Members of the Tompkins County Workforce Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Committee on May 28 discussed steps to prepare for a new countywide climate survey and recommended early planning so a vendor can be engaged and outreach run ahead of data collection.

Joan Jurkowich, who attended specifically for that item, said early planning is important "so that you don't have to spend then three or four months at the beginning of the year prepping for it" if the survey is funded. Committee members reiterated an informal preference for hiring an independent firm to run the survey rather than conducting it internally, to provide impartiality.

The committee reviewed the history: climate surveys were done in 2015 and 2018; a shorter check‑in survey occurred in 2021. Members noted that many changes recommended after the 2018 survey — monthly all‑staff town halls, hiring a communications director, forming JEDI and creating a chief equity officer position — were implemented, but persistent gaps remain, such as cross‑department communication and longer onboarding needs.

John Palachik recommended that all WDIC members receive the 2018 climate‑survey report (which includes comparisons to 2015) as baseline context for planning a new survey. Members also discussed budgeting: a previous attempt to fund a survey in the current year was not successful; several members recalled that the legislature planned to include funding for a climate survey in the 2026 budget cycle. Shauna Black suggested contacting local HR consulting vendors (one referenced vendor was HR‑1 in Syracuse) to obtain current cost estimates; a figure around $10,000 was mentioned as a past quote but no current contract or vendor was selected.

Next steps captured in the discussion included: reviewing the 2018 survey report, developing proposed questions (WDIC could recommend which topics to continue or change), identifying likely vendors and obtaining quotes so budget requests can be prepared, and scheduling outreach and communications plans early if funding is secured. No procurement or contract decision was made on May 28.