Reparations Task Force

Burlington Reparations Taskforce November 28, 2023 6PM-7PM, Champlain Room, 3rd Floor Burlington City Hall and Zoom Attendance: Kim Carson Christian Berry Pablo Bose Shanda Williams Mark Hughes Alli C Melo Grant Minutes Meeting Begins 6:02 PM 1. Motion to approve the agenda a. Pablo and Christen moved to amend agenda by adding a topic under Taskforce Updates to address the leaving of Rebecca. Pablo motions to approve, Christian Seconds. Agenda Approved 2. Motion to approve the meeting minutes (March 2023) a. Pablo Motions to approve, Kim seconds. Minutes Approved 3. Public forum a. Alli thanked Christine for inviting her to this meeting b. Shanda Williams inquired if zoom link will be the same every time, task members confirmed and clarified how the agenda will be warned (48 hours in advance excluding weekends and holidays) c. Mark asked for clarification regarding to the membership of Roy Hill. i. Pablo confirms his membership 4. REIB updates a. Member stipends i. Kim confirms $50 per diem processed quarterly. Only back payments that could be provided are from 1/2021 and forward. Next distribution in January. Need proof of attendance in the task force minutes. b. Taskforce funds (closed as of FY 2021) i. $14,300 left to allocate for necessary needs for task force, does not include stipend money. ii. Rashad and Elise were voted on by Task Force members. Rashad WIlliams initiated the request for Laura Hill which was approved by the previous director. c. Conflict of interest guidelines i. Information was sent to all task force members. Voting members are not allowed to profit from the task force directly ii. Christine discussed her interest in community engagement at the Richard Kemp Center and raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest.  Kim confirmed that such a scenario would be seen as a conflict and offered to get further clarification. 5. Taskforce updates a. Committee members discussed the importance of revisiting resolution to define what the charge of the task force is. b. Christine also expressed her desire to continue with the community engagement plan. c. Kim expressed a desire for the task force to meet with local experts to perform a meta-analysis and to pull together relevant information and recommendations. Pablo agreed, suggesting the inclusion of new faculty members and experts in the process. Christine emphasized the need for community involvement. d. Task Force members discussed casting out a wider net, including from Champlain College. e. Pablo proposed discussing the task force's work on reparations in the next meeting. He also shared updates on the progress of the task force's work, including the need to fill Rebecca's position on the task force due to her other commitments. f. Pablo emphasized the need to focus on the lived experiences of different communities and to value diverse knowledge. He stressed the importance of providing recommendations, as directed by the city council, based on their review. Kim elaborated more on identifying potential experts for the next phase and engaging with the city attorney's office to prepare for potential challenges. The team agreed to schedule their next meeting and to discuss further action steps offline. 6. Other business 7. Scheduling next meeting a. To be determined in relation to Christmas Holiday 8. Motion to adjourn a. Pablo motions to adjourn, Kim seconds. Meeting ends 6:48 PM