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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTRC 2023-04-06 transcript[00:00:00] I think we're ready to get started. It is 7.06 staff if he could take attendance, please. Commissioner Dillard. Here. Commissioner Gathua. Present. Commissioner Harris, Commissioner Johnson. Here. Commissioner Krebs. Here. Commissioner Merritt. Here. [00:00:30] Commissioner Nobiss. Commissioner Rivera. Here. And Commissioner Traore. Thank you. We'll move on to the reading of Native American land acknowledgment. We meet today in the community of Iowa City, which now occupies the homelands of Native American nations to whom we owe our commitment and dedication. The area of Iowa City was within the homelands of the Iowa, Meskwaki and Sauk, and [00:01:00] because history is complex and time goes far back beyond memory, we also acknowledge the ancient connections of many other indigenous peoples here. The history of broken treaties and forced removal, the disp- dispossessed indigenous peoples of their homelands was and is an act of colonization and genocide that we cannot erase. We implore the Iowa City community to commit to understanding and addressing these injustices as we work toward equity, restoration, and reparations. [00:01:30] Thank you. Next, we'll move on to the approval of meeting minutes from March 2nd. Do we have um approval? I'll make a motion to approve the minutes. I second it. Any further discussion? Doesn't seem to be. Okay, Commissioner Dillard. Yes. Commissioner Gathua. Yes. Commissioner Johnson. Yes. Commissioner [00:02:00] Krebs. Yes. Commissioner Merritt. Yes. And Commissioner Rivera. Yes. Thank you. Next, we'll move to agenda item number four, which is public items on items not on the agenda. Is there anyone, first we'll go online to see if there's anyone online that would like to comment on anything not on the agenda. And I'm not sure if we can see that. Nobody is raising their hand. Okay. Is there anyone in the public today that would [00:02:30] like to comment on anything not on the agenda today? Okay. Then we will move forward to agenda, um, item number 5, which is a presentation on RPA funds for inclusive economic development. Well, hello, TRC commission. Happy to be here with you today. I am the City of Iowa City's Mayor Bruce Teague and the presenter of this plan will be our city deputy manager, [00:03:00] our city manager Redmond Jones, and he's sitting right here, but I wanted to just give a brief review of what this is and how this came to be. So many of you know that we received some RPA funds, $18.3 million. And with those funds, we- it's an opportunity for communities to really look at how can you be more resilient. And actually, there's a bunch of items that the city council has went through. [00:03:30] I wish I could show you this beautiful little, uh, Excel spreadsheet of some of the things that we've been doing and talking about. But of those $18 million that we, uh, started to talk about, the city council began to put together what are some of the programs that we can address? You might be familiar with a few of them. 11, that we've already done some awards to as the direct assistance payments. Recording in progress. We did 1.18 million. [00:04:00] We also did, uh, a shelter house housing stability pilot program which was 1.14 million. And there are some more things that we've done such as the forest view relocation project and that's where individuals were living in a mobile home. And we knew that they needed to move out into more safer, uh, homes and so we did 1.7 million there. What I'll tell you is that there is more programs underway and some [00:04:30] that are view- that we anticipate will in- involve childcare. But the one that we're going to talk about tonight, is the inclusive economic development program, which is really geared towards underestimated businesses and entrepreneurs within our community. Um, there's two things that kinda guided the council is our strategic plan, which I would encourage you all to really look at, um, as well as there was, [00:05:00] um, my estate planning, and they did the inclusive economic development plans. And through that process, there were gaps and that were identified and some resources, um, and opportunities that could really benefit our community. And so this $4 million that is going to be talking about today is kind of how, um that developed and super excited to present it to you all today, we had two earlier presentations here at City Hall one at 12 and one at 06:00 P.M. [00:05:30] There's a lot of interests in it, which is great. And I think it's going to really give our opportunity, give our city an opportunity to even, uh, be more resilient even after COVID, as we know, there's a lot of challenges that people face during COVID. So ha- happy to see each of you today. And I'm going to present our city Deputy City Manager, Reverend Jones, to do this presentation. Thank you. Thank you, Mayor. [00:06:00] Thank you, TRC for giving us the opportunity to present this really exciting, um, program to you this evening. So, um, Mayor kind of gave you the background, uh, and, um, our economic development support for underestimated businesses and entrepreneurs, um, kind of was motivated. If I can get this going, excuse [00:06:30] me. Okay. Was motivated, uh, by the idea of getting, uh, ideas, concepts, preliminary proposals, and- and all forms of initial ideas together. Um, there's a couple of approaches that we could have take- we could have taken, like a request for proposals or request for qualifications, things of that nature which are a little more finite a- and- and firm. [00:07:00] But we wanted to take an approach of kind of more encompassing. Having the ability to kind of negotiate and help applicants, uh, and some middles to negotiate some of, uh, the challenges and barriers that are out there and maybe even collaborate with one another to, uh, be- become a stronger proposal as a group. So we wanted partnerships to be really part of this. And this process gives the city [00:07:30] the ability to kind of bring those things together. So, uh, build support structures, uh, for underestimated businesses, uh, that's the focus, um, the also to address some of the, um, issues that you know, we were able to identify through some of the pla- planning processes that we've gone through, and I'll talk about a strategic plan a bit, as well as the, uh, inclusive economic development plan [00:08:00] work that has been done. Uh, the city intends to award roughly $4 million, um, and we kind of used $3 million that we had kind of estimated that might be an interest in, uh, physical, um, physical space needs, um, then also about $1 million, uh, in, um, business, what we call business support needs. Now, these are not hard [00:08:30] fast numbers. We just assumed that you know, physical space usually means buildings, uh, land acquisitions, things that are a little more costly. So we- we just identify that, but it really depends on what we get in. It- It may be that, uh, we don't get a lot o- of interests or- or recommendations that we feel comfortable moving forward at this time in that area. But there are some real outstanding programs like or maybe revolving [00:09:00] loan program, um, that is more in line with business support that might need more than $1 million to start with. So these are just you know, numbers that we kinda use for planning purposes on our end, but we encourage folks to, um, submit those statements of interests across whatever they think wouldn't be -be needed to- to get those ideas and- and concepts o- off the ground and be successful. [00:09:30] Um, we also- I also want to take a moment to just remind everyone, we- we kinda put this out in March 15th. The deadline is May 1st, uh, and we're looking at 04:00 to get those in. So, uh, if- if there's any interests my office is- is available to answer questions, work through, uh, any challenges you may be having in preparing your- your proposal. And you know, I'll also talk a little bit more [00:10:00] about, um, getting those ready. So I'll just kinda talk a little bit about some of the- the big planning initiatives that went into this. Uh, we talk about just, um, strategic planning process is a city council went in if there's a major, um, impact areas, housing and neighborhoods, mobility, uh, safety, and well-being. Um, we're really going to be focusing in o- on the economy. And, [00:10:30] uh, the other piece, uh, which was also mentioned, and there was considerable work done by Astig Planning and, uh, they worked on the inclusive economic development, um, plan which was really, uh, driven by Johnson County. So dealing with the economy, um, and there's multiple aspects here, but what we're really zeroing in with- with this particular, uh, program is three major strategies. Is one, um, [00:11:00] reinforcing Iowa City as a premier community to locate and grow business. I think that's like one of our primary goals and trying to provide a- a economy and a, uh, ecosystem that really inspires growth of business in our community. Um, two, to ensure appropriate infrastructure, uh, in place for future business growth and development. [00:11:30] And three, cultivate a strong entrepreneurial and small business ecosystem with a focus on creating new pathways to successful, uh, success for businesses, um, owned, um, by previously systematically marginalized