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New DEI commissioner asks about orientation, budget and inter‑city collaboration during public comment
Summary
Laurie Stewart, a newly appointed DEI commissioner from a neighboring commission, asked the Mountlake Terrace panel about orientation for commissioners, available budgets for outreach, and interest in regional DEI collaboration; commissioners described existing city orientation, limited direct commission budget, and interest in joint events.
During public comment, Laurie Stewart introduced herself as a new member of the BumbleTO diversity, equity and inclusion commission and asked Mountlake Terrace commissioners about orientation, budgeting, events and outreach practices.
Stewart said she started in February and wanted to visit other commissions to learn best practices. "I wanted to first ask if you guys have an orientation. And if you do have an orientation when you were first brought on, did it help?" she asked. Commissioners responded that the city offers a general orientation about how city government handles documents and public‑meeting rules, while some commission‑specific onboarding was informal: several commissioners said they met informally with other commissioners and the chair to learn the role.
Stewart also asked whether the commission holds events and controls a budget. Commissioners described some confusion: multiple speakers said the commission does not directly control a large separate budget, but staff support and city finance processes enable some spending. One commissioner summarized the position: the commission does not control a general discretionary budget, "but before the budget analysis...we had a couple of discussions as a commissioner about, like, what are the things that you'd wanna do over the next 2 years, and then that would help them develop the cost estimate...so we have a few thousand dollars, not a whole lot of money, but a few thousand dollars for training and to do events." Another participant clarified the city helps administer funds and collaborations, and sponsorships are sought for larger events.
Stewart proposed creating an inter‑city DEI meetup and asked whether Mountlake Terrace commissioners would participate in a once‑ or twice‑a‑year gathering of nearby commissions. Commissioners expressed support for regional collaboration and said they would be "happy to" participate. Stewart also noted connections to the Edmond School District and community organizations and encouraged commissioners to respond to her follow‑up survey questions.
Discussion vs. decision: Stewart’s comments were public testimony during the public‑comment portion of the meeting and provoked informational responses from commissioners; no formal action or vote followed.
Next steps: Commissioners encouraged Stewart to circulate follow‑up questions; several commissioners said they would respond and indicated interest in collaborating on a regional DEI convening.
