Diversity & Inclusion Advisory Committee

CITY OF HENDERSONVILLE DIVERSITY & INCLUSION ADVISORY COMMITTEE Operations Center - Assembly Room 1305 Williams St. I Hendersonville NC 28792 Tuesday, January 11, 2022 - 5:30 PM MINUTES Present: J ayne J ennings, Chair,Josh Williams, Vice-Chair, Florence Alibaugh, Laura Bannister, Nancy Diaz, Eric Gash, Melinda Lowrance Liaisons Present: Mayor Barbara G. Volk, and Mayor Pro Tern Lyndsey Simpson Staff Present: City Manager John Connet, Communications Manager Allison Justus, and others 1. CALL TO ORDER Chair Jennings called the meeting to order with all members in attendance. 2. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Chair Jennings asked the Committee to add a Public Comment period between minutes and old business. The public comment will also be on future agendas. Melinda Lowrance moved that the Committee approve the agenda with the proposed change A 1tmulimous vote of the Committee followed. Motion carried. 3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. Approval of the November 9, 2021 Meeting Minutes -John Connet, City Manager Laura Bannister moved that the Committee approve the min1ttes of the November 9, 2021 meeting as presented. A unanimous vote of the Committee followed. Motion carried 4. PUBLIC COMMENT Crystal Cauley of 627 5 th Avenue W. addressed the Committee asking members to be proactive. Ms. Cauley stated she wants them to help the City to expand cultural activities. Ms. Cauley also asked the Committee to draft a resolution of apology for Urban Renewal and request the City Council to adopt the resolution. Leslie Cary of 404 Randall Farm Road addressed the Committee asking members to be more active and to look at hiring practices and how the City functions. Ms. Cary stated she would also like to form a group to advocate for recognition of diverse holidays and to encourage the City to celebrate diverse cultures. DIVERSITY & INCLUSION ADVISORY COMMITTEE - January 11, 2022 Page 11 5. OLD BUSINESS - NONE 6. NEW BUSINESS A. Report from Diversity and Inclusion Calendar Subcommittee Chair Jayne Jennings, and Committee Members Laura Bannister, and Wanda Home have prepared draft calendar. Chair Jennings stated they have looked at holidays and events from national organizations. Committee Member Bannister mentioned that recognition should be tied to people or events associated to Hendersonville. Committee Member Florence Allbaugh suggested that Mayor Volk should continue her policy of requiring people or groups to specifically request proclamations and said it was important to find a balance of which groups to recognize. Committee Member Allbaugh inquired if staff could put something on social media and the city website asking public for input about which holidays are important to recognize in our community. Committee Member Allbaugh also asked that the city recognize Youth Month and consider establishing an international month or festival to celebrate the variety of heritages in our community. Committee Members conceded to recognized MLK Day, Black History Month and Women's History Month per the subcommittee suggestions. Future months will be discussed at future meetings. B. Black History Month Subcommittee Update Committee Member Melinda Lowrance reported that Wanda Home has volunteered to get information from the community and said she will be providing information in the next couple of weeks. C. ARP Funding Presentation - John Connet, City Manager City Manager John Connet presented information regarding gathering public input on how the City should spend its American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds. Following the presentation, Committee Member Eric Gash asked if transportation projects would be eligible for ARP funds and Manager Connet said he was unsure if they would be based on other funding sources for transportation projects. Manager Connet did encourage everyone to submit ideas on the survey and said there may be opportunities to use funds for assistance with transportation. D. Presentation Regarding Placement of Historical Marker at Landina Guest House - John Connet, City Manager City Manager John Connet presented information regarding placing a historical marker at the Landina House located at 710 pt Avenue W. Committee Member Florence Allbaugh moved that the Committee approve the Landina Guest House Historical Marker and recommend its purchase and installment to the Historic Preservation Committee. A mumimous vote of the Committee followed. Motion carried. DIVERSITY & INCLUSION ADVISORY COMMITTEE - January 11, 2022 Pagel2 7. OTHER BUSINESS A. January Staff Update - John Connet, City Manager City Manager John Connet drew the committee' s attention to the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Consultancy Services RFQ and updated the group on the hiring of the City's recruitment and retention position. 8. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, Chairman Jayne Jennings adjourned the meeting at 6:54 p.m. DIVERSITY & INCLUSION ADVISORY COMMITTEE - January 11, 2022 Pagel3