June 25, 2025 Draft Minutes — original pdf

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JOINT INCLUSION COMMITTEE (JIC) REGULAR MEETING MINUTES The JOINT INCLUSION COMMITTEE (JIC) convened a regular meeting on WEDNESDAY, JUNE, 25th, 2025, at 3:00 P.M. CST in the BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS ROOM #1101 (301 W. Second Street, Austin, Texas 78701) Chair AMANDA AFIFI called the JOINT INCLUSION COMMITTEE meeting to order at 3:02 p.m. Commissioners in Attendance: Commission on Aging: Richard Bondi (Vice-Chair) Commission on Immigrant Affairs: Melissa Ortega Commission on Veterans Affairs: Bryce Laake-Stanfield Hispanic Latino Quality of Life Resource Advisory Commission: Amanda Afifi (Chair) Commissioners in Attendance Remotely: African American Resource Advisory Commission: Alexandria Anderson Asian American Quality of Life Commission: Nirali J Thakkar Commission on Immigrant Affairs: Miriam Dorantes Commission for Women: Diana Melendez Early Childhood Council: Andrea McIllwain Human Rights Commission: Jeffrey Clemmons LGBTQ+ Quality of Life Commission: Jerry Joe Benson Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities: Lisa Chang and Conor H. Kelly PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL Jenny E. Achilles, Commissioner from the Community Development Commission. Shares overview and purpose of the Community Development Commission. Monica Guzman, District 4 resident, organizer, and Equity Action Team member. Shares comments around the history of the Equity Division, the Equity Assessment Tool, Undoing Racism Workshops, establishing the Equity Division and Human Rights Division to have direct access to department directors and staff, public process for hiring of an Equity Officer. Alexia LeClerq, Community Powered ATX and PODER. Shares comments around Undoing Racism Workshops, emergency response, and funding for the immigrant affairs quality of life study. Celine Rendon, District 8 resident and Housing Justice Organizer. Shares comments 1 around the Equity Overlay Community Powered ATX presented a year ago. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. Approve the minutes of the JOINT INCLUSION COMMITTEE’s REGULAR MEETING May 28th, 2025. The minutes for the JOINT INCLUSION COMMITTEE’s MAY 28TH, 2025 MEETING were approved at the JUNE 25TH, 2025 MEETING on COMMISSIONER RICHARD BONDI’s motion, COMMISSIONER JEFFREY CLEMMONS’ second, on an 11-0 vote. 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. Dr. Lindsey Wilson, Shafina Khaki, and Enrique Serrano share briefing to provide an introduction and overview at 7 mins and 11 secs of recording through 17 minutes and 45 seconds. Including information on the Office of Equity and Inclusion’s core services of Promote Human Rights; Carry Out the City’s Strategic Goals; Provide Anti-Discrimination Protections; Equity; and Community Engagement and Outreach. Joint Inclusion Committee asks questions at 17 minutes and 45 seconds through 54 minutes through 41 seconds; and continued at 1 hour, three minutes, and 20 seconds through 1 hour, ten minutes, and 25 seconds. Including around hiring an Equity Officer, an ADA administrator, and a Community Engagement Specialist; additional Know Your Rights Workshops/Clinics, and connecting with ally groups to provide services with immigrant communities, allocating additional funds for immigrant services; funding around engaging with community through online platforms, updates around the Office of Equity and Inclusion’s websites; rights and supports around for veterans; Undoing Racism Workshop offerings; and community requests for money allocation in the budget. DISCUSSION ITEMS 3. 4. 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 includes preparing for meetings, extending time, returning to the time the JIC meets at the end of the meeting. 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 includes issues around a prerequisite probationary period for Commissions to become a member Commission of the Joint Inclusion Committee because a probationary period prevents the Joint Inclusion Committee from being 2 an inclusive board. 5. 6. Discussion on JIC collaborating with other Public Safety Commission, Community Development Commission, Ethics Review Commission, and Austin Youth Council. See agenda item 4. Discussion on the June 3rd memorandum from the Intergovernmental Relations Office to Mayor and City Council providing a State Legislative Update on the 89th Texas Legislature, and discussion of how the legislative outcomes may affect the Joint Inclusion Committee’s work. See backup document. DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS 7. 8. 