populations. Um, also looking at, um, the planning process that, uh, went into the, uh, inclusive economic [00:12:00] development plan, um, that process involved, uh, a number of community outreach endeavors as well as a uh, survey that was done. And- and in that, um, one of the things that it identified was some of the barriers, um, that, uh, uh, many, uh, businesses- uh, underestimated businesses have to encounter. And, um, we're not saying that these are the only, uh, barriers, [00:12:30] uh, but a strong proposal is going to take on er, as many as these barriers as possible. The more barriers identified in here that a proposal can take on, the stronger that proposal is. So, um, issues like cost of rent. I think we- we- we know that's a challenge, uh, gaps and information are one of the, um, common, um, things brought forth, is maybe getting to run around, trying to find the resources that are out there, [00:13:00] um, being told one thing and then finding out that that's not actually the truth, and those kinds of things that make businesses or entrepreneurs frustrated before they can even get their business off the ground. Um, lack of access to financing, that's pretty straightforward. Um, we know that there's been challenges in- in- uh, in history with banking and in a number of, um, underestimated businesses not having access. Um, missing support systems, [00:13:30] um,you know businesses need access to lawyers, uh, access to accountants, uh, access to, um, uh, management consultants. Um, those things that help a business, once it gets established, off the ground prepare itself to be successful. Dealing with a hostile environment, um, basically discrimination in the marketplace, uh, lack of mentors, and, um, also identified as slack, uh, in childcare. So these [00:14:00] are things that, you know, kinda come to us as yeah, this does makes sense. Uh, and we're not saying that these are the only things, but, uh, to the point that a business or a statement of interest can bring these issues and maybe even other issues that it has encountered and be able to articulate that in his proposal would be, you know, a strong proposal. So, um, just kind of talking about, uh, the two types of projects, touched on it a little bit [00:14:30] with physical space and with business support, um, systems, some examples to physical space, uh, maybe, uh, collaboration, uh, such as shared, uh, retail space or community kitchen. Um, a, uh, youth entrepreneurial program or a community center, uh, where, uh, activities of- of starting your own business or- or supporting your own business, [00:15:00] uh, can be, um, um, cultivated. Um, might also uh, be, you know, like we talked about, building um, land acquisition, construction, remodeling, refurbishing, um, even things, uh, such as, uh, furniture desks and things of that nature. Those physical, um, things that need- a business needs to be successful. On other side, um, we're also looking for business [00:15:30] support programs and this could be administration of small business grants or loans. Uh, technical assistance, um, can take a- a number of different formats and we talked about some of those things like accounting services. Uh, community navigating, uh, could be just working through, finding out where resources that are already out there in the community but, uh, for whatever reason, we can't seem to get access to them. Someone that can help you get to those. [00:16:00] Maybe even so- um, advocating and- and, um, potentially lobbying for a particular business interest. Um, support, uh, networks, um, and prof- uh, professional support systems, uh, we kinda talked about, uh, but on also mentoring programs. So these are just some- some of the ideas and not limited to those just, you know, some of the things that might get, um, folks, um, thinking about what, uh, statements [00:16:30] of interest could er, look like. Um, and just, you know, a couple of examples, and we kinda covered this in our earlier meetings and we- we had a lot of businesses that were, uh, in attendance, uh, and wanted to kind of, uh, you know, do a lot of, uh, examples or- uh, or- or at least, uh, in theory, uh, of what- what a- a good proposal might look like. So we kinda went through some examples. Um, [00:17:00] so you know as an example of one that's not likely a good proposal, is a- a single organization starts a day care and wants to be a proposal. Now that is- is obviously needed, daycare has been mentioned in a number of the planning process but it's an individual business need. What we're looking for is things that will make us a systematic change in that environment, right? We think at some point and time, those individual business needs will certainly be coming forward but we're [00:17:30] looking at what's the framework that some idea is going to be able to cultivate and meet those needs? So,um, from this standpoint at this particular level of funding, not necessarily likely that that would be a strong proposal. However, if you take that same base idea and you take, uh, that single, uh, organization, starts a daycare business focused on parents with, um, home businesses that offer drop-off care with [00:18:00] flexible hours for businesses, then you start to see it becomes more of a support service for businesses and it becomes something that helps deal with the- that ecosystem for businesses. Um, so that's better. Um, even gets stronger if that same partnership can offer office space and meeting space where businesses can have these business meetings there, have childcare there at the same site, but then also maybe access some support services that might also help businesses [00:18:30] like maybe accounting and something like that. So that becomes a, you know, a very strong proposal. Uh, a food truck business that- that wants uh, a new loan for a food truck. A- at this particular stage of funding, not necessarily a good proposal, but if two or more organizations plan to start a community kitchen and offer, uh, restaurant and food truck businesses classes, well now you start to see that it's becoming more of a community-wide [00:19:00] approach and providing a need out there. Um, and then another example, individual business will- you know, wants to provide, uh, translation services for, uh, the Congolese entrepreneurs. Uh, again, really strong, um, but it's dealing with one community, an individual business. What would make that stronger is if, uh, individuals team up and other translators [00:19:30] create a center that would provide translations assistance for multiple languages. So you- you can kinda see where we're going here. The more, uh, communities that you can bring abro- abroad- more partnerships that you can form, increases the strength of a proposal. And you know taking that same- that same approach and bringing all those together and adding on other support services for businesses, makes that proposal even stronger. So I- I, you know, I think you [00:20:00] kind of get where we're going on there, there's just a couple of examples, um, that we give there. And by the way, uh, I also am providing this, uh, uh, presentation for those who are interested in having it, uh, by just sending me an email and I'll make sure er, they get them. I'm also forming an email tree full of businesses that are interested in this so that as I get questions, I [00:20:30] share those questions with everyone so it helps everyone get a strong proposal together. So we'll be, uh, doing that, I'll also be sending out reminders, uh, as we move through this process so that everybody knows when the deadline is coming and- and where everyth- everything stands so that we can hopefully get a good turnout. Now, speaking on- on submissions, um, you know, I wanted to take just a quick second to talk about what it- it looks like. And I think, um we [00:21:00] even have some comments of folks that get intimidated anytime they hear about a grant, and they think that, you know, you need to have a grant writer to go after that. We're really looking at making this as- as pretty straightforward and- and, um, um, simple to maneuver as possible. So all we're really looking for at this particular stage is a cover letter, uh, a general description of the purpose, uh, benefits, and goals of [00:21:30] your- your statements of interests. Um, uh, we're also looking for statements that, uh, build community. Um, obviously this is, um, RPA dollars, American rescue plan dollars that, you know, came from er, COVID-19 response. So, uh, we're looking for things, not necessary to prepare us for the next pandemic, but the things that give, uh, the community ability to bounce back, um, a little faster when reaching some type of crisis [00:22:00] like that. So resiliency is important. Um, uh, estimated budget, we're just looking for big pictures here- uh, here. What you're looking for from, you know- from us is an award, but also, uh, what you plan on bringing to the- to the table as well. And it doesn't necessarily have to be dollars, it could be, I have an old building, uh, and it needs help. Well, that building itself is- is- is- is a value of something, and you bringing that together, it leverages [00:22:30] that. We're- we're looking for even your- your time, your efforts, and the counting of what that is going to be that's what equity, that's important to know. So we're looking in-in a big picture, but we want you to also think about what do you