pages: CityCouncil/2022-01-18.pdf, 2
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CityCouncil | 2022-01-18 | 2 | vote: Councilmembers Daysog: Aye; Herrera Spencer: Ayes; Knox White: Aye; and Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft: Aye. Ayes: 4. [Absent: Vice Mayor Vella - 1.] [Items so enacted or adopted are indicated by an asterisk preceding the paragraph number.] (*22-047) Minutes of the Special and Regular City Council Meetings Held on December 21, 2021. Approved. (*22-048) Ratified bills in the amount of $1,915,834.26. (22-049) Recommendation to Authorize the City Manager to Execute an Agreement with SEED Collaborative, Inc., to Assist the City with the Development of a Citywide Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Plan for an Amount Not to Exceed $275,000 including a 10% Contingency. The Assistant City Manager, Paul Hudson and Tara Taylor, SEED Collaborative, gave a brief presentation. Councilmember Daysog expressed support for the efforts; stated that he pulled the matter to introduce the project and encourage SEED Collaborative to include background reports on broader demographic and health trends within the City of Alameda; he would like SEED Collaborative to provide analytic context to data; Alameda's African American population is relatively low compared to many other East Bay cities; stated if health related data is included, data about different demographics experiencing disparate kinds of health outcomes should be explained and not automatically attributed to racism; expressed support for a range of perspectives for underlying issues; stated issues related to racism and prejudice should be called out as seen; expressed concern about Alameda being considered behind the times; stated that he has seen the City grow tremendously in relation to representation and diversity on Council; discussed prior instances of offensive language being used by City staff; stated that he is looking at SEED Collaborative to provide context; discussed the demographics of the East End of Alameda versus the West End; stated that he would like to look at the data comparatively, as well as understanding the context; noted issues might be more complex. Councilmember Herrera Spencer stated that she has concerns about spending $275,000; inquired whether the funding comes from the General Fund, to which the Human Resources Director responded in the affirmative. Councilmember Herrera Spencer expressed concern about the five-year fiscal forecast. The City Manager stated the last five-year budget forecast shows issues in the future mainly due to increases in pension obligations; a positive surplus occurred in the past year; due to conservative budgeting, staff is expecting a positive surplus for this year as well; the City has funds for the project if Council wants to move forward. Councilmember Herrera Spencer inquired whether staff will be requesting additional taxes. Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft expressed concern about a discussion related to taxes; inquired whether the discussion is allowable at the current time. The City Attorney responded certainly, the Council would not want to discuss tax measures; however, the inquiry from Councilmember Herrera Spencer can be answered by the City Regular Meeting Alameda City Council January 18, 2022 2 | CityCouncil/2022-01-18.pdf |