9. Conduct officer elections for the position of the 2025 Joint Inclusion Committee’s Vice- Chair. Commissioner Bryce Laake-Stanfield nominates himself for the Vice-Chair position. Commissioner Lisa Chang nominates Commissioner Richard Bondi for the Vice- Chair position. Nominations close on Commissioner Alexandria Anderson’s motion, and Commissioner Jeffrey Clemmons’ second on an 11-0 vote. Motion to vote on nominations passes on Commissioner Richard Bondi’s first, and Commissioner Bryce Laake-Stanfield’s second on an 11-0 vote. Commissioner Richard Bondi is APPROVED as the Vice-Chair on an 8-3 vote. Discussion and possible action to approve of a Joint Inclusion Committee Recommendation to Council for Additional Funds for Immigrant Affairs Quality of Life Study. Recommendation is APPROVED on Commissioner Lisa Chang’s first, Commissioner Bryce Laake-Stanfield’s second, on an 11-0 vote. Discussion and possible action to approve event dates and locations for multiple in- person and virtual combined Community Input & Know Your Commission sessions to increase community awareness of Quality of Life commissions and to drive Joint Inclusion Committee budget recommendations. Motion to cancel the July sessions, remove the December and January sessions, make one of the September sessions virtual and the other one in the Gus Garcia Rec Center is APPROVED on Commissioner Lisa Chang’s first, Commissioner Jeffrey Clemmons’s second, on a 10-0 vote. Motion for the Department Budget Kick Off Event in September, and Department Budget Update Event in January, is APPROVED on Commissioner Andrea McIllwain’s first, Commissioner Bryce Laake- Stanfield’s second, on a 10-0 vote. 10. Discussion and possible action to approve a budget recommendation to City Council in support of the Community Investment Budget FY25-26. 3 11. 12. Recommendation is APPROVED on Commissioner Bryce Laake-Stanfield’s first, Commissioner Melissa Ortega’s second, on a 10-0 vote. Discussion and possible action to approve Commissioner Jerry Joe Benson’s draft recommendation to City Council regarding the proposed expansion of the Austin Police Department’s Office of the Community Liaison, including feedback and suggestions from Joint Inclusion Committee members. Discussion includes background recommendations, staffing concerns, and budget considerations. No action taken. Discussion and possible action to create a workgroup to evaluate future member commissions for inclusion of the Joint Inclusion Committee (JIC), which would involve changing bylaws to include these additional commissions and review existing commissions/groups for possible inclusion or collaboration with the JIC. Workgroup is APPROVED on Commissioner Bryce Laake-Stanfield’s first, Commissioner Melissa Ortega’s second, on a 9-0 vote. Commissioners Richard Bondi, Bryce Laake-Stanfield, Jeffrey Clemmons, and Amanda Afifi are APPROVED as Workgroup Members on Commissioner Melissa Ortega’s first, Commissioner Bryce Laake-Stanfield’s second, on a 9-0 vote. WORKING GROUP UPDATES 13. 14. 15. Budget & Policy Priorities Workgroup – updates regarding timeline for City approving the fiscal year 2025-2026 budget. Specifically: (Workgroup Members: Justin Parsons, Richard Bondi, Amanda Afifi, Jerry Joe Benson, and Lisa Chang). See agenda item 9. Texas Legislative Workgroup – updates on reviewing bills that were approved from the 89th Legislative Session, which would impact the Joint Inclusion Committee, and its member commissions, for follow up and advocacy. (Workgroup Members: Commissioners Amanda Afifi, Richard Bondi, and Diana Melendez). See agenda item 6 and future agenda items. Emergency Preparedness Workgroup. Update on workgroup meetings with follow up steps from fiscal year 2025-26 budget recommendations. (Workgroup Members: Commissioners Amanda Afifi, Richard Bondi, Melissa Ortega, and Lisa Chang). No updates. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS Recommendation for restoring independent purpose of the Equity Office. Including a secretary role for the Joint Inclusion Committee. Recommendation for expanding the Austin Police Department’s Office of the Community Liaison. 4 Staff briefing from the Austin Police Department Office and/or the Communication and Public Information Office regarding Community Liaison Officers. Creating a new Budget Workgroup with community members. Adding new additional Commissioners to Texas Legislative Workgroup. Discussion around Austin Police Department in regards for public gatherings. ADJOURNMENT: 5:42 p.m. -- The City of Austin is committed to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Reasonable modifications and equal access to communications will be provided upon request. Meeting locations are planned with wheelchair access. If requiring Sign Language Interpreters or alternative formats, please give notice at least 2 days (48 hours) before the meeting date. For additional information please call the Equity Division’s Equity and Inclusion Program Coordinator, Alejandra Mireles at (512) 974-8045 or email at alejandra.mireles@austintexas.gov. TTY users route through Relay Texas at 711. For more information on the Joint Inclusion Committee, please contact Alejandra Mireles at (512) 974-8045 or via email at alejandra.mireles@austintexas.gov. 5