bring into the table, and it's an investment, it's an exchange, business world, you constantly hear skin in the game, we're looking for- for a skin in the game. Um- Primary- [00:23:00] preli- preliminary timelines. If there's any kind of time- sensitive aspects to your idea, we wanna know about them. Wanna get some idea of what your estimates on if everything goes [NOISE] well. What [NOISE] time do you anticipate before the program that you're working through would- would, you know, be implemented. Track record is again, something that we had a lot of questions [00:23:30] about. Um, let us know what you've done to date. Doesn't necessarily mean that what you're presenting, you have to know all the ins and outs for. Um, we kinda expect that no one person or one group is going to have all the- the pieces. This is why we think partnerships are going to be critical in- in this- in this program. So there may be times when you don't know who they are, you don't know where they are. Um, but the idea is, we might [00:24:00] wind up by getting proposals and then bringing people together by looking at those proposals and saying, hey, you may want to work with this group or that group, um, to make it a stronger proposal, um altogether. We call it like to get better together, stronger to- together. So we're looking for those opportunities as well. But we need to know, um, if you don't have a track record, give us the statement of your ability so that we can match those things up, [00:24:30] um, for strong proposals. Also, a statement of work to-date. If you have some past successes, even some past failures that you've learned from, We'd like to know what those are and any other, uh, supporting information that can strengthen and bolster your proposal. So, um, again, um, the requests, uh, for, uh, statement of interests, we've- we've put that out, um, but, [00:25:00] uh, we can- we also have an online now that folks can get more details about what we we're looking for with the submission. And real quickly what our process is going to be as we get those submissions in, um, uh, we'll be forming a review committee- committee. City staff is gonna be working with the mayor to review what we've received. We may be bringing folks in for interviews, um, mostly in the [00:25:30] area of getting clarifications, but maybe even, uh, exploring partnerships or refinements within their proposal that we've received. And, uh, then the next step would be to, um, uh, recommend the city council, uh, statements of interests and maybe ready to move forward to the next- to next level. And what the next level looks like on the next steps, would be, uh, working, uh, with those successful selected partners [00:26:00] to develop those statements of- of interests into formalized proposals. So the hard part of- of putting together a grant, we're going to work through that with applicants and work through any challenges their particular pro- proposal has to help them prepare, uh, and get it ready for formalized submission to city council. Um, that- that could be at, you know, various timelines depending [00:26:30] on your proposal. We suspect that if there is a proposal that hey, I need to have a building here, we'll- we'll- we'll work with them to get architects or engineers to help develop a building. We'll work with real estate professionals to identify appropriate location or acquisition of land, those kind of things. So, um, they- it kinda goes, you know, at its own pace. Who- who knows- we see a- a great loan program and- and all we have to worry about is building debt [00:27:00] reserves and things of that nature and we don't have to worry about those things, those might go a little faster than something that requires physical space. But, um, that's kinda, you know, the- the big picture in a nutshell. I kinda ran through that real quick because I know you guys got a long meeting. I do appreciate you taking a- the- giving me an opportunity to take a little time to kinda walk you through this a little bit and, um, uh, encourage anyone interested to reach out to my office. And we're really excited to [00:27:30] be able to work with folks to-to really bring this to fruition. Thank you. Any questions I should answer? Tons. [LAUGHTER] I know- first of all, think about, um, a physical space, building and how things are very tight downtown. You know, I'm assuming maybe zoning is- planning and zoning is on board with [00:28:00] trying to help facilitate maybe rezoning if it's necessary for business? So those are the things that staff will work through with whatever that proposal is. Um, and we're- and we're going to assume that, you know, as long as it's within Iowa City proper, we'll work through whatever those challenges are. And- and if some of those challenges become insurmountable, we'll find other locations [00:28:30] and provide other options. So those are the kinda of things that we would have to work through that could take some time, um, depending on what that- that particular proposal is. And I was just wondering was- is the May 1st date of- a deadline, is- is that enough time and has word been out enough that people could even respond and get the statement together in time? Yeah, so great. We- we think so because this is [00:29:00] not something that has to be very sophisticated. So I think- I- in a previous meeting, I kind of showed it and- and maybe a little tongue and cheek, but I showed- I kinda compared it to, a napkin and drawing an idea on a napkin, and a lot of great entrepreneurs started a idea out with a picture on a napkin. Not saying that we want a napkin and with a picture on it, but we're- we're saying we- we don't want you to spend a whole lot of idea. We- we don't want [00:29:30] dissertations and theses and we, you know, I- don't want to put a number on it, but, you know, I'm assuming anywhere between 2-5 pages, something that allows you to talk about those ideas that you wanna do. Give us what they are talking about- a bit about yourself and how you think this is going to help. You know, we want to see things that are sustainable because we understand this is kind of a onetime [00:30:00] infusion of dollars. Show us how you think this is going to continue out when these dollars run out, how this is going to continue, just give us those kind of basics and we'll come back, and especially if we love that idea and work through building that more thing that looks like a business plan or something that's more of a business. So we think if you just kinda- the hard part here is thinking through it. I don t think it's going to be putting it on paper, I think it's just [00:30:30] going to be thinking through it, identifying where even if you don't have a partner right now in mind, but gosh, it'd be nice to have a partner who can provide this, if you say that that would be, you know, suffice in helping us, kind of say, well, you know we got some other proposals that have that kind of expertise that could be brought to that table. Or in- in some cases, we may have proposals that don't get picked up right away, but [00:31:00] have some aspects that are- have merit. We might pull it in later after another proposal is being developed and we realize that proposal's missing something. So it- it- it is a communication that doesn't stop with just May 1st, um, but it's a communication that if you give us the basics, we can pull on later. And that's what we're hoping for. I was also wondering about, um, especially if we're talking [00:31:30] about partnering - partner- partners of different types of businesses, are you going to think about an online, and I mean like a clearinghouse database that somebody can look up and see who's even around that does this, that maybe that they could talk to or us all that matchmaking going to be done in your department? Yeah. We're- we're looking for that to- to kinda happen in the process. So my department, the process [00:32:00] of review, um, and the actual submissions that we get, and, you know, we've talked through- if for some reason we know there's a need out there and for some reason we don't have- we don't hit our interests or interests that hits to it. Then the city's back at a point of trying to devise a program for that particular need. So we're- we're- we're kinda really flexible and- and that kinda might feel a little wishy-washy, but we're kinda [00:32:30] doing that on purpose so that we can have as many opportunities to create innovation and bring people together to work together and hopefully be sustainable. Thank you for this presentation, I'm excited, um, to see what comes of it. Um, one question that I have is, you- I appreciate that, uh, within the connection to the strategic plan and this is [00:33:00] an economic program there is a focus for, um, really lifting up folks coming from systemically marginalized populations and I wonder like what variables your office is going to be considering when kind of defining, uh, systemically marginalized and will there be any, um, like exclusion criteria for businesses or entrepreneurs that already have it sort of dominant- sort of presence within the Iowa City community and will they be [00:33:30] kind of ignored in favor of folks who are a little bit greener. Yeah. So great question. So the way we have set it up is that we're going to be using the state-targeted small business program and if you know about that program, its- it's focused on protected classes, uh, women