Boise City Council approves spending up to $60,000 to begin building diversity strategy
Boise’s city leaders will undergo “intercultural developmental inventory assessments” as part of a council member’s goal to develop a diversity strategy for the city workforce.
Councilwoman Lisa Sánchez asked the city to spend up to $60,000 on the assessments for Mayor Lauren McLean, council members and department heads “to determine where are we when it comes to diversity, equity and inclusion in our city.”
That money also would go toward “a process that will lead to the creation of a strategic framework” for diversity in city government, Sánchez wrote in a memo to council members. It would be paid to Dignitas Agency, a Boise firm that specializes in “accelerating impact for leaders,” according to its website.
The Boise Police Department and the city’s arts and history department have gone through similar initiatives, Sánchez said.
She told the council that the assessments are part of more than a year of work she’s put in to incorporate inclusion in the city’s operational strategy. The training could begin as soon as the end of this month.
“I think it’ll be incredible and necessary step that we take to create a more equitable workplace and workforce that reflects this community,” McLean said.
The request covers only the first phase of the process, which Sánchez estimated could take between a year and 18 months. Future requests would cover more phases, she wrote in her memo, “once the strategy and timelines are firmed up.”
The council voted to approve spending the money from its strategic planning contingency fund.
Boise has emphasized inclusion, including becoming a certified “Welcoming City” last year. It means the city meets certain “welcoming standards” that include ensuring access to community services and building connections between newcomers and longtime residents.
Being a welcoming city is not the same thing as being a sanctuary city, which is a municipality with specific policies to protect undocumented immigrants from enforcement of federal immigration laws.
This story was originally published March 11, 2020 at 6:00 AM.
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