DEI History.pdf

Sun Prairie DEI Journey Summary

Recommendations from the Ad Hoc Steering Committee on Diversity (2015-2017)

1. City’s workforce: The Committee provided recommendations that will enhance the City’s capabilities to locate, recruit and hire qualified candidates with diverse backgrounds.

• Policy/Budgetary changes: Provide competitive compensation and benefit package to be an employer of choice, consider professional search firms to recruit for specialized positions, create recruitment pipelines, enhance public transportation.

• Administrative changes: Review all job descriptions, highlight the benefits of living/working in Sun Prairie, establish partnerships with higher education institutions, post jobs on multiple recruiting platforms, develop citizens academy, encourage all staff to assist in recruitment process, provide diversity, implicit bias and inclusion raining to create/maintain welcoming and supportive work environment, mentorships, community forums, highlight efforts of DEI, highlight recruitment and retention programs of HR, build partnerships with minority groups, engage with local community organizations.

2. City services: The Committee provided recommendations to city services to better support the understanding and unique needs of all communities within Sun Prairie.

• Policy/budget impact: translation services, enhancements to public transportation system, citizen survey, private investments in transit, workforce housing, create ad-hoc steering committee on housing.

• Administrative: Provide culturally relevant programming, materials distributed are reflective of the community, create community ombudsmen program, job bank, coordinate with civic groups, learn about various human services programs throughout the county and serve as resource to connect residents to program offerings.

Updated Housing Discrimination Ordinance and Adoption of Accommodations and Employment Ordinance May 2017 Excerpt from Chapter 9.21 – Accommodation and Employment

• Provision for adequate safeguards against discrimination is a proper and necessary function of city government. To protect the health, safety and general welfare of all inhabitants of the city, and all persons employed or living within the city, it is declared to be the public policy of this city to foster and enforce to the fullest extent of the law equal opportunity employment and public accommodations without regard to actual or perceived race, color, creed, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, sex/gender, disability, arrest/conviction record, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or gender expression, political affiliation, results of genetic testing, honesty testing, pregnancy or childbirth, military service, disabled veteran or covered veteran status, service in the U.S. Armed Force, the State Defense force, National Guard of any state, or any reserve component of the United States or State military forces, or an individual’s affiliation with or perceived affiliation with any of these protected categories. To fully effectuate this policy of promoting nondiscrimination, the city shall endeavor to eliminate all discrimination that may occur within employment and accommodation within the City of Sun Prairie.

Statement of fair housing from Chapter 9.20 – Housing Discrimination

• It is declared to be the policy of the city to assure equal opportunity to all persons to live in decent housing facilities regardless of age, color, family status, gender identity and/or gender expression, marital status, national origin/ancestry, race, religion, persons with disability, sex, sexual orientation, source of lawful income or victims of domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking and, to that end, to prohibit discrimination in housing by any persons. This policy does not preclude an owner from taking reasonable precautions and implementing sound business practice by screening tenants. This screening may include requiring credit histories and credit checks, requiring valid state or federal identification that provides sufficient identification of a person, or review of criminal background for reasonably related offenses. This chapter shall be deemed an exercise of the police powers of the city for the protection of the health and welfare of the people of this city and as fulfillment of the legislative directive of Section 66.1011, Wisconsin Statutes. Furthermore, the provisions of Wis. Stats.

§106.50 are hereby adopted by reference. It shall be unlawful for any person to violate such section.

Communications & Diversity Strategist position created/ hired November 2018.

Employee Training (2019-2021) Bias Training, Transgender Competency Training, small-group Equity Academy, Equity Learning moments at executive leadership team meetings to bring DEI into every discussion, small-group discussion of United Way 21-Week Equity Challenge, Department Specific Training (Bias, Inclusion, Harassment and Bullying Training at EMS, Unconscious Bias Training for Library Board, Beyond Diversity training with PD staff in partnership with SPASD).

DEI Statement Released February 2020 (Mayor’s State of the City Address) Sun Prairie is committed to advancing equity, honoring our diverse identity, and creating an inclusive culture. These serve as our guiding principles every day in all that we do. Keep us accountable to this mission and join us in this commitment to a thriving Sun Prairie, as you live, work, and play.

Personnel Policy Review Communications & Diversity Strategist, Human Resources Director, and Strategic Planning & Engagement Manager initial review of eight personnel policies in 2020 through DEI lens.

Employee Benefits Committee review of benefits and eligibility.

Sun Prairie Public Library – November 2020 Racial Literacy Plan adopted, providing professional and staff development opportunities, reviewing policies and procedures, intentional programs, collection development, and representation.

Ordinance Change - May 18, 2021, City Council unanimously approved an ordinance banning certified providers from practicing conversion therapy on minors.

Current Internships/Job Training Programs Project REACH - Rise to Educational Achievement and Career through Urban League of Greater Madison.

Youth Apprenticeships – providing School-to-Career Opportunities through SPASD.

WI Department of Workforce Development, WI Development Board of South Central WI, Senior Community Service Employment Program, and Forward Service Corporation - programs focusing on re-entry to the workforce for various demographics

Community Engagement Neighborhood Navigators, engaging in conversations about the community and its resources.

Restore the Right to Breathe – Series of racial healing workshops following the murder of George Floyd (Know Your Rights Workshop, No Dumb Questions Quorum, Community Self-Policing, and Restorative Virtual Concert) Juneteenth Celebration Multicultural Fair Urban Sun: Black Voices Book Club, Sun Prairie Public Library

Civic Sun Prairie: Video produced detailing Sun Prairie history through the lens of the different groups that have called it home. Initiative to inform residents of opportunities to civically engage with the city (census, state of the city, proclamations, etc.)

SPASD, the City, and other local community partners collaborating on Sun Prairie Community Conversations on Race, Equity, and Inclusion with support from Courageous Conversations Global Foundations to develop a to establish a strategy that reflects cross-sector alignment for racial healing and transformation for the City of Sun Prairie.

The Sun Prairie Public Library working on the formation of a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee to the Library Board.