COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR ORDINANCE NO. 210939
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Establishing an Office of Racial Equity and Reconciliation for the purposes of helping the City achieve racial equity; and establishing an Equity Task Force; and authorizing the acceptance of a grant in the amount of $129,511.00 from the Health Forward Foundation to fund the Office of Racial Equity and Reconciliation; estimating and appropriating $129,511.00 in the General Grants Fund.
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WHEREAS, the City of Kansas City has a mission to deliver quality, customer-focused municipal services with an emphasis on public safety, neighborhood livability, job creation, responsible planning for economic growth, infrastructure improvements, transportation systems, public health and the environment, and, in pursuit of this mission, the City uses data to make decisions and measure progress based on economic, social and environmental factors; and
WHEREAS, the City values integrity, new ideas, economic inclusion, parity, social justice and resident empowerment; and
WHEREAS, the City describes achieving social equity as providing access to the opportunities and support necessary to achieve success, and works to adhere to anti-racist principles of equity by removing institutional and systemic barriers to ensure Kansas City residents of all identities and backgrounds will receive the access, services, public policies, civic engagement opportunities, and resources needed to thrive based on where they are today and where they want to go; and
WHEREAS, the City recognizes lack of housing is a detriment to healthy communities and desires to promote increased housing opportunities by supporting the development, maintenance and revitalization of sustainable, stable and healthy communities through equitable policies and programs aimed at improving housing and neighborhoods and heath care services in all areas throughout the City; and
WHEREAS, the City desires to further promote healthy communities by recognizing systematic racism as a public health crisis which it supports working to eliminate though equitable policies and programs in all areas throughout the City; and
WHEREAS, the City desires to promote infrastructure and sustainability by applying the lens of equity to all transportation and infrastructure projects while proactively and adequately investing in infrastructure that connects people with job and business centers, neighborhoods, and cultural, health, recreational destinations; and
WHEREAS, the City strives to achieve outstanding customer service; meaningful resident engagement in decision-making; fluidity and adaptability; coordination, cooperation and collaboration; accountability and transparency and social equity; and
WHEREAS, The City of Kansas City adopted the Health Commission’s Community Health Improvement Plan with the following social health determinants as goals to improve health outcomes:
a. Opportunities for gainful employment that pays a living wage;
b. Opportunities for affordable, quality education and training;
c. Opportunities to find and secure safe, affordable and dignified housing;
d. Opportunities to live violence free; and
e. Opportunities to access healthy foods for oneself and one’s family; and
WHEREAS, according to the Health Department’s Community Health Improvement Plan there is an 18.2 year difference between the highest life expectancy ZIP code in the City, which consists of 93% white residents, and the lowest life expectancy ZIP code in the City, which consists of 86% black residents; and
WHEREAS, studies find satisfaction with the quality of life varies by ethnicity with data showing 69 percent of White residents are satisfied or very satisfied, while 63 percent Hispanic, 62 percent Asian/Pacific Islander; 52 percent American Indian/Eskimo and 46 percent Black/African American are satisfied or very satisfied with quality of life; and
WHEREAS, studies find other discrepancies in satisfaction in multiple areas including appearance of neighborhood (63 percent of Whites are satisfied or very satisfied with the appearance of their neighborhood while 50 percent of Hispanic and 40 percent of Blacks are satisfied or very satisfied with the appearance of their neighborhood), personal health (70 percent of Whites rate their personal health as excellent or good while 68 percent of Hispanics and 57 percent of Blacks rate their personal health as excellent or good), and safety in neighborhood (65 percent of Whites are satisfied or very satisfied with safety in their neighborhoods compared to 58 percent of Hispanic/Latino, 57 percent Asian/Pacific Islander, 47 percent Black/African American and 39 percent American Indian/Eskimo are satisfied or very satisfied with safety in their neighborhood); and
WHEREAS, the City aims to be anti-racist and contribute to an equitable city and region, where all residents regardless of their race/ethnicity/nativity, neighborhood residence, zip code, or other characteristics are fully able to participate in Kansas City’s economic vitality, contribute to the City’s readiness for the future, and connect to the City’s assets and resources; and
WHEREAS, the City recognizes the current conditions of uneven development, disinvestment, and systemic racism resulting in inequity in life expectancies and other life outcomes, and that the City contributes to these unfavorable outcomes is through policy and practice; and
WHEREAS, the City aims to redress historical and current disinvestment and systematic racism through the work of a newly established Office of Racial Equity and Reconciliation; and
WHEREAS, the Council enacted Resolution No. 201059, which in part directed the City Manager to establish a Chief Equity Officer position; and
WHEREAS, the City has been selected to receive a one-year grant with the option for two renewals from the Health Forward Foundation to assist the City in its racial equity goal; NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF KANSAS CITY:
Section 1. That an Office of Racial Equity and Reconciliation, which shall be led by the Chief Equity Officer, is hereby established.
Section 2. That an Equity Task Force is hereby established. The Equity Task Force shall consist of at least 8 members appointed by the Mayor within 90 days, which membership shall consist of:
a. At least one member from each Council District; and
b. At least three members with expertise or lived experience in social equity and/or racial justice; and
c. At least four members that represent historically impacted racial groups, including African American, Hispanic, and Indigenous.
Section 3. That, to accomplish its responsibilities for ensuring resident input into the work of the Office of Racial Equity and Reconciliation including revamping the City’s budget process and reviewing City policies, the Equity Task Force is empowered to establish sub-committees and engage others to assist with fulfilling the duties of the task force which shall include:
a. Hosting listening sessions to assist in clarifying the challenges surrounding racial justice and reconciliation; and
b. Developing a framework for action/work plan for years 1-3 that builds trust and inspires change; and
c. Develop a robust community engagement framework to ensure all residents and stakeholders have access to information and opportunities to meaningfully frame the work and contribute to the goals/aims of the initiative; and
d. Host a resident policy/action review in each Council District to share policy expectations for the upcoming year to provide policy solutions to achieve racial reconciliation through City Council action.
Section 4. That the Office of Racial Equity and Reconciliation shall be responsible for:
a. Overseeing the Equity Task Force and;
b. Creating a framework to review current and past policies through racial equity lens; and
c. Outreach with the community related to its purpose; and
d. Redesigning budget sessions toward meaningful community input; and
e. Benchmarking best practices from other communities to design a framework for equitable policy-making in Kansas City.
Section 5. That the City Manager is authorized to accept a one-year grant in the amount of $129,511.00 from Health Forward Foundation for the purpose of partially funding the Office of Racial Equity and Reconciliation, to accept any subsequent renewals of the grant for up to two years without further Council authorization, and to execute any agreements or other documents consistent with the intent of this ordinance and necessary to accept the grant or subsequent renewals.
Section 6. That the revenue in the following account of the General Grants Fund is estimated in the following amount:
22-2580-100001-479977-G10HFF22 General Grant Fund $129,511.00
Section 7. That the amount of $129,511.00 is appropriated from the Unappropriated Fund Balance of the General Grants to the following accounts:
22-2580-105210-B-G10HFF22 Equity Grants $129,511.00
Section 8. That the City Manager is designated as requisitioning authority for Account No. 22-2580-105210.
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I hereby certify that there is a balance, otherwise unencumbered, to the credit of the appropriation to which the foregoing expenditure is to be charged, and a cash balance, otherwise unencumbered, in the treasury, to the credit of the fund from which payment is to be made, each sufficient to meet the obligation hereby incurred.
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Tammy L. Queen
Director of Finance
Approved as to form and legality:
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Katherine Chandler
Assistant City Attorney