um, and veterans, uh, uh, all are, you know, within this- that program. So we're [00:34:00] really not going to be taking on that outside of, we're going to be helping businesses get established with, uh, as uh, a targeted small business to the state certification process. The other part of that is we're going to be focused on partnerships that have 51% control in Iowa City base businesses and targeted small businesses. Um, other businesses outside [00:34:30] of those realms are welcome and, uh, desire to be part of partnerships, it's just that the controlling interests in that group will be Iowa-based and targeted small business. And have, uh, you all projected, um, like how many awards you anticipate uh, giving out with this money? That's another one, we're just kind of wait to see what we get, um, I have- I have no idea of what [00:35:00] that's going to look like. We do know and we're- we're focusing intending on spending $4 million in this effort, uh, and who knows if things are really great, we might have to revisit if we need to do more but, uh, that's kind of where we are right now. One more quick question about the- the review community or committee. Who are you looking forward to be on this committee, who qualifies, and who doesn't qualify? [00:35:30] We're kinda got that locked in right now, um, the mayor is going to be on that, myself is gonna be on that. Windy Ford, our economic development coordinator is going to be on that. If there's room for another person, I'm probably not going to rule it out, but that's where we're working on right now. I'd really hope- sorry [LAUGHTER] I'd hope that should this be a successful [00:36:00] program that this city consider this not being a sort of onetime thing that we can sort of build-up. This is a ongoing support for the community because I think that it is really awesome but one of the questions that I have is, you know, how- what is sort of the measure of success with the program like this, and how will you know, yeah, we did the thing? Yeah. I- I think, you know, there's still some room for that to be more articulated but I think starting off, [00:36:30] we're gonna be looking for, you know, sustainability is gonna be huge issue. We want to see something that's going to make a systematic change to the canal- to the ecosystem, uh, the economic ecosystem that businesses have to deal with. We're looking at, um, ideas that can hit as many of those barriers that I talked about as possible. We're also hoping that whatever partnerships come together [00:37:00] that they're able to, uh, amass an investment that is close to reflecting the investment that they're asking from the public sector. We're hoping that this is kind of a team approach and not just a grant. Um, so that's- initially, that's what we're looking at. I'm sure it could flourish into more and bigger things, but that's what we're starting off with. [00:37:30] Yes. An tha- thank you for the presentation and it's hopeful for me to see my city moving in the right direction to- in relation to economic equity and, er, when, er, when we talk small business, I'm wondering how [00:38:00] small and, er, how that is measured. How does one decide that I'm a small business? And then the other thing, I'm thinking in my mind that the business that are going to apply also do include, uh, some of our mission-driven organizations or businesses that really support the very marginalized [00:38:30] in our city. And this brings my question in mind. Some of those, uh, some people who work pr direct or lead, some of those organizations are also on our cities boards and commissions and I ask myself, how- how will the city do the conflicts of interests so that I would [00:39:00] hate to see, uh, some mission-driven organization that really does great work and is really in need of such a lift that- that is being offered closed out because one of their people- some of their people are in one of our boards or commissions or yeah. And then I noted, which I note, sometimes [00:39:30] Swahili gets left out of the cities and organizations and it's left out as so- and we do have a big population of our city using Swahili. Yes, so that's something I would want to be included in whichever materials, uh, and even if I'm not on the lookout, I'm going to note because I'm one of the Swahili users and translators and interpreters in the- in the- I'm [00:40:00] not yet satisfied other than by being a user of the language and being proficient. So, yeah, and thank you again for the presentation and us moving towards building our good city and bringing in those of us who are really marginalized. Thank you, Commissioner [inaudible 00:40:20] and-and I will- not I know about the Swahili, I know we had talked about it, we didn't know where to access it, so now I know where you are. We may [00:40:30] wind up rushing to get some of this information and translate it in Swahili because I didn't get that on our website, so we know where you are now, so thank you. And thank you for having Arabic and having, uh, and capturing French and Spanish for our populations in the city and users of those languages also, a lot of them happen to be the very marginalized. Thank you. [00:41:00] This is Commissioner Johnson, I don't have any questions as of right now. So far things sound great, and look forward that it's working out well for the city. Thank you. This is Commissioner Dillard and I also want to thank you so much for coming here and presenting to us, um, and just giving this information so that we can also spread out to the community. So thank you very much. Um, fellow Commissioners, do we have any other questions? Are we ready to move on to [00:41:30] the next agenda item? Okay, thank you so much. Thank you. Okay. So the next agenda item is, um, facilitator, services, proposal, and contract. That's right. Hi, uh, Eric Harris. I'm the the city attorney and I'm here once more to speak to you about the consultant contracts to- uh, to work with facilitators for, uh, your group. Uh, I guess [00:42:00] I'll start with the recap. Uh, you may recall last time I was here, we, ah, discussed that we had draft contracts which we shared with you which incorporated the proposal, uh, that you would receive from the group of well, a number of entities, but that will be contained in four contracts. And, er, my memory as you folks had reviewed it and were satisfied with the scope of work and the services that collectively, uh, these, ah, facilitators would be providing, ah, for you. [00:42:30] Um, you may recall that there were a couple of, ah, compensation pieces that we're still a little up in the air and, uh, we've been able to, ah, bring that to resolution. Hopefully you've had a chance to review the late handout, uh, most notably the, um, cover sheet with the total team costs. Um that's all, uh, been reworked and updated. Um, I'd really like to thank, ah, Astig planning and Annie Tucker [00:43:00] for kind of taking the lead. As I mentioned, there are a whole bunch of consultants involved here, but they've really been the ones who have been my point of contact and have helped me even if they're relating to question- my question is related to contracts that are not theirs, you know, say the native partners contract, for example. So at this point, I'm- I'm satisfied with what we have and I believe we're ready to send it out to the consultants for their questions or comments. [00:43:30] Um, but, uh, before I do that, It's my custom to circle back to our internal clients. As I think I mentioned last time, normally I don't do that at a public meeting, uh, but, uh, this is a little bit of a different body. Normally it's a staff contract or staffed contact and then I'm working with internally. Uh, but here we are. So does anyone have any questions or concerns about the content of the contract that I could, um, help with before we send it out the door? Will we take public comment? [00:44:00] Um, I was thinking we would take public comment after everything was presented, but do we think we should do it now? I think the public has anything to say the next should enter into our deliberations. Okay. Well, let's go ahead and take public comments before we move into our discussions. So is there anyone that would like to speak publicly about this agenda item? Thank you. Good evening commissioner. My name is- [NOISE] Good evening commissioners. My [00:44:30] name is Selena Martin. I'm with the Help Hope and Love Foundation. Um, I- I'm going to reflect I did meet with the few of you all, I guess a week or so ago, and I just wanted to re-elaborate on the possibility of having, um, local or [NOISE] other possible project managers that might come in at a lower rate than the, um, contract that you all have in front of you and then those funds could be, uh, utilized to help, uh, the community better. [00:45:00] And, um, I also started doing some research and I was hoping that we could, uh, meet at your gym like you had mentioned. And I will bring those proposals with me, uh, to let you all view those as well. Because I do think we can get the same services for a much cheaper rate, ah, within our community. Ah, so I just wanted to let you all know that I'm working on that, and hopefully possibly could have some other options that you may be able to use or think about. Okay? Absolutely. Thank you. Thank you. Offer still stands. Absolutely. [00:45:30] Awesome. So go ahead. I- I was just wondering