CITY COUNCIL MEETING Joint Session with Albemarle County Board of Supervisors And University of Virginia October 28, 2020 Virtual/electronic meeting 2:00 PM JOINT WORK SESSION The Charlottesville City Council met in an electronic meeting on Wednesday, October 28, 2020. The meeting was hosted by the County of Albemarle and held virtually pursuant to local ordinances in place to ensure continuity of government and to prevent the spread of disease. CALL TO ORDER Donna Price, Vice Chair of the County of Albemarle Board of Supervisors, called the meeting to order at 2:09 p.m. and introduced the Board members in attendance. Chair Galloway was present; however, because of limited internet capacity during travel, he ceded the hosting duties of the meeting to Vice Chair Price. Mayor Nikuyah Walker convened the meeting for the Council of the City of Charlottesville at 2:10 p.m. and asked Clerk of Council Kyna Thomas to call the roll. The following members were present: Mayor Nikuyah Walker, Vice Mayor Sena Magill, Councilor Heather Hill, Councilor Michael Payne and Councilor Lloyd Snook. University of Virginia President Jim Ryan introduced university staff: Jennifer (J.J.) Davis, Chief Operating Officer; Kevin McDonald, Director of Equity, Inclusion and Community Partnerships; Barbara Wilson, Associate Professor of Urban and Environmental Planning; and Ben Allen, Executive Director for the Equity Center. OPENING REMARKS President Ryan, Mayor Walker, and Vice Chair Price made opening remarks. Siri Russell, Albemarle County Director of Equity and Inclusion, previewed the agenda for the meeting. WORK SESSION Kaki Dimock, Director of the City of Charlottesville Department of Human Services shared an overview of synergistic activities between the three entities: • Understanding disproportionality in the justice and child welfare systems • Responding to COVID health crisis • Evaluating and planning around equity Participants each were given an opportunity to address the following: - Questions about the concept of the MOU in general? - Concerns about language/content? o Some thoughts were to develop measurements for success, to be consistent with the use of wording related to equity and inclusion, and to ensure legally that there is no requirement for quotas. - What is most needed from this partnership/collaboration to be successful? - In what ways do you hope this partnership will grow our capacity to promote equity/inclusion? o Discussion involved identifying short-term measurable wins. - What are your expectations for the way we pursue this work together and for staff? (How will we know we have been successful?) o Some suggestions were to have each entity identify who would take ownership of this initiative, frequent updates, addressing homelessness and equal opportunity in schools, and putting action items into place to work toward success. - Anything missing? Kevin McDonald introduced members of the UVA Equity Center: - Dr. Ben Allen, Executive Director - Dr. Michele Claibourn, Director of Equitable Analysis - Dr. Barbara Brown Wilson, Associate Professor and Faculty Director Dr. Allen shared a presentation about the mission and vision of the Equity Center, benefits of collaboration, and the urgency of action. Dr. Claibourn shared the goals of the Equity Atlas, with examples of tools available on the website for visualizing the intersection of residents and available resources. Dr. Wilson shared information about how universities could redress community inequities. She emphasized the importance of community-driven, action-oriented research. The following Health Department representatives shared an update on COVID-19 and answered questions: - Ryan L. McKay, MPA, Senior Policy Analyst, and - Dr. Denise Bonds, District Health Director. Siri Russell summarized action steps in order to bring the Memorandum forward to each body separately for agreement and approval. Mayor Walker made suggestions for wording. Councilor Payne reiterated the need to collectively address the housing affordability crisis. Mayor Walker, Vice President McDonald and Chair Galloway made closing remarks. Vice Chair Price adjourned the meeting for the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors at 4:23 p.m. and Mayor Walker adjourned the meeting for the Council of the City of Charlottesville at 4:24 p.m. BY Order of City Council BY Kyna Thomas, Clerk of Council