On December 11 and 12 Council will hold a special virtual work session on Budget and Financial issues. Council will review capital improvement projects, budget and revenue projections, as well as receive an update from City staff who are continuing to advance Council’s directives on priorities and the racial equity initiatives. The meeting will be live streamed at regionalwebtv.com Both days will begin at 8:30 a.m. Friday is scheduled till 4 p.m. Saturday till noon.
Due to health and safety concerns related to the COVID-19 global pandemic, City Council’s in-person, bi-annual offsite has again been postponed until it can be safely held in person. This very important work will be planned for this coming spring. The serious, deep conversations about Council priorities and racial equity require personal, interactive engagement that cannot be as effectively addressed in a virtual meeting environment. Please be assured of continued efforts to develop a better understanding of racial equity and to advance Council priorities in the interim. The in-person City Council offsite remains a top priority for Council.
Lastly, in October 2020 the City launched a Racial Equity Survey. The International Coalition of Sites of Conscience facilitated this process and will present its report to the public on December 10 at 1:00 p.m. in a virtual format. Information about how to view this session and the report will be posted to the City's public engagement webpage under Racial Equity Initiatives. As promised, this work product will inform Council’s next steps on racial equity when they take these matters up at the rescheduled Council offsite.