about, um, the liability because it was one of the things that we kind of talked about before, but there wasn't- things were very clear. I wasn't sure if that was addressed in the contract. Well liability- I mean, we had a couple of different discussions last time when I kind of raised, er, toward the end about defamation. Did you mean that liability? Yeah that liability. Okay. I'm sorry, what's your- what's your question about that? I was wondering if, um, [00:46:00] that was discussed with the facilitators in how to like whether protect the interests of the city or protect the interests of the commissioners with I guess some of the truth telling. I'm- I'm not sure if I'm expressing it. [OVERLAPPING] Well, um, no is the answer to the question as to whether or not I've had any further conversation with the consultants about that topic. Um, frankly, that would be something I would normally, um, discuss with them once they're on board. We would maybe [00:46:30] have a kickoff meeting, something like that and we would say, okay, now be aware that here's this issue and we're going to- you know, how do you plan to address this issue in your truth telling and in your final report and- and so forth. I would anticipate, uh, approaching it then. And then again, I think we've talked about is if the facilitators, if somebody were to leave the group of facilitators, how that was going to be made up. Has that been discussed? Uh, no. [NOISE] [00:47:00] I assume you're referencing the three native partners, for example. [OVERLAPPING] Yes but it- it could be in- in any of them really. Sure. Right, no I understand it could be. Well, I guess I would address it in this way. Um, is I think I mentioned last time, sometimes we have consultant contracts and in them we specifically indicate who our person is not just that we're signing with company x, but we want John Smith with company x. [00:47:30] And John Smith will be the principal contact and will, you know, be the principal in the project and all that kind of thing. Um, you know, obviously, in the case of the three native partners there with individuals, that is, there is no kind of intermediary, you know, LLC or a corporate entity. So, you know, we've already achieved that in there because the contract is with those three people as individuals. Um, as to the other contracts, we have not if the TRC would like to have specific [00:48:00] people identify, didn't have those people and those people alone be the lead, uh, representative of those respective, um, firms. We can certainly do that and add it in the language before we send it out. Um, but that would be normally how we address that issue. Any further questions or discussion for Eric? Okay. [00:48:30] Well, thank you for coming back to present to us is what- what do you need from us now? Well, I guess what I need from you is whether you're comfortable with the contracts as they are in the form in which they are found. And if so, I will send them out to, uh, the consultants and continue that process. If instead you folks, you know, want to see some changes of the sort that you folks were just, you know, mentioning, we can certainly have that discussion either now or later. If- if it's going to be later, please let [00:49:00] me know and I will hold off from sending those out. Stephanie, do we need a motion on this? Well, I wasn't sure if you want it to open it up to people on Zoom. Oh, are there people on the Zoom? There are people. Yes. Okay. Yes, we would like to do that. Is there anyone on Zoom that would like to comment? [00:49:30] I'm not seeing anyone. Okay. Okay. Did you say give it another second? Is that what she said? I did say in the microphone to raise their hand. If you would like to speak, could you please raise your hand or click the Raise Your Hand button. [00:50:00] Okay. I think that that's everyone. Is there any further discussion? I'd like to thank you for- Oh, wait. Sorry. Oh, Anne. Anne you ro- you raised your hand. Do you want to take on? Feel free to come. So Anne Tu- [NOISE] Anne Tucker. [00:50:30] Um, so I've been thinking about y'all being on the cusp of being able to start planning the specifics of what you're gonna do. And you've got these con- these contracts and all that stuff as something that has to happen before. And so here's what I've been thinking. I'm a cisgender, older white woman. When you're- when you get to the point soon where you're making your plans, [00:51:00] it may be that you think we really want somebody of a different demographic doing this or that. So here's what I've thought. What we can do in the non-profit that I worked for, which is named, and I'm named in there, what we can do is, um, we've arranged for an internal process. So if you have other people that you wanna do it, that they can subcontract [00:51:30] through our non-profit, so we I already set that up. So we would only charge the fees that we wouldn't have it an administrative fee, but there would be fees for the checks because we're so small, we don't do the checks, for example. But I want you to know as you're thinking about these contracts and then as you're thinking about your plans once you get into that mode, I want you to know [00:52:00] that that's- tha- that that's an opportunity that you have that hasn't been clear and that I just figured out that I wanted to make that possible. So that's within the structure of your decision- making, but it's a new option. So any questions? I don't have any questions. Thank you so much for bringing that towards our attention. You bet. It definitely helps. Thank you. Thank you. Yes. As I do have a question [00:52:30] for you. So i- if one of the facilitators does have, uh, a subcontractor for some part of the- the scope of work, is there anything that we have to worry about or the city has to worry about with that or since it's part of their sub-contracting, we're not- we don't have to worry about it contractually? Well, ultimately, the general contractor in this context, and I know that it's a bit of a misnomer given that we don't have a general contractor, we've got these several contracts, [00:53:00] um, but, you know, one- in this case, uh, Mediation Services of Eastern Iowa would be the general for that contract and that they want to subcontract to someone else. Normally, um, that requires approval of the city, in this case, of you, um, to make sure that that's okay. Um, if there are any additional costs associated with that, we've set it up such that that would need written approval as well. Um, but otherwise, it's- you know, it's fine under the contract [00:53:30] setting if it's okay with you folks. Okay. That's good. Okay. So, um- Just to add something to, uh, Lawrence's question that I guess the answer what Anne Tucker was talking about, uh, I think I saw it in the written contract already. It's already added in. About sub-contracting and so forth? About the sub-contracting local organizations. [00:54:00] Uh, I- Well. Or maybe- Do you mean in the kind of broad terms and conditions language? Yeah, the- the scope. And I also saw something like $10,000. Right now a- as part of the Healing Partners contract, uh, they have asked, uh, for $10,000 so that they can distribute to I- I think they call, uh, local groups in, um- in this, uh, in the, uh, spreadsheet. But yeah, I mean, it's local folks who are kinda helping [00:54:30] with the mission. A- and that would be, you know, I assume, smaller tasks, um, um, requiring, you know, knowing, you know, insurance and business, you know, all the things that these consultants are going to be required to have and for whom we would probably not have separate contracts, uh, but that it's part of the Healing Partners contract. They would be the ones who are kind of facilitating that and figuring out who's gonna do what and how much they're going to be compensated for that work. [00:55:00] Is that responsive to your question? Um, I was thinking that's what your question was and I was thinking that's what Anne Tucker was talking about. Or you're talking about something that might arise in the future, Anne Tucker? I think Vee is going to come and explain. The effects may arise as we're planning. Yeah. So that's kind of a couple of separate things. So the- the 10,000 we had called out in the- our contract specifically just to set [00:55:30] aside a part of money because we know that there will be local groups and people that are going to come for, we will strive deeply to make sure that that happens so that we have local buy-in and local people working. Um, and then what Anne was talking about was sort of, I think in addition to that. Um, in addition to the work specifically that Anne does, and I don't want to take this, but it's like the healing circle work and- and the mediation services that you provide, that if there was somebody with a different demographic in that capacity, in that role, that [00:56:00] she would just sort of step aside. Is that what you were- schedules everything. Two separate things. And- and I think what I want to say is the way I imagine it, you guys are going to have a vision and a plan. All these folks and the consultant groups, we did the best to think of what we could bring since we got tapped with what we could bring and so we made the budgets that way. But if in your vision you think it [00:56:30] would be great to have so and so, we're not even holding ourselves out as to knowing who would get that 