust with minoritized communities, and ensure that feedback from impacted groups shapes department policy and practice, we propose expanding and elevating the Community Liaison Office within the Austin Police Department (APD). Key Changes Proposed: ● Structural Elevation: Move the Community Liaison Office out of the Public Information Office (PIO) and establish it as an independent division that reports directly to the Chief of Police (or a designated Assistant Chief). ● Role Expansion: Assign both a civilian liaison and a sworn officer liaison for each major minoritized community (such as LGBTQ+, Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, Asian American/Pacific Islander, and Women). These teams would work in close partnership, giving community members the choice of engaging with a civilian or a sworn officer depending on the nature of their concern. ● Formalization of Sworn Officer Roles: Formalize the currently unofficial liaison roles many sworn officers already fulfill, making community liaison work an official, recognized part of their job duties and workload. ● Direct Communication Channels: Create dedicated public contact points (e.g., phone hotline numbers and emails) for each liaison team, and ensure they are prominently available on the APD website and communications. ● Training Responsibilities: Liaison officers would assist in training the broader police force on issues specific to their communities, such as: ○ Correct use of pronouns and respectful engagement with transgender residents ○ Cultural sensitivity and best practices for interacting with various minoritized groups ○ Awareness of systemic issues and culturally competent policing ● Commission and JIC Engagement: Require that liaisons regularly engage with their corresponding City of Austin Quality of Life Commissions (e.g., the Asian American QOL Commission, the LGBTQIA+ Commission) and provide updates and receive input. The liaisons should act as bridges between community representation bodies and APD leadership. ● Policy Feedback Role: Empower liaison teams to provide policy recommendations to APD leadership informed by the needs of their respective communities, ensuring direct integration of lived experiences into policing policy. Goals of This Proposal: ● Create more accessible, transparent, and culturally competent channels for communication between APD and minoritized communities. ● Ensure that community voices—especially those represented by the city's various commissions and the Joint Inclusion Committee (JIC)—are actively heard and integrated into APD policies and practices. ● Build lasting trust by …
M E M O R A N D U M TO: Mayor and City Council THROUGH: Jon Fortune, Deputy City Manager FROM: Carrie Rogers, Intergovernmental Relations Officer DATE: Tuesday, June 3, 2025 SUBJECT: Intergovernmental Relations Office – State Legislative Update 89th Texas Legislature Adjourns Sine Die The Texas Legislature adjourned their 89th Session Sine Die on Monday, June 2, 2025, at 12 p.m. A list of bills filed this session that would impact the City of Austin operations are attached. The Intergovernmental Relations Office will work with the Law Department and all City departments to review final bills passed and begin the work of implementing new laws. The legislative team, with regular engagement by Mayor Kirk Watson, worked with legislators throughout the session, including weekly committee schedules and daily floor alerts prepared for delegation members. The legislative team also collaborated routinely with city departments, peer cities and community stakeholders on shared priorities. We extend enormous appreciation to our partners, most especially the Austin legislative delegation, and Members across the state and their staff for working with our legislative team. The following update is based on information currently available. Local Government Preemption Several bills were filed relating to preemption of local government. • Senate Bill (SB) 2858 by Senator Creighton did not pass. SB 2858, considered the next iteration of House Bill (HB) 2127 passed during the 88th Texas Legislature, would have preempted local regulations that conflict with state statutes regarding, elections, health and safety, and criminal justice. The bill would have authorized the Attorney General to investigate alleged violations within three months and possibly withhold sales taxes during that time. • SB 18 by Representative Hull did not pass. The bill would have prohibited municipal libraries from receiving state or other public funding if they host events where a man presenting as a woman, or a woman presenting as a man, reads a story to a minor. PAGE: DATE: SUBJECT: 2 of 7 June 3, 2025 IGR State Legislative Update • SB 412 by Senator Middleton passed the Legislature and has been signed by the Governor, effective September 1, 2025. The bill amends the Texas Penal Code to remove the affirmative defense for individuals – such as educators, librarians, or parents – who distribute or display material deemed "harmful to minors" under the justification of having a scientific, educational, governmental, or similar purpose. • SB 689 by Senator Hughes did …
Community Investment Budget 2025/2026 The City’s budget is a reflection of our values. This year, our residents face serious new challenges from a federal administration that has already reversed the nation’s course on climate, equity, inclusion, civil rights and citizenship -- and our residents need help urgently. As American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds run out, and the Trump administration continues to cut off already approved grant funds, critical services to our most vulnerable are on the chopping block. We understand that Council cannot print money, but we expect every available dollar to be applied to community priorities and living wages for City workers. Locally, Austin made modest progress last year on long deferred costs (e.g. more parks require more park services, city worker COLA increases). We must now keep the police budget as flat as possible given the pay increase that must be covered this fiscal year. We urge Council to ensure that APD pays for its own proposed programming from existing departmental funds. The City must maintain what we have gained in other departments and support needed expansions like legal support for migrants, access to all books at the library, climate programs and other critical needs. The undersigned organizations jointly urge the city to fulfill the promise made to AFSCME (3%) when the Budget Office created a financial forecast right before urging passage of a police contract, add modestly to fill well documented gaps in city services and ensure public safety through all possible means ($36.7M or 2.6% of this roughly $1.4B general fund budget), and continue to invest [NO CUTS] in the priorities listed below in community health, housing, affordability, sustainability and safety for FY25-26. As the President pushes for steep cuts to health coverage, SNAP benefits and more, now is not the time to walk back our local services to our most vulnerable people. New Funding Items ● Reentry navigators for jobs/housing formerly incarcerated [$1.4M] ● Immigration Legal Services for Low Income Families [$1M] ● Library books/materials [$900K] ● Workforce Development [$7.46M] ● Climate Plan Coordinator [$90K] ● Outreach and Engagement for Sustainability Incentives [$270k] ● Implementation of the Austin Climate Equity Plan [$270K] ● Sustainable Purchasing program manager [$110K] ● Pro-Climate/Pro-Health Food Implementation [$75K] ● Food Plan Waste Reduction/Diversion Programs [$755K] ● Austin Public Health [$734K] ● Forensic nursing pay increase [$300K] ● Early Childhood Education and Development [$550K] ● Office of Equity and Inclusion …
