Review: Inclusion and Diversity in ASSET Funding
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Rachel's Council Review |
As usual for the review, my comments are red and italicized in the context of the latest Council Preview by Bronwyn Beatty-Hansen.
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Usually some of the agenda items will have a period where members of the public may briefly speak to Council.
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The Ames City Council meets on Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. at City Hall. The agenda includes the following. Note that you can generally click on individual agenda items below to get the full staff report or other explanation.
- 3. Workshop regarding Inclusion and Diversity in Establishing ASSET Funding Priorities.
This Workshop was scheduled as follow-up to a conversation in November 2020, in which Council discussed adding language related to social justice to our ASSET funding priorities. The current priorities are organized into three categories, centered around:- Meeting mental health and substance abuse disorder needs (with four services identified in order of priority)
- Meeting basic needs, with an emphasis on low-to-moderate income (with nine services identified in order of priority)
- Providing youth development services and activities (two services identified)
Council first had a discussion of the current data and agency outcomes being collected in ASSET scorecards, DEI initiatives/pilot programs that ASSET agencies are implementing, as well as council's role in helping to include social justice in our ASSET priorities. Council voted to move the phrasing of "with an emphasis on low to moderate income" to the top of the priorities, so it would apply to all the ASSET categories and not just the meeting basic needs category. The motion passed 6-0. Council also asked to revisit this topic with a workshop (Inclusion and Diversity in ASSET) and review the ASSET outcome data annually in June, which passed 6-0.
Communications to Council: The following items are requests and communications to Council that aren't published on the agenda, so we won't deliberate them substantially. This includes staff reports and communications or requests from constituents and developers. Typically, Council will ask city staff for more information, put the item on a future agenda for deliberation and possible action, or just accept the communication, taking no further action.
- DM International Airport Presentation .
The Des Moines Airport is expanding, and is asking nearby municipalities to contribute toward their expansion. Their rationale is that the DSM Airport serves Iowans from a wide radius including neighboring counties and cities like Ames and Story County. - Foley DM International Airport Request for Funding.
Council moved to have the airport presentation around budget time, which failed 1-5 (Gartin voting aye). Then council moved to decline the request for funding, which passed 5-1 (Gartin voting nay).
Thanks for reading,
Rachel Junck
Ames City Council, Ward 4