10,000. Right? That comes from really your vision and process and your connections and people who present themselves or you know. That's how I'm picturing it. And all I wanted you to know [NOISE] is in addition to that 10,000, if what you guys say is, yeah, and the stuff tha- that at mediation services we're just going to be responsible [00:57:00] for, we're thinking this and we're actually thinking these folks, could they just subcontract so we work within the structure that you guys are accepting, if you accept it, and yet you have choices and things can grow organically from your vision and your connections. I think to add to that, what Anne is really offering is the liability is still on Eastern mediation services. So, um, that's kind [00:57:30] of the- the cover. [LAUGHTER] But, of course, as you know, Eric pointed out, that would be upon your approval. But really it's, it's collaborative effort anyway, is where it stems from. It's' a- sort of an addition too. Thank you for- thank you for clarifying that. I think that's a great thing that you're bringing up. Um, and I'd be remiss to not bring up the amazing conversation we had last week four of us getting with other, um, community members, talking about how we can [00:58:00] collaborate. And, um, if you're listening, I hope you can hear this as an opportunity where you can be partner with us, um, especially for the community members that were concerned that the people that would be on the street, on the ground, would not look like those people would and not be able to serve them. Um, so I'm hoping that this would help bridge that concern and- and alleviate any, you know, fears that people have that people that don't know the are gonna be coming to try to take over. So thank you so much. Yeah, absolutely. Thank you. Thank [00:58:30] you. If I could, let me clarify one of the things, um, one of the vague comments I made a moment ago which was about change orders and subcontract into change, um, the compensation that's included in the contract. I said that it would need to be approved in writing. I should be more specific. It would need to be approved in writing by city council. And the reason I say that is that they're the ones because this is a contract for consultant services of over $60,000. That's all the city manager authority is, is $60,000, and anything [00:59:00] beyond that needs to go to city council and they're the ones who approve. Now, um, as you're uh, aware, council previously authorized the TRC to spend, I- I want to say it was $197,000 or something for consultant services. Um, obviously, we will be going back. Uh, the latest figure here is $402,000 and change. Um, if this body wishes to have some wiggle room built-in for change orders and so forth, uh, you can certainly request that [00:59:30] of council and if they agree to that, then we can include it in the resolution. We would, of course, or- or they would, of course, want to make sure that there's some, you know- that they specify how much wiggle room there is. You know, is it five percent of the budget, is at 10 percent of budget is, is it set dollar figure, or whatever that is? Uh, so if that's something you're interested in, that's certainly something you can ask of co- of council. Uh, but otherwise, any change order that would, uh, cause, um, any of the individual consultants to exceed their not to exceed compensation [01:00:00] figure would require a written approval by the council. Would it- would it also, if it's just like a reallocation where it doesn't necessarily change the- what the budget amount is, that they reallocating from one area to something else, is that something that they-? Do you mean within the same, um, within the same consultant contract or- Yeah. -across consul-? Okay. I would say within the same consultant contract, that's fine. As long as, you [01:00:30] know, Consultant A does not go over the, you know, compensation that was listed in Consultant A's contract, great. Um, assuming they still are able to achieve all of the scope of services that are specified in the contract, of course. Um, but if you were to say, you know what, let's have, uh, Consultant A do the work that we thought Consultant B was going to do, of course, we would correspondingly want to alter their contract. You would have to go back to city council for that. Yeah. Okay. I have one additional question. [01:01:00] And maybe I missed this before, but I do see on the last sheet that there's a third phase and there's nothing put for that line, and I'm just curious. So wait. I'm sorry which were you looking? It says there is Phase 1, second phase total, and third phase total. Right. And so I just, um, I'm wondering how does that work. If we deem that there's a third phase, we need to go back through this process again? Well, when you say the process, I mean, you would need to go back to city council assuming you want to spend additional funds? Yes. Um, yes. Okay. [01:01:30] Thank you. Sure. Er, did you have clarification? Okay. Are there any other questions fellow commissioners? Just, er, um, er this is-am, addressing this to Annie er, in connection to what Eric has just clarified. Whether if some of the work, [01:02:00] if it- we move organically and it moves to another to use subcontract, is that within the cost that you have projected right now or would it be something new? So I- I don't understand what you're asking me. When I say that there'll be- go ahead and if- let's do it again. In- just in case there happens to be er, [01:02:30] other local groups that when you said you are stepping aside and then subcontracting with another maybe local group. So that cost, is it within already what is budgeted or is it outside of that budget? So um, I think that here's what- here's what I- here's what I can imagine and I'm willing to take coaching. What I did was make up something with- that was within [01:03:00] my understanding of what I could make up. So are you saying will all of the folks who subcontract, will they use up all the- the fees per hour? [OVERLAPPING] There are- there's the indicators Are they part of what- are they part of the cost that you have projected, the budget that we have from you-from mediation services? So they can- they can have all of that here's the problem. We're so small, we don't cut checks. [01:03:30] I'm-I'm just going to be specific so that we can talk with that and see if I'm answering your question. There will be some- mediation services can't pay the $40 to cut a check and give somebody to do the things. So if we can find a cheaper way, great, but right now, that's all I know. So- so what ever is the total that right now is allocated to mediation services, [01:04:00] that would be a veil-what I'm imagining is that's available to people that you select instead of for example me and that they will be paid through that money, and I will have to take- I'm willing to find a cheaper way to get the mechanism of payment happening, right? The accounting and all that jazz but I'm- so that would be taken out of the total [01:04:30] but nothing else. That would be like an external service that I'm paying and all the rest would be available for whatever you mentioned, our different hourly rates whatever- you can tell that I'm operating on a human level and not the person who is an accountant or an attorney or anything else that will be helpful in the thinking through of this, but I'm telling you that the money essentially will be available in [01:05:00] any way that is workable, and what you want to the people that you want. And there might be some expenses that have to come out of the big pot of money that is allocated for M-MSCI, but most of it will go to the people. Am I answering your question Longley? Yes- Yes yeah. Okay. And this relate to the best of my ability and I'm willing to take coaching, right? Yeah. I'm neither- I'm also not a money person but-and [01:05:30] so I'm also speaking that not an expert in money. So yeah what I did get is-it's within hoard already how you had budgeted. Yeah-Yeah. And-and I'm meaning to do this so that you have more choice on the other side of this than it looks like you have now, right? Yes. So anything else? I'm really appreciative of questions. Yeah. Commissioner [01:06:00] curves here. So from what I understand, you're willing to bring in other folks to assist with your portion, um, but if that were to incur some extra costs that are not in the budget that you've set aside, then that may need to come out of the- the other funds that are set aside? No. I'm saying that it would come out of the total that was set aside for mediation services. Right. Not the 10,000, wouldn't- wouldn't [01:06:30] go into that. It- it just like in you know organizational expense for-for outsourced processing. So if I can jump in the way I understand it is any right now is budgeted in there, but if she were to allow what I'm going to say cliff to take over, you would have to pay him and to pay him, you're going to have to submit a check in checks cost. Is that what you're saying? That is what I'm saying. And because uh, you're gonna have to take whatever [01:07:00] costs to pay him but everything else besides that payment is gonna go towards the people that you're sending side. Let-let's say like Cliff, is that what you're saying? That is what I'm saying. Okay. And-and then there's a pot- an important pronoun thing here right now. And for me that is that I'm not going to