[HISTORY: Adopted by the Common Council of the City of Albany 10-21-2019 by Ord. No.
35.101.19. Amendments noted where applicable.]
Equity is a cornerstone of a thriving democracy and must be
embedded in the internal and external actions of local government
that contribute to the health and well-being of everyone in the City.
Racial and social disparities persist across key indicators of success
in Albany, including education, economic development, health, housing,
jobs, criminal justice, the built environment, service equity and
arts and culture. The Mayor's office established an Equity Agenda
Advisory Committee in 2014 to advise the administration on executing
an equity agenda. The goal of this equity agenda is to focus on achieving
equity across all communities and ending the injustices caused by
institutional and systemic racism and discrimination. The Common Council
of the City of Albany seeks to more actively oversee and assist City
departments as they utilize available tools and resources to end inequities
across key indicators of success. Equitable budgeting is a "funding
shift" to focus on those neighborhoods with the greatest needs.
A.
Built environment enhancements
(1)
The City rates streets on a scale of one to 10. A rating of three
or lower indicates a need for repair or replacement. The City shall
seek to achieve parity among all wards in the proportion of street
ratings of three or higher. The City of Albany Department of General
Services and Division of Engineering will provide the Common Council
with a ward map identifying the rating of each street at the time
that it submits to the Common Council its annual proposed list of
street and sidewalk reconstructions/enhancements. This map will break
down street conditions by percentage within each ward. Wards with
a disproportionate percentage of streets rated three or lower will
be prioritized. The Department of General Services and Division of
Engineering will also be required to keep an electronic record of
requests made for the enhancement of existing streets and sidewalks
and the installment of new sidewalks and walking paths. An update
on these requests will be included in the report.
(2)
Investment in parks must be based on equity, which is measured based
on data retrieved from a City-wide parks assets map. The Departments
of Recreation, General Services and Water will develop a City-wide
asset map that includes, at a minimum: the location and name of each
City-owned park; the size of each park, the recreation equipment (including
splash pads) in each park, including the age of the equipment, the
designed age range for children using the equipment, and the ADA access
to such equipment; the number and condition of any court services;
the existence and condition of any restroom facilities and water fountains;
the existence and condition of benches, picnic tables, chess tables
and other such surfaces; and the overall condition of the grounds
(including hardscape) of the park. The Department of Parks and Recreation,
in conjunction with the Department of General Services and Water Department,
will provide the Common Council with a detailed asset map by September
1 of each year.
(3)
The City of Albany Planning Department will conduct an annual assessment
of lighting to ensure streets, alleyways and parks are adequately
illuminated.
(4)
The City of Albany Department of General Services will assess if
trash receptacles are evenly distributed throughout wards in commercial
zones and placed in areas of high activity.
(5)
Any proposed qualified capital improvements (other than capital projects
required at the City of Albany Landfill) will be accompanied with
the name of previous capital projects completed by ward in a four-year
period. The selection of wards for capital projects must take into
account the need for built environment enhancements and the time period
of the last capital project proposed or completed in the ward. Wards
that have received zero or a limited number of capital project funds
must be prioritized. The list will be submitted to the Albany Common
Council annually. Exceptions will be made for state and federal mandated
orders.
B.
Violence prevention.
(1)
The Albany Common Council's Public Safety Committee will establish
a Violence Prevention Task Force. The Violence Prevention Task Force
will be responsible for convening stakeholders every fall to develop
action items in preparation for the upcoming summer in anticipation
of an uptick in violence. This task force will be composed of members
of the Albany Common Council's Public Safety Committee, community
members from wards disproportionately impacted by violence, at least
one youth representative, representatives from the Albany Police Department,
the Mayor's office, the Albany City School District, clergy and members
from violence-prevention-related organizations.
(2)
Funding will be allocated annually to violence prevention programming
and initiatives in Wards with the highest incidence and prevalence
of violence. The funds will be allocated based on prioritization through
a community participatory budgeting process with involvement from
the Violence Prevention Task Force. A separate budget line within
the City of Albany's annual budget will be created and titled "Violence
Prevention Task Force Funding."
C.
Community programming. While the Office of Housing and Urban Development
requires that all community block grant funding be allocated to high
needs communities, the Albany Community Development Agency will take
special care to ensure that CDBG funds be prioritized for organizations
that serve communities historically disadvantaged due to racism and
discrimination, including African Americans, Latinos and Native Americans.
The Department of Administrative Services and the Office of
the Mayor will be responsible for monitoring, advising and evaluating
the City's Equity Agenda in the following manner:
A.
The Human Rights Commission will be responsible for reviewing, enhancing
and providing recommendations on the City of Albany's Equity Agenda.
Recommendations will be submitted to the Office of the Mayor. The
Equity Agenda should include policy recommendations for City-wide
initiatives and policies to ensure equitable growth among key indicators
of success: education, economic development, health, housing, jobs,
criminal justice, the built environment, service equity, and arts
and culture.
B.
The Office of the Mayor and the Department of Administrative Services
will develop and implement a communications strategy to promote summer
jobs, job fairs, workforce development training centers and information
about civil service testing to residents. The communications strategy
will be submitted to the Human Rights Commission for enhancements
and recommendations. The communications strategy will be implemented
City-wide with an emphasis on communities with the following characteristics:
minority majority wards, low income and disproportionate crime rates
and vacant buildings.
C.
The Human Rights Commission will implement an annual dialogue on
race, equity and inclusion for the City of Albany community. The forum
will be funded as part of the Mayor's Rotunda Evening Series. Funds
for this initiative will be made available through an administrative
contractual expenditure line in the City's annual budget.
D.
The City of Albany Commission on Human Rights, in partnership with
the City of Albany's Department of Administrative Services, will track
outcomes over time and publish a report on an annual basis on the
City's progress towards achieving equity. The City will measure the
collective actions and policies in the following equity areas: built
environment enhancements; violence prevention; workforce training
employment; and education. A report will be delivered to the Council
on an annual basis, no later than December 21.
[Amended 11-1-2021 by Ord. No. 51.102.21]
The Department of Administrative Services will ensure that all
City employees receive annual training on racial equity, diversity
and inclusion.
