RESOLUTION NO. 240826

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Sponsor(s):  Councilmembers Wes Rogers, Johnathan Duncan, Kevin O’Neill, and Darrell Curls

RESOLUTION - Directing the City Manager to reevaluate City hiring policies and practices related to degree requirements for City employment and report back to the Mayor and Council within 60 days.

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WHEREAS, equitable access to quality jobs-jobs with family-sustaining wages, benefits, and opportunities for advancement-is essential to providing economic opportunity for every resident of Kansas City; and

                     WHEREAS, as one of the cities and region’s largest employers, Kansas City, Missouri can help set the standard for being an employer of choice through its benefits package, providing opportunities for career development, and creating equitable opportunities for employment; and

WHEREAS, employers are identifying alternative pathways for candidates, including acknowledgment of the role work experience plays in demonstrating needed competencies, skills, and experience, thereby expanding the pool of eligible candidates for in-demand jobs; and

WHEREAS, in many fields, a degree requirement should be reserved for those professional positions where industry standards require such higher-level education in order to obtain required professional licensure or carry out specific job functions; and

WHEREAS, City Council desires to reevaluate degree requirements for City employment to ensure all residents have access to quality employment; NOW, THEREFORE,

                     BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF KANSAS CITY:

Directing the City Manager to review City hiring policies and practices and to report back to the Mayor and Council on the following within 60 days. Such report shall include, but not be limited to, the following:

(a)                     An evaluation of the process in which the City determines position qualifications;

(b)                     A determination of the number of full-time City employment opportunities that require a four-year college degree by department;

(c)                     A determination of the number of full-time City employment opportunities that require a professional license by department;

(d)                     A plan to annually assess employment positions and specify the type of position, salary, essential functions, required years of experience, how long the position has existed, the rationale for requiring a four-year college degree, and suitability for degree-alternatives for each position;

(e)                     A plan to collaborate annually with departments to identify appropriate alternative pathways for job applicants to demonstrate necessary competencies and skills, including through experience and other credentials; and

(f)                     A plan to develop and implement a strategy to raise public awareness of the number of available City jobs that do not require a college degree or offer a degree alternative. .***** THIS ORDINANCE WILL BE HELD UNTIL September 24,2024 *****

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