be selecting those people you are. I just wanna be very straightforward about that. This gives you more choice. Yeah. We appreciate your partnership. [01:07:30] Absolutely. Thanks. Okay. Are we ready to move on to the emotion that was about to be-go ahead. [LAUGHTER] I'm sorry. No, it's fine. Well, I think the- the commission's still needs to discuss with the city but how the whole money thing is gonna be transferred and used in anyway. I think we've already had public comment were in the discussion section, so I can't allow you to speak right now. It was inviting her up. oh were you- which I did- I did [01:08:00] I thought that was so [inaudible 01:08:01]. I'm sorry. I apologize. Okay. Go ahead. I just wanted clarity regarding the phase 1, phase 2, and phase 3. That's a good question. Now the phase 1, what number was allocated for that at phase that part of it? Was there a certain dollar amount for phase 1? Yes. One hundred and ninety thousand four hundred and ten dollars and ninety eight cents. Phase 2? Two hundred and two thousand, three hundred and ten dollars and twenty two cents. So basically what you're saying is it's there's possibly a phase 3 that has $402,000 could grow [01:08:30] exponentially? If there is a phase 3, yes. I would- if it's okay, I would love to ask our partners to come and explain the phases so we could get an overview of what this actually means for the entire community. Absolutely. Um, thank you. An- and thank you for the opportunity. I- I know it's, um, been ongoing. It's been some time. So really, Phase 1 when you look at it, is [01:09:00] the education, understanding, you know, how are we going to be- how would the commission is gonna be embarking on this journey, essentially. Um, and some- a lot of that is think piece coming in and I know there has been some education there with think piece. Um, and then, uh, so that education component is- is huge. And then there's also some, um, strategic doing that will happen that will really hopefully catalyze into, you know, what are the actual, you know, projects and things and people that will [01:09:30] be partaking in, right? Um, there is, uh, components throughout that are about like truth-telling, fact-finding, and those things I think start getting into that second phase. Um, and this is a process that your think peace and Crimson West have undertaken before. Your local partners that you see here, you know, we're here with you along this journey and we have been for almost two years now, right? So like we- the- the third phase [01:10:00] really is just a- it's- yes, it's a question mark because we don't know what this- where this will go. Um, through the truth-telling, through the fact-finding, you know, our job is to make sure that we get to a place with you so that, uh, we can all come together and have. You know, here's, um, some recommendations at the very end. The- we broke it up into two phases so that after the first phase, we could say, okay, like what- what did we learn here? Where can we shift? Um, and know there's- so there's a pause is I think how [01:10:30] we described it to- to just sort of, um, ruminate on what- what it is that we learned so that se- that second phase we can go into it, you know, a little bit clear eyed understanding, you know, we're working together. And then that aft- after that second phase, deciding doesn't need to be a third phase knowing that we're trying to get to those final recommendations. Um, and I understand that it is a big number. Uh, I've sat in this audience when the first proposal came through and was like, oh my gosh, that's so much money, you know, going to professionals that don't even live [01:11:00] here. And so fast-forward two years later and here I am standing before you, and knowing that there's so many of our community that feel the same way, I've truly want to recognize that. And so we've tried at every turn to say, you know, we want to set aside money, we want to find our partners, we want to make sure that people are included. Um, a truth and reconciliation, you know, commission process has to do that fundamentally, make sure that we are including as many people as possible. I mean, look at this commission. It's unlike any other that the city has, right? So that's kind of in broad [01:11:30] strokes what those first, second, and then potential third phases are really about and those pauses in-between. Um, as your local partners, we've been trying to kind of, you know, usher things forward, um, making sure that things are, you know, communicated as- as, you know, as well as we can. We do have our out-of-state partners that we have been in communication with. Um, we ask questions. We, you know, stay in touch, making sure that the contracts are moving forward, answering those questions. Um, so those are- that- [01:12:00] that's kind of like the evolution of where we are today. Um, and I, you know, I don't want to exclude others that, you know, have a wealth of knowledge and experience. We don't want to leave any people behind. We want to make sure that we're moving forward together. So truly coming forward as a collaborative process, as- as best as we possibly can. Obviously, we can- can't reach everybody and all of those- those kinds of things. But, um, I think putting that good-faith effort forward, and, um, being willing to be open [01:12:30] and be able to pivot to make those changes alongside you, um, and- and to learn and grow alongside you. So- Thanks, Vee. I do have one last question to put you on the spot. The- wha- what would you say to people that the number is just absolutely shocking again this time? What would you say to them? Um, I guess I would say, what does institutionalized racism cost? What does it cost to look at a system that [01:13:00] has caused so much op- oppression and harm? What do you think it would cost to actually take that step forward? I'd say it's way more than what we just asked for. Thank you. Any other discussion? It looks like we can move forward. [01:13:30] Are there any motions? This is, um- so the next step is to send this out then to- to send this to the city- city council for their approval or- [OVERLAPPING] Well, no, the next step would be to send it to the, uh, consultants if- if you're satisfied with, uh, the form that those contracts are in now, then we would send it to the consultants. And assuming that, um, you know, they're satisfied as well, then we go to City Council and then seek their approval. All right. Uh, so between the two of you, [01:14:00] do you think that we need a motion on this if- or do we just say that we approve? Yeah. I mean, consensus would be fine with me if- if it appears that there are at least, uh, four nodding heads, uh, that are ready, uh, for this, then that'd be fine with me. If you wanna take it in the form of motion that's- that's fine too. Does anyone have any opposition to this being, uh, taken to the next step and sent to the listed consultants? Okay. [01:14:30] We'll send it out. More nodding their heads. We're on board with it. That's all I needed. Thank you. Do you have any other additional questions for me- Yeah. -before I excuse myself? Once, uh, hopefully you get it signed, the next step is to bring it back to us or it will go straight to city council. Well, assuming there are no substantive changes proposed by the consultants, the next step would be Council. The contracts would be signed, uh, contingent upon city council approval. That is, you know, there's no one going to be signing in on our end until- um, until the council [01:15:00] approves it. They're the ones who have the authority, uh, for this dollar amount. And the soonest it could get this any council would be next month? Uh, it would in all likelihood be next month, yes. I mean, our next city council meeting is on the 18th of April, and it would be shocking to me to- they could all be turned around and returned. And yeah, that would be awfully surprising, but I'm open and willing to be surprised. I can sign it right now. [LAUGHTER] [01:15:30] Well, I wanna thank everyone for this process that's been two and a half years in the making. Um, as always, we're looking forward to all of our community partnerships and, you know, making this a better community, so thanks. I'd like to echo that. I mean- I- I think that every time we take a step forward, I get really emotional because this has been [LAUGHTER] a long process. Um, and, uh, as much as, you know, I've been sitting with, um, this, I also appreciate all of the hard work that has gone into [01:16:00] this. There's been a lot of sort of imagination and reworking and criticism and then more reworking and, um, more collaboration and decentralization. And, um, I'm just be- I've just been so impressed with how this process has unfolded, including some, you know, restorative justice, I think, uh, inspired processes that have gotten us to this point. Um, and so I just have the most respect for all the, um, uh, potential consultants, uh, for- for getting us to this point. [01:16:30] I think this is- we have the best proposal that we can have for Iowa City. I think that it's exciting to hear that, um, everyone's on board to, um, continue working with us if we do want to pivot or flex. Um, and, um, I know that this is a- a pretty kind of novel, um, pro- process for you too. Um, so thanks for working within, uh, the constraints of, you know, how this body has to operate. Um, I especially wanna thank, uh, the- the [01:17:00] potential consultants for all of the sort of free work they've already done for this. Yeah. Yes. Um, they've been doing this for two years already, educating us, working with us, going through the grind, um, that- that is not lost on me. So thank you. I just wanna clap again. [LAUGHTER] Thank you guys, uh. Um, so are there any further things we wanted to discuss on this agenda item? Are we ready to move to the next one? Yes? [01:17:30] Okay. We will move to the next agenda item, um, which is correspondence and I don't believe we had any correspondents, so we'll move on to agenda item number 8, which is the Iowa City Community School District elementary school performance incident updates. And I'm going to ask Commissioner Krebs or Merritt if there are any updates? Yeah. So we're still working with the schools, um, we-, ah, I actually halved in, um, as best as I can [01:18:00] into one of, ah, DI meetings last night, um, and one of the members has- has been going through the rethinking comb- Columbus book. And so far I feels that this does not interfere with the, um, house. What was that? [OVERLAPPING] House 802. I can't remember. Sorry. Yeah. That kind of, ah, causes some roadblocks [01:18:30] for us. But, um, so far this book has been okay, um, according to her. Um, I met with Laura Gray and Carmen, I can't remember her last name. Um, Laura is the executive of the Diversity and Equity and Inclusion Group for the district, and then Carmen is in charge of like the curriculum. [01:19:00] So I met with them, they have a lot of- , um, like they're really- they're really working on this. They had a lot of great ideas, um, and they've been really good about like reaching out, so hopefully we'll see some things moving forward. Um, can't remember. There was- like there was- I feel like I'm forgetting something. I will [01:19:30] mention it at our next meeting if I were you. [LAUGHTER] And if you remember, you can always send an email to Stephanie and she'll distribute to all of us. Oh, yeah. Perfect. Perfect. Perfect. Yeah, they've got some exciting stuff that they're working on. So it's really awesome to- to be able to work with them and even join the meetings. I like hearing what's happening in our schools so. Any other discussion on this agenda item? If not, ah, we will move on to a- announcements of commissioners [01:20:00] and staff. Steph, do you have any? Okay. Commissioners, do we have any announcements? Go ahead. I'll just, ah, remark on, um, some of the recent legislation that passed through, ah, the Moine, um, specifically with regard to huge restrictions affecting trans youth in our state, um, including, ah, freedom to use the appropriate bathroom, ah, that students are supposed to use in- in our public schools, as well as the ability for transgender youth in our state to access, [01:20:30] um, medical and surgical affirming- gender affirming healthcare. Um, this is, ah, so discriminatory and affects, um, a- a lot of youth that I work with. And, um, as we know with all sorts of laws and- and systemic movements that-, um, that target groups of people. They target, um, the people of color within those groups more. Right? [01:21:00] Um, so the people who suffer most from this are trans youth of color. I can't think of a more marginalized group. Um, and, ah, in whatever way, you know, this commission can continue to just keep intersectionality in mind as it moves forward. Um, revealing truths, ah, of those who have been oppressed in our community, that have been affected by laws like this. I- I hope that we continue to pay attention to those and- and, um, include those in [01:21:30] the work. Thank you. Anyone else? A- announcements. Um, ah, we had the golden gloves over the weekend. I just wanted to thank everyone, including I think Iowa city and everyone involved and all their time, hard work and effort. Ah, this was historic, first-time bringing, ah, this tournament to Iowa city, ah, out of our- our capital. With that being said, with all the- we had [01:22:00] some little bit of drama behind closed doors when it comes down to the gloves. But despite that, ah, I just want to thank everybody for the hard work and effort, ah, that they put in. Ah, also, I will be freed up a lot more after we get back from the nationals. We ha- now have a national or a champion from Iowa City on their way to represent us at the nationals, which is a beautiful thing. Ah, when it comes on Iowa City, [01:22:30] Cedar Rapids and Davenport, we are the ones who are pretty much represent Iowa right now, that is historic, that's a beautiful thing. And once we get back from there, I will have a lot more free time and I would like to focus and get with every community member possibly and every group that we can a lot more. Ah, this has just been taking up my time because this is my life on outside, and I- but other than that, it does not mean that I take away from or don't care as much about everything else going on. Ah, I just would like to focus [01:23:00] it a little bit more- a- a lot more after this. So I look forward to work on everybody a lot more in the near future and so far this progress has been fantastic. It is a beautiful thing and it does feel good to see moves, ah, going forward in a positive direction. I really think we're going to make great moves in the future. So, ah, that's all I have. Thank you. Anyone else? Yeah, just some dots. Ah, [01:23:30] and this not just to us here, but also this is public of Kenya, which seats, ah, the- ah, its seat for United Nations center for headquarters for refugees in the region right now. And I'm talking about these, I- I'm an immigrant from Kenya. And- so right now, these [01:24:00] some- there have been for the last maybe two weeks, some demonstrations that have violence, and this has made Senator Coon from Delaware, ah, and the US Embassy in Kenya, ah, be involved in brokering peace. It's fragile, so I'm just sending dots out there about that. [01:24:30] Then if anybody would wish to get involved here in our city and our county in the welcome week, ah, to refugees and immigrants. In the first week of September, I coordinate Nisa in Iowa City and Eastern Iowa. So you can reach out to me if you want to be part of, ah, this ce- celebration, the welcome celebrations that [01:25:00] will happen. And I'll- I'll send out an email through our- the- the TRC email, ah, on the progress and how that is going. Ah, the other thing, I shot out an email about donations, especially for hygiene products and their links to where it can be sent. Those links [01:25:30] lead to the faculty from Grand Canyon University that are traveling to Zambia. I am one of them. If you're in Iowa or in Iowa city, ah, it is all right to inquire from me or to have them sent to me. And since we don't travel until May 18, I will keep, ah, repeating this message and answering any [01:26:00] questions that may come my way. Ah, the other thing, this week, we are having holy week for some people depending on your belief- your religious belief. We have Passover. We, ah, then we have Good Friday and Easter Weekend, and we have Ramadan. So I wish everybody the best as you participate [01:26:30] in the activities of all- all those religious activities. Thank you. Anyone else? Um, I have just a couple of announcements. Um, first, um, I wanted to thank whoever, um, showed up for my organization yesterday, the Shakespeare's. Um, just want to let everyone know that, ah, we are running a campaign right now because 45 of our, ah, youth in our after-school programs, um, from two schools that have the highest [01:27:00] free and reduced lunch rates, um, in the count- in the school district, um, are going to be losing their scholarships this summer so we're raising emergency funds so that they can, ah, attend summer camp. If you don't know, after school programs and summer camp programs are so important for kids, especially for parents who rely on those, ah, those, ah, situations to allow them to go to work, as well as give their kids a- a safe place to go and spend time and, you know, work on the skills emotionally and mentally [01:27:30] and physically that they need. So, um, we're going to have a couple of other, um, fundraisers throughout this month and next month. Um, if you see it on Facebook or if you see on social media or just online, please share it, um, because it's really important that we don't have to turn any kids away this summer, and then for the scholarships that will be possibly left, ah, last during the school year. On another notes, um, for us in this commission, um, as was mentioned earlier, a few of us didn't meet- meet with some community leaders. [01:28:00] Um, I've been in contact and they'd love to continue those meetings so, um, just be on the lookout for more, um, requests to see who is available and willing and wanting to meet with other commun- commun- community members as we try to discuss and get to know each other, um, even more and collectively build, ah, this. Ah, what we're trying to do here as our commission. And lastly, I just think- I want to say I hope everyone is taking care of themselves. It's April, I can't believe it's April, um, already [01:28:30] and it's been a long year already, at least for me so I hope that you're, ah, taking some mental time for yourself. So if there's no one else, I'm going to ask, um, if there's a motion to- to adjourn. I move. Seconded. Thank you all.